The Edge has spoken about U2’s bond and their ongoing commitment to the band, saying it would be “very difficult to break up” the group.

The Irish band formed in 1976 and are set to release ‘Songs Of Surrender’, a new album featuring reimagined takes on some of their most iconic work, this month.

In a new interview, the guitarist spoke about rumours that U2 could be nearing the end of their time together. Drummer Larry Mullen Jr will not join the band for their upcoming Las Vegas residency due to requiring surgery and will be replaced temporarily for the shows by Bram van den Berg.

“No one is more disappointed than us that Larry won’t be joining us in Vegas,” The Edge told the Telegraph. “We made a commitment. In the history of U2, you can count the shows we’ve missed on the fingers of one hand.

I really don’t know how much clearer Edge could be about his faith in the future of @U2. But because some fans are still doubtful, I’m going to share quotes that didn’t make the @Telegraph article, clarifying why Bono, Edge & Adam are playing Vegas without Larry (thread…) pic.twitter.com/00qPos57tN

— Neil McCormick (@neil_mccormick) March 4, 2023

“The people who are going to miss Larry the most, I think, will be Bono, Adam and myself. It’ll be strange to turn around and not see him behind us after all these years. But the shows will be amazing.”

Posting on Twitter, journalist Neil McCormick shared further quotes that didn’t make it into the article, tackling the future of U2. “So every time I think of quitting, I kind of reinvent U2,” The Edge says in one screenshot. “We all know that we shine brighter by being in proximity to each other. That’s why it’s going to be very difficult to break up U2 – simply because it works so well for us all.”

In other quotes shared by McCormick, the guitarist noted it wasn’t the first time the band had faced rumours they were breaking up and said the decision to perform in Vegas without Mullen was “very lengthy”.

“We haven’t been on the road since 2019,” he explained. “The U2 audience is such a phenomenal thing in our lives, doing these Vegas shows, even without Larry, felt like the right thing to do because it’s been so many years since we played. We just wanted to see them and be there.

“So it was a many-faceted decision but this was the right call, I’ve absolutely no doubt about it. And we very much look forward to the next time we can climb on stage with Larry as our drummer. We will miss him terribly. But I think it’s OK.”

The Vegas residency is due to take place this autumn at the new MSG Sphere venue. The exact dates have not yet been confirmed.

Meanwhile, yesterday (March 3), the band shared a new version of its 2000 hit single ‘Beautiful Day’, which will feature on ‘Songs Of Surrender’. The 40-track album will be released on March 17. In a statement shared at the time the record was announced, The Edge said: “Some [songs] have grown with us. Some we have outgrown, but we have not lost sight of what propelled us to write those songs in the first place.

“The essence of those songs is still in us. But how to reconnect with that essence when we have moved on and grown so much?”