PARIS, FRANCE - JANUARY 21: Bono and Ali Hewson attend the Dior Homme Menswear Fall/Winter 2017-2018 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on January 21, 2017 in Paris, France. (Photo by Vanni Bassetti/Getty Images)
November 9, 2022, I found myself holding a single ticket to a sold-out show at the Ryman Auditorium. The room buzzed with an almost sacred anticipation. To my left sat Charlie Lowell from Jars of Clay. A few rows up, Michael W. Smith found his seat. CCM royalty had descended upon the Mother Church—not for an awards show or a big label event, but to pay their respects to the man who paved the way—a rock star who’s always worn his faith on his sleeve—while, as he says, being born with his “fists up.” Bono, the legendary frontman of U2, was taking the stage for Surrender, a one-man show disguised as a book tour but delivered like a theatrical confession.
No massive set pieces. Just Bono, a few chairs, a table, and a small, stripped-down band. And for the next 90 minutes, what unfolded was something far more powerful than a rock concert. It was raw. It was theatrical. It was spiritual. Phones were banned, and distractions disappeared. We weren’t there to document the moment. We were there to live it.
I walked out stunned, with Bono’s memoir Surrender in hand, the words and presence still washing over me. I had heard Bono talk about his faith before, often shrouded in metaphors or universalist language. But this was different. This was direct. It wasn’t just the faith of a seeker—it was the testimony of a man who had been radically changed by Jesus Christ. You could hear it in how he talked about his marriage to Ali, his band, his calling. And you could feel it in the stories that danced between laughter and grief.
Christianity weaves through all great Irish storytelling, and Bono’s journey is no exception. Raised by a Catholic father “who loved Protestant things,” including his Protestant mother.
It’s in the rhythm of his storytelling, the ache in his voice, and the ever-present biblical metaphors.
Now, thanks to Apple TV+, you can experience a version of this performance in Songs of Surrender, a be
