When Blues Met Rock: The Complete Lore of U2 & B.B. King
The visual history of this collaboration highlights the fascinating sonic contrast between the two guitarists. Watching The Edge perform alongside B.B. King during this era offers a clear look at how U2 expanded their musical boundaries. The Edge, known for his heavily ambient delays, rhythmic filtering, and minimalist chord structures, had to adapt his textures to leave room for the grand, expressive blues phrasings coming from King's iconic Gibson guitar.
Instead of competing with the foundational blues style, The Edge settled into a driving, sharp chordal accompaniment that locked perfectly into the rhythm section. This performance dynamic allowed the track to maintain its massive stadium rock energy while still respecting the authenticity of the traditional juke joint vibe they captured inside Sun Studio.
The Genesis of the Relationship
The relationship began in October 1987 when the members of U2 went to see the legendary B.B. King play a concert in Dublin. Meeting him backstage after the show, King offhandedly suggested that the young Irish rock band should write a song for him. Taking the request entirely to heart, Bono penned the heavy, gospel-infused blues track "When Love Comes to Town" while on tour.
According to interviews with The Edge, the band initially worried whether the song would live up to the standard of a true blues master, but they ultimately loved it so much that they formatted it as a cornerstone duet for their upcoming multimedia project, Rattle and Hum. Later, when the band converged with King at the historic Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, King reportedly laughed and admitted he was completely taken by the songwriting, famously remarking that Bono was "mighty young to write such heavy lyrics."
Global Chart Success
Released in April 1989 as the third official single from the album, the When Love Comes to Town lyrics paired with King’s raw vocal delivery resonated deeply around the world. The song achieved massive commercial crossover success, defying expectations for a traditional blues collaboration in a late-80s pop landscape.
Beyond peaking at number one in Ireland and inside the top ten across the UK, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, the track scaled the charts globally. In the United States, it reached number 68 on the mainstream Billboard Hot 100 but proved a massive success on rock radio, rocketing all the way to number 2 on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
Hitting the Road: The Live Legacy
U2 and B.B. King's onstage connection expanded far past the rehearsed environments of their music video shoots. The legendary bluesman officially joined U2 on the road, acting as the primary opening act for their massive 1989-1990 Lovetown Tour, which traveled across Oceania, Asia, and Europe.
Across the lifespan of their touring relationship, B.B. King joined U2 live on stage for 47 concerts. Night after night, King and his full backing band would deliver their own set before coming out to trade solos with The Edge and match vocal energy with Bono during U2’s main set. This symbiotic run cemented a life-long friendship between the artists and forever bridge the generational gap between American delta blues and modern stadium alternative rock.
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