First there was the book and the audiobook. Then the stage show. Now, U2 frontman Bono is coming to your house with the new Apple TV+ film Bono: Stories of Surrender, which will debut on the streaming service on May 30.
The film is described as a “bold and lyrical visual exploration of Bono’s one-man show.”
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It’s the latest evolution in the project that began as the singer’s acclaimed memoir, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, which evolved into the one-man stage production, Stories of Surrender: And Evening of Words, Music, and Some Mischief.
The film will include previously unreleased footage from the “Beautiful Day” singer’s April and May 2023 11-show run at the Beacon Theatre in New York City, where he shared stories of his life and performed songs from the U2 catalog backed by sparse instrumentation rather than his usual U2 bandmates. In the video preview, released Wednesday, April 30, Bono is heard introducing the show by saying, “These are the tall tales of a short rock star.”
Fans are thrilled that the film will soon be released. Others, not so much.
“The 28th of April was 2 years since we caught this show at the Beacon (which was being filmed). So happy this is almost here. Magical!” wrote one, while another added, “Saw this in NYC. Amazing.”
However, one commenter was quick to bring up U2’s famous previous flop with Apple, when the band’s 2014 album, Songs of Innocence, was automatically downloaded into the iTunes accounts of millions of Apple customers, much to the displeasure of some. “What dirt does Bono have on Apple Execs? The U2 iPod, the album no one wanted, now this,” they wrote.
“Who is he ? Cant Apple+ keep bringing things like Silo or Severance ?” another wrote.
Speaking of Apple TV+ dramatic series. There is a Bono connection there as well. Bono’s daughter, Eve Hewson, is one of the stars of the series Bad Sisters.
