Two HBO specials this fall will document U2’s tumultuous 2015 tour in support of their 13th studio album, Songs of Innocence. The premium cable giant has announced an exclusive, behind-the-scenes documentary delving into U2’s current tour on November 7, as well as a full concert in Paris from the tour, which will air November 14. The doc and the concert will be available on HBO Go and HBO Now at the same time they premiere on cable and satellite.
Oscar-winning filmmaker Davis Guggenheim, best known for An Inconvenient Truth, directed the doc which chronicles what the band called the iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE tour. The film will look into all aspects of the tour, including interviews with both the band members themselves (Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr.), and the set design/production team (Willie Williams, Es Devlin, and others).
More than most, this tour was fraught with obstacles: lead singer Bono suffered a severe bike accident last fall, The Edge fell off the stage early on in the tour, and their longtime tour manager Dennis Sheehan unexpectedly died after a show in May. While a commercially successful tour, the documentary will likely offer a telling glance into both the tour’s successes and difficulties.
“U2 continues to take risks, which has made them one of the most consistently exciting forces in rock ‘n’ roll,” said HBO president Michael Lombardo in a statement (via Variety). “The one-two combination of this documentary special, followed by the concert, will provide viewers with the ultimate look at this remarkable band behind the scenes and on the stage.”
The full concert features music spanning the band’s entire career. Recorded at Bercy Arena in Paris, HBO said that the show will feature “a one-of-a-kind interactive floor-to-ceiling arena-length LED screen that has earned its reputation as the fifth member of U2 on this run.”
