Bono Announces Memoir, Releases Excerpt as Animated Video

Bono has announced the release date of his long in the works memoir and has previewed the book with a unique animated video excerpt.

Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story is due out on November 1 and is currently available for pre-order at SurrenderMemoir.com. As the book's website notes, "'Surrender's' subtitle, '40 Songs, One Story,' is a nod to the book’s forty chapters, which are each named after a U2 song. Bono has also created forty original drawings for 'Surrender,' which will appear throughout the book."

As previously reported, Bono reportedly netted a €6.5million ($7.13 million USD) deal for his autobiography. While there have been a number of U2 books written and released in the past, including 2009's U2 by U2, this would be the first time Bono himself would write a book exclusively about his life.

In a statement on the memoir, Bono said, "When I started to write this book, I was hoping to draw in detail what I’d previously only sketched in songs. The people, places, and possibilities in my life. Surrender is a word freighted with meaning for me. Growing up in Ireland in the seventies with my fists up (musically speaking), it was not a natural concept. A word I only circled until I gathered my thoughts for the book. I am still grappling with this most humbling of commands. In the band, in my marriage, in my faith, in my life as an activist. 'Surrender' is the story of one pilgrim’s lack of progress. . . With a fair amount of fun along the way."

Below is an animated excerpt from Surrender narrated by Bono about "Out Of Control" from U2's 1980 debut album Boy.

Bono celebrates his birthday today (May 10), and after being active with U2 for over 40 years, he remains one of the best frontmen in rock.

In honor of his birthday, here are seven incredible must-see live performances from Bono throughout his career.

U2 had an eventful 2023 and a busy early 2024. The legendary band had the inaugural residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas. To the surprise of no one, the U2 Sphere residency was a massive financial success.

Per Ultimate Classic Rock, the revenue for the 40-show residency is estimated to be $256 million. The outlet also noted that 661,456 tickets were sold for the residency. Additionally, tickets were going for upwards of three times their face value on the secondary market. Needless to say, U2's Sphere residency was a massive success.

As previously reported, the venue cost $2.3 billion to build. In December 2023, The Hollywood Reporter noted the 17 shows U2 performed through Nov. 30 generated $30.7 million in revenue, which is an average of $1.8 million per show.

Larry Mullen Jr. was forced to sit out of U2's Sphere residency in Las Vegas due to needing shoulder surgery due to the wear and tear of drumming for decades.. However, the drummer was in attendance to take in the penultimate residency gig.

During the March 2, 2023 show, Bono took a moment to acknowledge the sidelined Mullen Jr. In fan-shot footage, Bono said, "The rumors that Larry will be playing with us tonight are not true, sadly. But he is here with us!" Mullen Jr. was then shown in a crowd on the Sphere's screens, which led to loud ovation from fans.

U2's official X (formerly Twitter) account shared a brief statement from Mullen Jr. He wrote, "What an incredible night at Sphere. So grateful to Bono, Edge and Adam, and, of course, Bram [van den Berg], for an amazing job. Very emotional night for me, personally - Larry Mullen Jr."

U2 is able to make a stadium show feel like a club show. They proved that during their now-legendary set at Live Aid in 1985 where Bono jumped from the massive stage to dance with one lucky audience member.

This performance from the first Joshua Tree tour was prominently featured in U2 concert/documentary film Rattle & Hum. Simply put, Bono’s vocals here are perfection.

In the thick of their ZooTV tour, U2 performed live via satellite with Dana Carvey as Garth Algar during the 1992 MTV VMAs. It was both comically and technologically awesome.

If you’re making a list about live Bono and you don’t bring up any of the personas from the ZooTV tour, frankly, your list is incomplete. This writer’s personal favorite was MacPhisto, a gold-clad demon of sorts that liked to prank call the White House. Here he is performing “Lemon.”

Remember how we said U2 has a way of making big concert settings feel intimate? For this one fan picked from the crowd, Bono made this performance of “With Or Without You” really intimate.

With 9/11 still fresh in the minds of all Americans, U2 took to the Super Bowl Halftime Show and gave one of the most moving performances of their career. From Bono emerging from the crowd to him running laps on the heart stage, it’s a moment fans certainly haven’t forgotten over the years.

If only more bands busked on subway platforms! In perhaps one of the coziest sets U2 performed in recent years, Bono has no shame in mugging for all the cell phones out capturing this once-in-a-lifetime performance.