Band is rumored to play new MSG Sphere in 2023

U2 frontman Bono is making the media rounds in support of his new memoir, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story. Over the weekend, he appeared on Ireland’s RTE Radio One where he has an in depth conversation with Brendan O’Connor about future plans, including new U2 music and the Las Vegas residency rumored to open the MSG Sphere in 2023.

Bono recently told The New York Times the group is shelving its long-awaited Songs of Ascent album in favor of a rock album. He described the new project as “unreasonable guitar music” and says there’s no timeline for when it will be released.

“You have to hurry up The Edge. He’s still mixing our first album, that’s the thing. He’s a perfectionist. We’re writing these songs. We’re demoing them. But we’ve different albums, we have this very reflective album called Songs of Ascent. It’s nearly finished. But it’s just not…” Bono says as O’Connor interjects that the album’s been in the works for several years.

“I would say [Songs of Ascent] is about 70% there. It’s just not right for us. We only want to put out music when we’re ready to take the music to our audience live. We’re not ready.”

Earlier this summer, multiple sources told Billboard the iconic group will open the high-tech MSG Sphere with a series of non consecutive dates over several months in 2023. Although a timeline has not been shared, the venue, which will be housed at The Venetian, is expected to open next fall. O’Connor asks Bono if those residency rumors are true.

“I hope it would be ready. I can’t announce Vegas. You’d have to shoot me. But if it happens, I can promise you it won’t be like anything you’ve ever seen in Las Vegas or anywhere ever. It is the most extraordinary — If it comes off, it’s grand madness by one hundred. It will center around Achtung Baby, which we feel we need to really honor. But it will also, but we have to have the new songs out don’t we?” he asks.

He continues, “There’s no place yet, big enough. If we can build one for our audience. But it will be, for us to go, it have to be like no one has ever gone before,” Bono adds. “That sounds a bit Star Trek. Part Star Trek, part traveling salesman.”

A major tour is also being rumored to hit stadiums worldwide sometime in 2023, although nothing has been announced as of press time.

The band is also rumored to release Songs of Surrender this fall that features 40 older U2 songs recreated during the lockdown. Each of Bono’s book chapters are named after U2 songs and are expected to be reworked and released as a four disc set sometime in the future.

Bono is currently in the midst of a 14 city book tour across North America and Europe. The rocker will bring the stories of his life to life — live and in person — to New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, Dublin and others through November 28th.