Music
Is U2 the Longest-Running Band on the Planet?
No breaks, no lineup changes, no hiatuses, no surrender
U2 are one of rock & roll’s greatest success stories for their artistry, but also for their marathon endurance. Friendship, health and serendipity have kept founding members Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. together since 1978. Our current cover stars lead an elite group of bands who have fought off death, drugs, dysfunction and ugly extended hiatuses to keep their original lineups intact.
With that in mind, we broke down which still-active bands have been at it the longest — with no breaks, no lineup changes, no hiatuses. Our apologies to long-running bands like Rush, Green Day and ZZ Top who all had drummer turnover early on. Here’s to U2 and 16 other bands that are still stuck in a lineup they can’t get out of.