U2 knows how to find an audience, and that will include the Irish band performing at halftime of the NFL's Thanksgiving Eve game between the Los Angeles Rams and Green Bay Packers at SoFi Stadium in LA on Wednesday, November 25. Kickoff is set for 8 pm ET.
This isn't U2's first NFL-related gig, of course. The band played the halftime show in 2002, a few months after 9/11. After other artists were rumored to pull out or turn down the opportunity, U2 played and put on a legendary show, including a screen that showed the names of all of those lost during the terrorist attacks on September 11. It was classy and poignant.
But the new concert proves one obvious thing about the future of U2: They really want their upcoming album, Carnaval de Luz, to sell a lot of copies. The LP will be released on November 13, and the group has already done a lot of press in anticipation of its release.
U2 will play the halftime show of the NFL's Thanksgiving Eve game
This means the record needs to be very good, or U2 might come across as shills for their product, but the current product is underwhelming. The positive part? Everything heard from the latest album so far is quite good.
Guitarist The Edge has said Carnaval de Luz will feature songs from various influences, and maybe that means tracks that also sound dissimilar from one another, or perhaps songs that are truly rock gems and are similar in sound. Either way, the band has a long history of being successful in either approach.
How many tracks from the new record will be played at halftime of the Rams and Packers game isn't known, of course. That might not be hashed out until a week or so before the band plays.
One of the biggest bands on the planet. One of the biggest stages in sports.
— NFL (@NFL) October 20, 2026
U2 takes the field at halftime on Thanksgiving Eve during Packers vs. Rams — November 25 at SoFi Stadium and LIVE on Netflix. pic.twitter.com/G4nJ19amr4
The gig could help the group, which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, get in shape for their 2027 world tour. That is set to begin on February 23 in Mexico City, but U2 also hasn't announced their full run of shows, so the first date could change.
Either way, U2 is going all out in making sure the music-loving public knows all about Carnaval de Luz. The hope now is that longtime fans will be happy. While the Irish group hasn't ever released an album that has been completely dreadful, they haven't been in top form in quite some time. Perhaps the new LP will be akin to their 1980s and 1990s best.
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