Editing U2 (section)

=== ''Songs of Innocence'' and Innocence + Experience Tour (2011–2015) ===
[[File:U2 at Apple keynote event 9-9-14.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|U2 performing at the Apple product launch at which ''[[Songs of Innocence (U2 album)|Songs of Innocence]]'' was announced in September 2014]]
Throughout the 360° Tour, the band worked on multiple projects, including a rock album produced by [[Danger Mouse (musician)|Danger Mouse]], a dance record produced by [[RedOne]] and [[will.i.am]], and ''Songs of Ascent''.<ref name="guard-trio-11">{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/jun/13/new-u2-album-delayed-2012|title=New U2 album delayed until 2012|website=The Guardian|first=Sean|last=Michaels|date=13 June 2011|access-date=11 September 2014|archive-date=12 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160812072545/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/jun/13/new-u2-album-delayed-2012|url-status=live}}</ref> The latter was not completed to their satisfaction, and by December 2011, Clayton admitted it would not come to fruition.<ref>MacDonald (2014), pp. 232–235</ref> The sessions with Danger Mouse formed the foundation of U2's next album, and they worked with him until May 2013 before enlisting the help of producers [[Paul Epworth]], [[Ryan Tedder]], Declan Gaffney, and Flood. The band suspended work on the album late in 2013 to contribute a new song, "[[Ordinary Love (U2 song)|Ordinary Love]]", to the film ''[[Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom]]''.<ref name="thr-ol">{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/u2-interview-oscar-hopes-unfinished-679321|title=U2 Interview: Oscar Hopes, That Unfinished Album, Anxiety About Staying Relevant|website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|first=Hal|last=Espen|date=12 February 2014|access-date=18 February 2014|archive-date=21 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221132736/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/u2-interview-oscar-hopes-unfinished-679321|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2013/10/17/mandela-long-walk-to-freedom-trailer-features-new-u2-song-ordinary-love/|title='Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom' Trailer Features New U2 Song 'Ordinary Love'|website=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|first=Christopher John|last=Farley|date=17 October 2013|access-date=18 October 2013|archive-date=17 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017234920/http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2013/10/17/mandela-long-walk-to-freedom-trailer-features-new-u2-song-ordinary-love/|url-status=live}}</ref> The track, written in honour of [[Nelson Mandela]], won the 2014 [[Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song]].<ref name="thr-ol"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.goldenglobes.com/song/ordinary-love|title=Ordinary Love|website=[[Golden Globes|GoldenGlobes.com]]|access-date=23 March 2016|archive-date=6 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160406032106/http://www.goldenglobes.com/song/ordinary-love|url-status=dead}}</ref> In November 2013, U2's manager Paul McGuinness stepped down as part of a deal with Live Nation to acquire his management firm, Principle Management. McGuinness, who had managed the group for over 30 years, was succeeded by [[Guy Oseary]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-u2-manager-paul-mcguinness-guy-oseary-live-nation-20131115-story.html|title=U2 manager steps down|website=Los Angeles Times|first=Randy|last=Lewis|date=16 November 2013|page=B3|access-date=18 February 2014|archive-date=4 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140304064154/http://articles.latimes.com/2013/nov/15/entertainment/la-et-ms-u2-manager-paul-mcguinness-guy-oseary-live-nation-20131115|url-status=live}}</ref> In February 2014, the single "[[Invisible (U2 song)|Invisible]]", debuted in a [[Super Bowl commercials|Super Bowl television advertisement]] and was made available in the iTunes Store at no cost to launch a partnership with [[Product Red]] and [[Bank of America]] to fight [[AIDS]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Download U2 song, fight global disease|newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|first=Elysa|last=Gardner|date=1 February 2014|page=16}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/u2-offer-free-downloads-of-new-track-invisible-to-help-fight-aids-183743/|title=U2 Offer Free Downloads of New Track 'Invisible' to Help Fight AIDS|first=Kory|last=Grow|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=2 February 2014|access-date=5 July 2018|archive-date=2 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702204829/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/u2-offer-free-downloads-of-new-track-invisible-to-help-fight-aids-183743/|url-status=live}}</ref> Bono called the track a "sneak preview" of their pending record.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/u2-say-invisible-is-a-sneak-preview-of-new-album-190785/|title=U2 Say 'Invisible' Is a 'Sneak Preview' of New Album|magazine=Rolling Stone|first=Jason|last=Newman|date=31 January 2014|access-date=5 July 2018|archive-date=2 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702204905/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/u2-say-invisible-is-a-sneak-preview-of-new-album-190785/|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 9 September 2014, U2 appeared at an Apple product launch event to make a [[Surprise album|surprise announcement]] of their thirteenth studio album, ''[[Songs of Innocence (U2 album)|Songs of Innocence]]''. They released it digitally the same day to all iTunes Store customers at no cost,<ref name="verge">{{cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2014/9/9/6126711/u2-releases-its-new-album-for-free-today-exclusively-on-itunes|title=U2 releases its new album for free today exclusively on iTunes|website=[[The Verge]]|first=Nathan|last=Ingraham|date=9 September 2014|access-date=9 September 2014|archive-date=19 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150519030515/http://www.theverge.com/2014/9/9/6126711/u2-releases-its-new-album-for-free-today-exclusively-on-itunes|url-status=live}}</ref> making it available to over 500&nbsp;million people in what Apple CEO [[Tim Cook]] called "the largest album release of all time".<ref name="nyt-soi-deal">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/10/business/media/u2-appears-at-apple-event-and-songs-of-innocence-appears-free-on-itunes.html|title=U2 Appears at Apple Event, and 'Songs of Innocence' Appears Free on iTunes|website=[[The New York Times]]|first=Ben|last=Sisario|date=9 September 2014|access-date=10 September 2014|archive-date=10 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140910200108/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/10/business/media/u2-appears-at-apple-event-and-songs-of-innocence-appears-free-on-itunes.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Apple reportedly paid [[Universal Music Group]] and U2 a lump sum for a five-week exclusivity period in which to distribute the album<ref>{{cite news|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2014/09/09/u2-apple-and-the-deal-behind-getting-songs-of-innocence-free-of-charge/|title=U2, Apple and the Deal Behind Getting 'Songs of Innocence' Free of Charge|website=The Wall Street Journal|first=John|last=Jurgensen|date=9 September 2014|access-date=10 September 2014|archive-date=10 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140910200314/http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2014/09/09/u2-apple-and-the-deal-behind-getting-songs-of-innocence-free-of-charge/|url-status=live}}</ref> and spent {{USD|100&nbsp;million}} on a promotional campaign.<ref name="nyt-soi-deal"/> ''Songs of Innocence'' recalls the group members' youth in Ireland, touching on childhood experiences, loves and losses, while paying tribute to their musical inspirations.<ref>{{cite news|last=Pareles|first=Jon|author-link=Jon Pareles|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/11/arts/music/with-songs-of-innocence-u2-recasts-its-youth.html?_r=1|title=On New Album, Rock Veterans Revisit Youth|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=15 July 2015|date=10 September 2014|archive-date=7 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170907215126/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/11/arts/music/with-songs-of-innocence-u2-recasts-its-youth.html?_r=1|url-status=live}}</ref> Bono described it as "the most personal album we've written".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-29132508|title=New U2 album given away for free to iTunes users|website=[[BBC News]]|date=9 September 2014|access-date=10 September 2014|archive-date=10 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140910160615/http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-29132508|url-status=live}}</ref> The record received mixed reviews and was criticised for its digital release strategy; it was automatically added to users' iTunes accounts, which for many, triggered an unprompted download to their electronic devices.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/11086403/Why-is-the-new-U2-album-in-your-iTunes-library.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/11086403/Why-is-the-new-U2-album-in-your-iTunes-library.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Why is the new U2 album in your iTunes library?|website=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|first=Rupert|last=Hawksley|date=10 September 2014|access-date=10 September 2014|location=London}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/09/everyone-mad-at-apple-for-u2-stunt.html|title=Everyone Is Mad at Apple for Forcing Them to Download a U2 Album|website=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]|first=Kevin|last=Roose|date=11 September 2014|access-date=11 September 2014|archive-date=11 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140911210822/http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/09/everyone-mad-at-apple-for-u2-stunt.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/is-apples-free-u2-gift-a-sign-of-things-to-come/|title=Apple's free U2 "gift" angers many customers|website=[[CBS MoneyWatch]]|first=Kim|last=Peterson|date=12 September 2014|access-date=12 September 2014|archive-date=12 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140912205415/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/is-apples-free-u2-gift-a-sign-of-things-to-come/|url-status=live}}</ref> Chris Richards of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' called the release "rock-and-roll as dystopian junk mail".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2014/09/10/u2-apple-and-rock-and-roll-as-dystopian-junk-mail/|title=U2, Apple and rock-and-roll as dystopian junk mail|newspaper=The Washington Post|first=Chris|last=Richards|date=10 September 2014|access-date=10 May 2016|archive-date=4 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604024345/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2014/09/10/u2-apple-and-rock-and-roll-as-dystopian-junk-mail/|url-status=live}}</ref> The group's press tour for the album was interrupted after Bono was seriously injured in a bicycle accident in [[Central Park]] on 16 November 2014. He suffered fractures of his shoulder blade, [[humerus]], [[orbit (anatomy)|orbit]], and pinky finger,<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bono-treated-with-metal-plates-intensive-therapy-after-bike-injury-203099/ |title=Bono Treated With Metal Plates, 'Intensive Therapy' After Bike Injury |magazine=Rolling Stone |first=Jason |last=Newman |date=19 November 2014 |access-date=5 July 2018 |archive-date=2 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702180154/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bono-treated-with-metal-plates-intensive-therapy-after-bike-injury-203099/ |url-status=live }}</ref> leading to uncertainty that he would ever be able to play guitar again.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/jan/02/bono-reveals-he-may-never-play-guitar-again-after-bike-accident|title=Bono says he may never play guitar again after cycling accident|website=The Guardian|first=Tim|last=Jonze|date=2 January 2015|access-date=6 February 2015|archive-date=6 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150106190405/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/jan/02/bono-reveals-he-may-never-play-guitar-again-after-bike-accident|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:U2 in Paris, Dec 7 2015 (22980117714).jpg|thumb|left|U2 performing in Paris on 7 December 2015, the final date of the Innocence + Experience Tour. It was filmed for [[Innocence + Experience: Live in Paris|an HBO-broadcast concert video]].]]
Following Bono's recuperation, U2 embarked on the [[Innocence + Experience Tour]] in May 2015,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/u2-guitarist-the-edge-falls-off-edge-of-stage-in-vancouver-1.3075493|title=U2 guitarist The Edge falls off edge of stage in Vancouver|website=[[CBC News]]|date=15 May 2015|access-date=15 May 2015|archive-date=17 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150517004106/http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/u2-guitarist-the-edge-falls-off-edge-of-stage-in-vancouver-1.3075493|url-status=live}}</ref> visiting arenas in North America and Europe from May to December.<ref name="bb-tour-announce">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6334847/u2-innocence-experience-tour-dates-2015|title=U2 Announces 'Innocence + Experience' Tour|magazine=Billboard|first=Ray|last=Waddell|date=3 December 2014|access-date=14 December 2014|archive-date=9 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141209121652/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6334847/u2-innocence-experience-tour-dates-2015|url-status=live}}</ref> The group structured their concerts around a loose autobiographical narrative of "innocence" passing into "experience", with a fixed set of songs for the first half of each show and a varying second half, separated by an intermission—a first for U2 concerts.<ref name="flighttonow">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/03/arts/music/u2s-flight-to-now-turbulence-included.html|title=U2's Flight to Now (Turbulence Included)|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|first=Jon|last=Pareles|author-link=Jon Pareles|date=3 May 2015|page=AR1|edition=New York}}</ref> The stage spanned the length of the venue floor and had three sections: a rectangular main stage, a smaller circular [[B-stage]], and a connecting walkway.<ref name="flighttonow"/> The centrepiece of the set was a {{convert|96|ft|m|adj=mid|-long}} double-sided video screen that featured an interior catwalk, allowing the band members to perform amidst the video projections.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-live-reviews/u2-reinvent-the-arena-show-at-triumphant-innocence-tour-opener-44684/|title=U2 Reinvent the Arena Show at Triumphant 'Innocence' Tour Opener|magazine=Rolling Stone|first=Andy|last=Greene|date=15 May 2015|access-date=5 July 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2015/05/15/u2-tour-opener-vancouver/|title=At U2's Tour Opener in Vancouver, Bono Sucks His Thumb, the Edge Falls off the Edge|website=The Wall Street Journal|first=Chris |last=Kornelis |date=15 May 2015|access-date=15 May 2015}}</ref> U2's sound system was moved to the venue ceilings and arranged in an oval array to improve the sound.<ref name="flighttonow"/> The tour grossed {{USD|152.2&nbsp;million}} from 1.29&nbsp;million tickets sold.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.pollstarpro.com/files/charts2016/011816Top20WorldwideTours.pdf|title=2015 Pollstar Year End Top 20 Worldwide Tours|magazine=[[Pollstar]]|access-date=30 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160803052549/http://www.pollstarpro.com/files/charts2016/011816Top20WorldwideTours.pdf|archive-date=3 August 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> The final date of the tour, one of two Paris shows rescheduled due to the [[November 2015 Paris attacks|13 November 2015 attacks]] in the city, was filmed for the video ''[[Innocence + Experience: Live in Paris]]'' and broadcast on the American television network [[HBO]].<ref name="parisattacks">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2015/11/13/u2-postpones-its-paris-concert-that-was-to-air-live-on-hbo-saturday-night/|title=U2 postpones its Paris concert that was to air live on HBO Saturday night|newspaper=The Washington Post|first=Bethonie|last=Butler|date=13 November 2015 |access-date=15 November 2015}}</ref><ref name="paris-reschedule">{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/ct-u2-paris-shows-rescheduled-20151123-story.html|title=U2 reschedules Paris concerts, HBO will air Dec. 7 show|website=[[Chicago Tribune]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=23 November 2015|access-date=23 November 2015}}</ref>