U2 will record an exclusive concert for BBC Music at an indoor venue in central London on Tuesday 3 November, the BBC has announced. The performance will take place before a hand-picked crowd of fans, according to the broadcaster.
The band, who have won 22 Grammy Awards, will draw on material from across their back catalogue and will also air new songs from their forthcoming studio album, Carnaval De Luz. The BBC says the exact location in central London will only be disclosed to ticket holders on the day of the show.
Jo Whiley revealed the concert on her BBC Radio 2 programme, which airs Monday to Thursday from 7pm to 9pm.
Why it matters
The booking gives the BBC a high-profile exclusive with one of the most established acts in rock, and it arrives as the corporation rounds off a heavy season of live music programming across television, radio and its streaming platforms.
For U2, the show offers a controlled, televised setting to introduce material from Carnaval De Luz ahead of the record's release, in front of an audience chosen through the BBC's own ticketing process rather than a general sale.
Ballot closes Thursday
Fans hoping to attend have until midnight on Thursday 29 October to enter a ballot run by BBC Audiences. Registration is handled through the BBC Shows and Tours website, and the broadcaster describes the number of tickets as limited.
No details have been given about the size of the venue or the capacity of the audience.
Broadcast plans across TV, radio and iPlayer
The concert will form the centrepiece of a U2-themed evening on BBC Two in late November, according to the broadcaster. A separate broadcast is set for BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds on Monday 30 November, when the performance will air during Whiley's show alongside a new interview with band members.
Both programmes will remain available on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds after their initial transmission.
U2 will also appear on Vernon Kay's Radio 2 programme for its Tracks of My Years feature, selecting ten songs that have shaped their lives and careers. That episode becomes available on BBC Sounds and BBC iPlayer from 6am on Sunday 15 November, with broadcast in Kay's weekday show (9.30am to 12pm) during the week beginning Monday 16 November. It will also air on BBC Two on the same night as the concert broadcast.
Whiley said she has never seen the band give less than everything at a show, and that she is looking forward to finding out what they have planned and to sharing the concert with her listeners.
Part of a busy season of music on the BBC
The U2 concert follows a summer and autumn of live music output from the broadcaster. Its recent slate has included festival coverage, artist residencies and special one-off concerts, among them a Madonna programme, a Glastonbury retrospective, a 6 Music residency featuring Foo Fighters, Honey Dijon, James Blake, beabadoobee and Robyn, and live sets from Charli xcx and Calvin Harris. Radio 2 in the Park in Stirling was headlined by Chaka Khan and Simple Minds, and the BBC also aired programmes on Wham! in China and a Sam Smith concert at the London Coliseum.
Other recent broadcasts include a concert at the Roundhouse in Camden marking 20 years since Amy Winehouse released Back to Black, and a Jungle performance for BBC iPlayer featuring songs from their fifth album, Sunshine.
Watch for the ballot result and the venue announcement on 3 November, with the first televised airing expected during the U2 night on BBC Two later in November.
