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The Edge has recalled how Gilberto Gil and Quincy Jones introduced U2 to Carnival in Salvador, Brazil, in 2006. He said the experience helped inspire the band’s interest in bringing spirituality and celebration together on its upcoming album, Carnaval De Luz, due November 13, 2026.
U2 guitarist The Edge has revisited the band’s 2006 Carnival experience in Salvador, Brazil, saying the trip with Brazilian musician Gilberto Gil and producer Quincy Jones helped inspire ideas for U2’s upcoming album, Carnaval De Luz. In an interview with Brazilian radio station 89 FM, he described how the visit sharpened the group’s interest in the meeting of spiritual tradition and celebration.
The Edge said Gil and Jones took U2 members to see Salvador’s Carnival. The musicians watched the city’s trios elétricos—the mobile sound systems and performance stages associated with the festivities—from a balcony. Bono later joined Brazilian singer Ivete Sangalo during her performance, an appearance also recorded in U2’s official archives.
Recalling the invitation, The Edge told 89 FM: “We were in Bahia with Quincy Jones and Gilberto Gil, and they said, ‘We’re going to show you Carnival.’” He said the group was already interested in Carnival’s blend of religious tradition and exuberant celebration, and connected that contrast with the album’s creative direction.
The report also describes Brazilian influence in the record’s music. Rolling Stone Brasil reported that bassist Adam Clayton discussed Brazilian roots for the song “Silencio” on the television program Fantástico. Bono, meanwhile, expressed excitement about performing the track in Brazil when U2 returns to São Paulo. Those details point to several forms of influence, but the available reporting does not specify how each one shaped the finished album.
Brazil’s Place in U2’s New Album
The story gives listeners a specific account of how an earlier encounter with Brazilian culture became part of U2’s thinking about a new record. The Edge’s comments link the band’s experience of Carnival not only to its setting, but to a creative contrast he described as central to U2: spiritual searching alongside celebration.
That connection adds context to Carnaval De Luz, which is scheduled to arrive on November 13, 2026. It is U2’s first album of new material since Songs of Experience in 2017, according to the source report. The Brazilian references also have a near-term live dimension: the band is scheduled to return to São Paulo for four concerts in March 2027, where Bono has said he is looking forward to playing “Silencio.”
The account is relevant to fans following the album’s origins and the band’s relationship with Brazil. It does not, by itself, establish that the 2006 trip determined the whole album; The Edge described it as part of the inspiration behind the project.
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From Salvador in 2006 to São Paulo
U2’s Carnival experience took place in Salvador, Bahia, in 2006, when Bono and The Edge were there with Gil and Jones. According to the report, the group watched Carnival from a balcony before Bono joined Ivete Sangalo onstage. The band’s official archives also document the performance encounter.
The band’s new album was announced in September 2026 and is scheduled for release on November 13. Its title, Carnaval De Luz, echoes the Carnival connection The Edge discussed. The record also includes a song inspired by Spanish singer Rosalía, though the source says she does not perform on the track.
U2’s announced “The Greatest Show On Earth World Tour” is scheduled to begin in Mexico City in February 2027. The listed São Paulo dates are March 10, 12, 14 and 16 at MorumBIS stadium. The reported schedule also includes dates in Buenos Aires and cities across Europe through July 2027.
““We were in Bahia with Quincy Jones and Gilberto Gil, and they said, ‘We’re going to show you Carnival.’””
— The Edge, speaking to Brazilian radio station 89 FM
What the Album’s Influences Reveal
The comments establish The Edge’s account of the 2006 trip and its role in inspiring the album’s ideas, but the full creative process remains unclear. The source does not identify which songs, arrangements or production decisions grew directly from the Carnival experience, or explain the extent of Gil and Jones’s involvement beyond introducing the group to the festivities.
Details about “Silencio” are also limited to the reported discussion of its Brazilian roots and Bono’s interest in performing it in Brazil. The source does not provide a fuller account of the song’s sound or composition. The album’s scheduled release and the concert dates are future events, so whether the plans change or how the material will be presented live is not yet known.
Album Release and Brazil Shows
U2’s next scheduled milestone is the release of Carnaval De Luz on November 13, 2026. The band is then set to begin its tour in Mexico City on February 23, 2027, with further dates there before the announced South American leg.
U2 is scheduled to play four shows at São Paulo’s MorumBIS stadium on March 10, 12, 14 and 16, 2027. Those dates give the group a chance to bring the album to Brazil, though the source does not confirm a set list or say whether “Silencio” will be performed. Further reporting and the band’s release and tour updates may clarify how its Brazilian influences appear in the finished record and onstage.
Key Questions
What did The Edge say about U2’s 2006 Carnival experience?
He said Gilberto Gil and Quincy Jones introduced U2 to Carnival in Salvador, Brazil. The band watched the festivities, and The Edge connected Carnival’s mix of spiritual tradition and celebration with ideas behind the new album.
The album is scheduled for release on November 13, 2026. The report describes it as U2’s first album of new material since Songs of Experience, released in 2017.
What is the reported Brazilian connection to “Silencio”?
Rolling Stone Brasil reported that bassist Adam Clayton discussed Brazilian roots for the song during an interview on Fantástico. Bono also expressed excitement about performing it in Brazil, but the report does not provide further musical details.
When is U2 scheduled to perform in São Paulo?
U2 is scheduled to play MorumBIS stadium on March 10, 12, 14 and 16, 2027, as part of “The Greatest Show On Earth World Tour.”
Source: consequence.net
