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After missing the band's 40-night Sphere residency, U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr. has gotten another health update from bassist Adam Clayton.
During an interview with RTÉ Radio, Clayton dubbed the band's founder as the “bionic man” during his recovery from health issues. He did say he is “better than ever,” without going into much further detail.
“He's back behind his [drum] kit; he's got his sticks out. He's great — better than ever,” Clayton said before quipping, “Bionic man.”
Clayton then talked about performing at the Sphere without him. Krezip drummer Bram van den Berg filled in for him for all 40 shows.
“You never like to go out there not at full strength. He's been in our gang, he's one of us right from day one, so that was difficult,” he explained. “It's nice to be able to say, ‘Okay, you go get your stuff done. You need a little bit of maintenance. Get right, get fixed, and we'll keep your seat warm for you.'”
What health issues is U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr. recovering from?
Back in 2022 with the Washington Post, Mullen revealed he wouldn't be able to tour with U2 if they performed in 2023. At the time, the band had yet to announce their Las Vegas residency at the Sphere.
The reason he would have to miss any live shows was due to injuries that required surgery. It appears he is still working through them years later.
Meanwhile, U2 would announce their Sphere residency in early 2023, starting on September 29, 2023. They would perform 40 shows through March 2, 2024.
The residency was centered around the band's 1991 album, Achtung Baby. They performed the album in full every night. They also performed a few songs in stripped-down arrangements in between Achtung Baby songs.
Mullen was unable to join them on stage during any of the shows. However, he did attend the show on March 1, 2024. Following the performance of “With or Without You,” the show's penultimate song, Bono said, “Rumors that Larry, our Larry, would be playing with us are not true, sadly. But he is here with us.”
The audience showered Mullen with applause as the spotlight went on the drummer. During the closing song of the show, “Beautiful Day,” Bono shouted, “You're beautiful, Larry Mullen!”
U2 is hard at work on their next album. Luckily, it sounds like Mullen is in the studio with them. He was able to record the drum parts for “Atomic City,” which they wrote for their Sphere residency.
