U2 is back. After nine years without an album of new material, the band drops Carnaval de Luz — their 16th studio album — this Friday, November 13, right in the middle of their 50th anniversary year. The 12-track record, produced by Jacknife Lee, is inspired by Carnival and follows two surprise EPs the band slipped out earlier this year, Days of Ash and Easter Lily.

The tracklist runs from “Go (Carnaval de Luz)” and “La Reina” to “Street of Dreams,” “Silencio,” and “The Greatest Show on Earth” — plus the one everybody’s already talking about: “Torn,” featuring Dolly Parton. Co-writes on the album include Brian Eno, Martin Garrix, Daniel Lanois, and Ryan Tedder.

And the band isn’t stopping at the record: on November 2 they announced Carnaval de Luz Presents: The Greatest Show on Earth, their first stadium tour since 2019, kicking off February 23, 2027 in Mexico City before São Paulo and Buenos Aires, with Beck as support. No US dates have been announced yet — so Toledo fans watching for a Detroit or Cleveland stop will have to wait.

There’s also a collector’s angle: a U2 × Guinness limited-edition pearl-white marble vinyl, announced November 4, with a 16-page booklet and a Bono art print, on sale November 13 in Dublin and London and November 20 in Chicago, with proceeds supporting the Guinness Dublin 8 Community Fund. Pre-orders opened November 4 for U2.com subscribers, and the 180g LP will be available at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin and the Open Gate Brewery in London on November 13, and in Chicago on November 20.

SiriusXM is airing a Front Row interview and live performance recorded November 11 in LA on Friday, November 13 at 6pm ET on U2 X-Radio (Ch. 32). The Irish Times, reviewing the album November 6, called it proof that “rock’s crazy diamonds shine on brighter than ever.”

Nine years is a long time between albums. Friday, the wait ends.

Photo: Bono on U2’s 360° Tour in Coimbra, Portugal, on October 2, 2010. Photo by Rui M. Leal / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).