U2’s new album Carnaval de Luz is out now, released on Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, on Island Records. It’s the band’s 16th studio album and their first full record of new material in nine years, and it closes with “Torn,” a duet with Dolly Parton that turned out to be her final recorded vocal. Below you’ll find the full tracklist, what the Dolly Parton song is about, what critics are saying, and every confirmed date on U2’s 2027 Greatest Show On Earth stadium tour so far.
Carnaval de Luz at a glance
- Release date: Nov. 13, 2026 (U2.com)
- Label: Island Records
- Producer: Jacknife Lee, with extra production from Ryan Tedder on “Silencio”
- Tracks: 12
- Guests and collaborators: Dolly Parton, Brian Eno, Martin Garrix, Daniel Lanois
- Formats: standard CD and vinyl, limited deluxe vinyl and CD box sets, colored vinyl variants and digital download
Carnaval de Luz tracklist
Here is the official running order, as listed on U2.com:
- Go (Carnaval de Luz)
- La Reina
- Street of Dreams
- The Mirror Maker (Rosalía)
- Superficiality
- If the World Is at War We Better Not Be
- Silencio
- The Greatest Show On Earth
- Glorify
- Midnight Sunshine
- Can’t Stop Us Now
- Torn (feat. Dolly Parton)
“Street of Dreams,” “Silencio” and “The Greatest Show On Earth” were already out as singles with music videos, and “Torn” is now the album’s fourth single. According to the band, Brian Eno co-wrote and played synthesizers on “Go (Carnaval de Luz),” “The Greatest Show On Earth” and “Can’t Stop Us Now,” while Martin Garrix co-wrote “Glorify.”
Yes, track four really is about Rosalía. The Guardian describes “The Mirror Maker” as a “call-and-response tribute to Catalan superstar Rosalía,” and it lands the same week she won Album of the Year at the Latin Grammys. If you missed that night, here are the Latin Grammys 2026 winners, led by Rosalía’s LUX.
“Torn”: Dolly Parton’s last recorded vocal
The song fans will talk about most is the closer. “Torn” is a duet between Bono and Dolly Parton, co-written by U2, Parton and Snow Patrol’s Johnny McDaid. U2 says Parton recorded her part in Nashville in June 2026, making it her final recorded vocal performance before she died on Aug. 25, 2026. The Telegraph’s review adds that she left her hospital bed to record it.
U2 calls it “a tender country song detailing broken family ties that holds wider resonances.” Daniel Lanois, a longtime U2 collaborator, plays pedal steel on it. A separate country version, “Torn (feat. Dolly Parton) (Kent Wells Version),” is also out this week through Big Machine Records, Parton’s most recent label partner.
Critics have read the song as a plea for unity rather than a protest song. Rolling Stone compared it to Johnny Cash’s appearance on U2’s Zooropa and called it “a humanitarian plea,” noting that it never names any side. The Telegraph called it “magnificent and eerily timely,” quoting the line “Nothing hurts a mother more than a family at war.” It’s the latest entry in a long tradition of iconic duets that crossed genres, and it’s an unusually emotional one.
How Carnaval de Luz connects to U2’s 2026 EPs
The album is tied to the two six-track EPs U2 surprise-released earlier in 2026, Days of Ash and Easter Lily, which were recorded in the same creative period. Those followed the church calendar, so the band places Carnaval de Luz before them in the story: carnival, then Lent, then Easter. U2 says “Torn” is the song that links all three releases. Counting the EPs, the band will have put out 24 new songs in 2026, its 50th year.
Carnaval de Luz reviews: what critics are saying
The early reviews have been mostly warm, especially from outlets that have been tough on U2 in recent years.
- The Guardian gave it four stars and called it “rousing, restorative rock from a band ready to take on the world again,” singling out “If the World Is at War We Better Not Be” and “The Greatest Show On Earth.”
- Rolling Stone also gave it four stars and summed up its theme as “it’s not too late,” from partying to saving a relationship.
- The Telegraph called it “shiny, poppy, artful and heartfelt” and “not a preachy record.”
- NME was more mixed. It praised poppier tracks like “Superficiality” and “Midnight Sunshine” but called the opener “weirdly thin” and said “Torn” ends an energetic record on a “strangely downbeat” note.
U2.com also quotes four-star reviews from MOJO, The Irish Times and the Mail on Sunday. The common thread is that the band sounds lighter and more playful than it has in years.
U2 2027 tour: The Greatest Show On Earth dates
The album launches a world tour officially called Carnaval de Luz presents: The Greatest Show On Earth. It’s U2’s first stadium tour since 2019, and it starts in Mexico City on Feb. 23, 2027. Beck opens the Latin American shows and Wolf Alice opens in Europe.
Latin America (with Beck)
Per U2.com, the first nights in each city sold out and extra dates were added:
- Mexico City, Estadio GNP Seguros: Feb. 23, 26 and 28, and March 2
- São Paulo, Estádio MorumBIS: March 10, 12, 14 and 16
- Buenos Aires, Estadio River Plate: March 23, 25 and 27
UK and Europe (with Wolf Alice)
- Stockholm, Strawberry Arena: April 26 and 28
- Paris, Stade de France: May 5, 8 and 9
- Barcelona, Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys: May 13 and 15
- Seville, Estadio La Cartuja: May 22
- Lisbon, Estádio da Luz: May 27 and 28
- Amsterdam, Johan Cruijff ArenA: June 5, 6 and 9
- London, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium: June 18, 19 and 25, with U2 saying it will play four London shows in June
- Berlin, Olympiastadion: June 30 and July 1
- Milan, Stadio San Siro: July 5 and 6
The Spanish shows were added on Nov. 5, and their general on-sale opened today, Nov. 13, at 10 a.m. local time. More nights have been added as shows sell, so check U2.com for the latest list before you buy.
What about U.S. and Canada dates?
None have been announced yet. When U2 revealed the European leg on Oct. 29, it said North American dates for 2027 were “set to be announced in the coming weeks,” and the band has said it plans to finish the tour in Ireland. A big U.S. moment is already on the calendar: U2 headlines the halftime show at the NFL’s first-ever Thanksgiving Eve game on Wednesday, Nov. 25, when the Packers play the Rams at SoFi Stadium, streaming live on Netflix (NFL.com). Fans are hoping for a tour announcement around then, but that’s speculation, not anything the band has confirmed.
U2.com subscribers get presale codes for each region, and the band’s ticket pages say new subscribers join the second presale group. Those presale codes cover up to four tickets per region.
Why this album matters
U2 formed in 1976, when Larry Mullen Jr. pinned a note on the Mount Temple school noticeboard in Dublin looking for bandmates. Fifty years later, the band is back with a new album, a stadium tour with Mullen back behind the drums after he sat out the Las Vegas Sphere residency, and a farewell duet with one of country music’s most loved voices. It’s the kind of milestone that also keeps the band in the conversation as legacy acts get their due, much like this week’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2026 induction.
FAQ
When did U2’s Carnaval de Luz come out?
It was released on Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, on Island Records, on streaming, CD, vinyl and digital download.
Is Dolly Parton on the new U2 album?
Yes. She duets with Bono on the closing track, “Torn,” which she co-wrote with U2 and Johnny McDaid. U2 says it was her final recorded vocal performance.
How many songs are on Carnaval de Luz?
Twelve, from “Go (Carnaval de Luz)” to “Torn (feat. Dolly Parton).”
Is U2 touring the U.S. in 2027?
North American dates are expected but haven’t been announced. So far the confirmed shows are in Mexico City, São Paulo, Buenos Aires and nine European cities.
Who is opening for U2 on tour?
Beck opens the Latin American shows and Wolf Alice opens the UK and European shows.
Featured image: U2 performing at Sphere in Las Vegas, Feb. 7, 2024. Photo by Frank Weigel via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
