U2 details ‘Songs of Experience,’ eXPERIENCE+iNNOCENCE Tour 2018

Songs of Experience, the 14th studio album from U2, will be released December 1st by Interscope Records in the U.S. and via Universal Canada on CD, vinyl, digital download and across streaming platforms. Accompanying the announcement of the Songs of Experience release, Live Nation has confirmed that U2’s eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE Tour will begin in North America in May 2018.

Just as Songs of Experience serves as a companion piece to 2014’s Songs of Innocence, the eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE Tour will serve as a sequel to 2015’s iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE Tour which saw “U2 reinvent the arena show” (Rolling Stone) and was named the No. 1 concert of 2015 by The New York Times. The tour will kick off on Wednesday, May 2, 2018 in Tulsa at the BOK Center. Full itinerary below.

Pre-order of Songs of Experience is available now across all digital platforms and will include three instant grat songs: The previously unreleased “Get Out of Your Own Way,” first single “You’re The Best Thing About Me” which was released on September 6th, and the album version of “The Blackout,” previously released as a performance video in August. All three songs are available now to stream across all platforms. Fans who pre-order the deluxe version of the album will also receive the Kygo remix of “You’re The Best Thing About Me.”

In addition to unveiling album artwork by Anton Corbijn, U2 has revealed the final tracklist of Songs of Experience which was completed earlier this year. The lyrical approach of the album was greatly inspired by Irish poet, novelist and Trinity College, Dublin Professor Emeritus Brendan Kennelly’s advice to Bono to “write as if you’re dead”, resulting in a collection of songs in the form of intimate letters to places and people close to the singer’s heart – family, friends, fans, himself.

Tickets for the eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE North American Tour 2018 go on sale Monday, November 20th at 10 am exclusively through Ticketmaster Verified Fan. In keeping with their commitment to ensure tickets get into the hands of fans, not scalpers or bots, U2 has partnered with Ticketmaster to use its Verified Fan platform. Verified Fan will power all ticket sales, providing fans who truly want to attend the show with the best opportunity to get great tickets. Every ticket purchased will include one copy of Songs of Experience.

U2.com fan club subscribers receive first access beginning today (Wed, Nov 1st) until Sunday, November 12th. U2.com subscribers will have the first opportunity to purchase tickets beginning Tuesday, November 14th at 10 am and running through Thursday, November 16th at 5 pm.

Citi is the official credit card for the U2 eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE Tour, and as such, Citi cardmembers can take advantage of a special, first-ever Citi Presale powered by Verified Fan opportunity for tour dates in the United States. Citi cardmembers can register now through November 14th to unlock access to tickets and use their Citi card to complete the ticket purchase if verified. The Citi Presale begins Thursday, November 16th at 9 am and will continue through Saturday, November 18th at 5 pm.

Tickets will also be available for the Verified Fan public sale that begins on Monday, November 20th at 10 am. All fans must register by Saturday, November 18th for the opportunity to unlock access to tickets.

Songs of Experience is the companion release to 2014’s Songs of Innocence, the two titles drawing inspiration from a collection of poems, Songs of Innocence and Experience, by the 18th century English mystic and poet William Blake. Produced by Jacknife Lee and Ryan Tedder, with Steve Lillywhite, Andy Barlow and Jolyon Thomas, the album features a cover image by Anton Corbijn of band-members’ teenage children Eli Hewson and Sian Evans.

DELUXE CD | CD | LP

  1. Love Is All We Have Left
  2. Lights of Home
  3. You’re The Best Thing About Me
  4. Get Out of Your Own Way
  5. American Soul
  6. Summer of Love
  7. Red Flag Day
  8. The Showman (Little More Better)
  9. The Little Things That Give You Away
  10. Landlady
  11. The Blackout
  12. Love Is Bigger Than Anything in Its Way
  13. 13 (There is a Light)
  14. Ordinary Love (Extraordinary Mix) [Deluxe]
  15. Book Of Your Heart [Deluxe]
  16. Lights of Home (St Peter’s String Version) [Deluxe]
  17. You’re The Best Thing About Me (U2 vs Kygo) [Deluxe]

2018 Tour Dates:

May 2 – Tulsa, OK – BOK Center
May 4 – St. Louis, MO – Scottrade Center
May 7 – San Jose, CA – SAP Center
May 11 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena
May 15 – Los Angeles, CA – The Forum
May 22 – Chicago, IL – United Center
May 26 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
May 28 – Atlanta, GA – Infinite Energy Arena
June 5 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
June 9 – Uniondale, NY – NYCB Live
June 13 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
June 17 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
June 21 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
June 25 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
June 29 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center

Itinerary subject to change.

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn

Buddy Iahn founded The Music Universe when he decided to juxtapose his love of web design and music. As a lifelong drummer, he decided to take a hiatus from playing music to report it. The website began as a fun project in 2013 to one of the top independent news sites. Email: info@themusicuniverse.com