The Irreverent U2 Podcast: Kissing Lips and Breaking Hearts with the Garden Tarts

U2's new album Carnaval de Luz drops November 13 — here's everything we know, plus our deep dive into Silencio lyrics & video after two weeks of listening.
Welcome to The Irreverent U2 Podcast: Kissing Lips and Breaking Hearts with the Garden Tarts. We're Jenny & Hillary, two longtime U2 fans talking U2 news, new music and decades of seeing the band together.
🎡 SIDE A: Carnaval de Luz news. Bono's "we need some carnival here" teaser, the Abbey Road-style cover, the Beatles Carnival of Light connection, tracklist talk including Street of Dreams as a "head fake," Glorify from Vegas, the Dolly Parton duet on Torn, and the shocking news that U2 doesn't have a group chat.
🔥 INTERMISSION: Random song from the cigar box — The Unforgettable Fire. Your comments and stories, the Hiroshima/Nagasaki Peace Museum story, the 360 Tour moment that made grown men cry, and why you all keep saying "masterpiece."
🤫 SIDE B: Silencio breakdown. The Mulholland Drive Club Silencio red curtain, the "ninjas" with the Mexico City police, the F-bomb (we approve), "the host of Father, Son and the Holy Ghost," what Bono means by the silence of the devil, and the birds we still can't explain.
🥃 Whiskey & Cake: Rosie O'Donnell got Sunday lunch with Bono — can we come too?
👊 Want to know why Bono punched Hillary? U2 Stories Out of Context are on our YouTube channel now, with the full collection on Patreon.
CHAPTERS: 0:00 Intro 0:38 Side A: U2 New Album Carnaval de Luz 8:41 Intermission: The Unforgettable Fire 17:59Side B: Silencio Song & Video Breakdown 30:48 Whiskey & Cake: Sunday Lunch with Bono?
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#U2 #CarnavalDeLuz #Silencio #U2Podcast #Bono

U2 turned 50 on September 25, 2026, and Dublin threw a party. We recap all of U2's 50th anniversary: the surprise Mount Temple school gig, the Grafton Street show from the Bewley's balcony, the live debut of "Silencio," and the "40" encore the fans asked for.
No Side A or Side B this week, just one fast recap of the whole day. We cover the 5am Stationhead listening party that wasn't quite a party, Larry unveiling U2's commemorative coin at the Little Museum of Dublin, and the Mount Temple set with 32 young string players from Music Generation. Then the McGonagles press playback for Carnaval de Luz, with Dolly Parton on "Torn." And the big one: 11 songs over Grafton Street, Edge singing "Falling Slowly" for Glen Hansard, 4,999 fans singing Happy Birthday, and Edge and Adam swapping instruments for "40."
Plus our questions for Bono over whiskey and cake: does 2026 Bono still carry a bit of 1976 Bono? And what would the day have looked like without a new album to promote?
Grafton Street setlist: I Will Follow, Out of Control, One, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, With or Without You, Silencio, All I Want Is You, Falling Slowly (Edge on vocals), Beautiful Day, Vertigo. Encore: 40.
Mount Temple setlist: I Will Follow, Vertigo, Beautiful Day, Out of Control, One, Silencio, With or Without You.
Next week: our deeper take on "Silencio" and the Carnaval de Luz album announcement (out November 13).
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The Irreverent U2 Podcast: Kissing Lips and Breaking Hearts with the Garden Tarts — Jenny and Hillary, decades of friendship and U2 shows.

U2 turns 50! On September 25, 1976, four Dublin teenagers crammed into Larry Mullen Jr.'s kitchen, and nothing was ever the same. To celebrate U2's 50th anniversary, Jenny and Hillary (the Garden Tarts) give you two things:
50 Stories With No Context. One-liners from decades of chasing U2 around the world. Bono punched one of us. He sneezed on both of us. We've been to church with him twice (we're Jewish). Larry left wristbands. Adam told a secret. Every word is true. We won't explain any of them.
Our Top 50 U2 Songs. Two very different lists: from Boy and October through Achtung Baby, Pop, and All That You Can't Leave Behind, all the way to Songs of Experience and Atomic City. Who forgot Rattle and Hum? Who snuck in "I'm Not Your Baby"? And why didn't either of us pick "So Cruel"?
Tell us your top U2 songs, and which story you want the full version of.
More at thegardentarts.com. Support the show on Patreon for ad-free episodes, early access, and bonus deep dives.

U2's 50th birthday is Friday and the teasers have started — plus a broken foot, a fan club unboxing, and a deep dive into your comments on Playboy Mansion (Pop, 1997). Was Bono really invited to the Playboy Mansion? Is the song a secret metaphor for heaven? We get into it.

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U2 turns 50 this year, and we're celebrating with one pivotal moment from every decade of the band's career — from Larry's message board note to the Sphere. Then: a live report from a U2 tribute band show, a full "Zoo Station" deep-dive with your comments, and an EXCLUSIVE US first listen to "Alison Stewart," December's new charity remix single, before its official release.

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💬 Leave a comment: what's YOUR pivotal U2 moment?

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Welcome + housekeeping
01:05 What's in this episode
03:27 50 Years of U2: a pivotal moment per decade
14:36 Intermission: U2 tribute band show recap (Cleveland)
19:57 Side B: "Zoo Station" deep-dive + your comments
44:00 Exclusive: "Alison Stewart" (December remix) first US listen
46:00 Next episode's song pick + goodbyes