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The Edge has recalled how a 2006 visit to Carnival in Salvador, Brazil, with Gilberto Gil and Quincy Jones helped shape U2’s interest in bringing spiritual themes and celebration together. The band’s upcoming album, Carnaval De Luz, is scheduled for release Nov. 13, with four São Paulo concerts planned for March 2027.
U2 guitarist The Edge has revisited the band’s 2006 Carnival visit to Salvador, Bahia, saying the experience with Brazilian musician Gilberto Gil and producer Quincy Jones helped inspire ideas behind U2’s upcoming album, Carnaval De Luz. The recollection connects a formative trip to the record, scheduled for release Nov. 13, and the band’s planned return to Brazil in March 2027.
Speaking to Brazilian radio station 89 FM, The Edge recalled that Gil and Jones introduced the musicians to Carnival. “We were in Bahia with Quincy Jones and Gilberto Gil, and they said, ‘We’re going to show you Carnival,’” he said. The band watched Salvador’s trios elétricos—mobile sound systems and performance platforms associated with the festivities—from a balcony.
Bono later joined singer Ivete Sangalo during her performance, an encounter also recorded in U2’s official archives, according to the report. The Edge said U2 had long been interested in Carnival’s combination of religious tradition and exuberant celebration. He described the band’s interest as an effort to bring together “these two different sides of U2’s identity: this spiritual search and celebration.”
The Brazilian connection is also reflected in the album’s music. Adam Clayton discussed the Brazilian roots of “Silencio” in an interview with the television program Fantástico, as reported by Rolling Stone Brasil. Bono has also expressed excitement about performing the song in Brazil when U2 returns to São Paulo, according to the source report. The band announced Carnaval De Luz in September; it is U2’s first album of new material since 2017’s Songs of Experience.
Brazil’s Influence on U2’s Album
The recollection adds a specific origin story to an album whose title and themes draw attention to Carnival. The Edge’s account links the project not just to a Brazilian setting, but to U2’s stated interest in combining spiritual searching with celebration. That connection may help listeners understand how the group has framed the record’s concept, while the reported Brazilian roots of “Silencio” point to influence within the music as well.
The story also gives added meaning to U2’s scheduled four São Paulo concerts in March 2027. Those shows will take place in a country tied to the album’s inspiration, though the available report does not say whether U2 plans any specific Carnival-themed staging or guest appearances. The connection is relevant to Brazilian fans and to listeners seeking to understand the relationship between the band’s travels and its new work.
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From Salvador in 2006 to São Paulo
The trip took place in Salvador, in the state of Bahia, in 2006, when Bono and The Edge experienced Carnival alongside Gil and Jones. The report describes the musicians watching the trios elétricos before Bono joined Ivete Sangalo onstage. The Edge’s current comments revisit that experience nearly two decades later and explain how it fit U2’s interest in Carnival’s contrasting spiritual and celebratory elements.
Carnaval De Luz arrives Nov. 13, 2026, and is U2’s first collection of new material since Songs of Experience in 2017. The report says the album also contains a song inspired by Spanish singer Rosalía, but she does not perform on the track. U2’s “The Greatest Show On Earth World Tour” is scheduled to begin in Mexico City in February 2027, with the São Paulo dates set for March 10, 12, 14 and 16 at MorumBIS stadium.
““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
Album Details Still to Come
The account identifies Carnival as an influence on the album’s concept, but does not establish how many tracks draw directly on Brazil or detail the musical contributions, if any, of Gil, Jones or Sangalo to the record. The source reports Adam Clayton’s comments about “Silencio” but does not provide further detail here about the song’s composition or arrangement.
U2’s scheduled São Paulo dates are reported, but the available information does not specify the set list, production plans or whether Brazilian artists will appear at the concerts. The report also does not provide additional album-track details beyond the references to “Silencio” and a song inspired by Rosalía.
Album Release and Brazil Shows
Carnaval De Luz is scheduled for Nov. 13, 2026. U2’s tour is set to open in Mexico City on Feb. 23, 2027, followed by four dates at São Paulo’s MorumBIS stadium on March 10, 12, 14 and 16. The band is also scheduled to play in Buenos Aires later that month.
Listeners can expect more information about the record and tour as the release approaches, but the source material does not identify further announcements or confirm special plans for the Brazilian performances. For now, The Edge’s account offers a view of how the 2006 visit informed the ideas U2 says are central to the new album.
Key Questions
What did The Edge say inspired Carnaval De Luz?
He said U2’s 2006 Carnival experience in Salvador, Bahia, helped shape the band’s interest in bringing together spiritual searching and celebration.
Who introduced U2 to Carnival in Bahia?
The Edge recalled that Brazilian musician Gilberto Gil and producer Quincy Jones showed the group the festivities.
When is Carnaval De Luz scheduled for release?
The album is scheduled for release on Nov. 13, 2026. It is U2’s first album of new material since 2017’s Songs of Experience.
When will U2 play in São Paulo?
U2 is scheduled to play MorumBIS stadium on March 10, 12, 14 and 16, 2027, as part of its “The Greatest Show On Earth World Tour.”
Will Gilberto Gil or Ivete Sangalo appear on the album or tour?
The source report does not confirm that either artist will appear on Carnaval De Luz or at the São Paulo concerts. It recounts the artists’ role in U2’s 2006 Carnival experience and Bono’s onstage appearance with Sangalo during that visit.
Source: consequence.net
