U2 to livestream classic 2005 Chicago gig to celebrate re-release of ‘How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb’

U2 are livestreaming their classic 2005 Chicago gig today (November 22) to celebrate the re-release of their 2004 album ‘How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb’.

The record’s 20th anniversary edition is out today and available here. It follows Bono and co.’s recent sharing of a new song called ‘Happiness’, which was originally recorded in 2004.

The song came together during the original sessions for their 11th LP, and is set to feature on the shadow album ‘How To Re-Assemble An Atomic Bomb’ – which features new, unreleased songs dug up from the archive of the album’s original session – alongside the previously released songs ‘Country Mile’ and ‘Picture Of You (X + W)’.

Now, in celebration of the album’s 20th anniversary, and in anticipation of ‘How To Re-Assemble An Atomic Bomb’s release, U2 are livestreaming a fan-favourite concert that took place in Chicago’s United Center in May 2005 as part of their ‘Vertigo’ tour. The film will premiere at 5pm GMT, and you can watch it here.

They’ve already shared clips from the concert, including performances of ‘Beautiful Day’ and ‘Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own’. Check them out below.

‘How To Re-Assemble An Atomic Bomb’, will be exclusively available in physical format for Record Store Day Black Friday as a limited edition black and red marble 1LP vinyl, and as a standalone 10 track digital release on November 29.

Per a press release, The Edge said of ‘How To Re-Assemble An Atomic Bomb’: “The sessions for ‘How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb’ were such a creative period for the band, we were exploring so many song ideas in the studio. We were inspired to revisit our early music influences, and it was a time of deep personal introspection for Bono who was attempting to process – dismantle – the death of his father.

For this anniversary edition I went into my personal archive to see if there were any unreleased gems and I hit the jackpot. We chose ten that really spoke to us. Although at the time we left these songs to one side, with the benefit of hindsight we recognise that our initial instincts about them being contenders for the album were right, we were onto something.

What you’re getting on this shadow album is that raw energy of discovery, the visceral impact of the music, a sonic narrative, a moment in time, the exploration and interaction of four musicians playing together in a room… this is the pure U2 drop.”

This is hardly the first time the Irish rock legends have announced an album reissue. In 2019 they released ‘The Unforgettable Fire’ from 1984 and ‘How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb’ on coloured vinyl. The following year there was a remastered edition of 2000’s ‘All That You Can’t Leave Behind’ to mark the album’s 20th anniversary.

In spring of this year, U2 also shared a digital re-release of ‘Discothèque’ as part of a new series of “deep dives”, and a new selection of b-sides and mixes.

The news comes after U2 recently announced a new concert movie that was filmed during their residency at the Sphere Las Vegas.

Titled V-U2, the concert film was directed by the band’s guitarist The Edge and Morleigh Steinberg over the course of their historic residency at the Sphere Las Vegas.