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Bono: Stories of Surrender review – megastar tries out humility in likable one-man show
The U2 singer’s ‘quarter-man’ solo stage show sees him reflect likably on his anguished family past and have a decent go at being an ordinary Joe
The stadium-conquering rock superstar Bono finds a smaller arena than usual for this more intimate and much acclaimed “quarter-man” show, performed solo without his U2 bandmates Adam Clayton, David “The Edge” Evans and Larry Mullen Jr and filmed live on stage at New York’s Beacon theatre in 2023 by Andrew Dominik. It’s a confident, often engaging mix of music and no-frills theatrical performance, with Bono often coming across like some forgotten character that Samuel Beckett created but then suppressed due to undue levels of rock’n’roll pizzazz. It’s a performance delivered from the pulpit to the fanbase choir of course, but Bono is certainly working hard to find a new register of humility in his public persona – though this colossally successful figure will always be aware that he has a lot to be un-humble about.
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