U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr is set to make surprise return to the this weekend’s line-up at spectacular new planetarium-like Las Vegas auditorium after back surgery

U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr is set to make a surprise return to the band’s line-up in Las Vegas after having back surgery.

The 62-year-old has been missing from the Irish band’s performances at the spectacular new planetarium-like auditorium, the MSG Sphere, where they have been in residence for months.

He had to be replaced by a stand-in as he recovered from his operation, but sources have told the Mail’s Richard Eden that he is due to stage a dramatic and surprise return this weekend.

Speaking to the Mail’s Richard Eden, a source said: ‘Nobody knows, but he will arrive on stage on Friday evening just in time to close the Vegas shows. It’s a total surprise.’

The news will delight fans of the rock legends, as frontman Bono previously said work on their new album had been put on hold until Mullen was better.

Mullen had taken the entire of 2023 of work to recuperate from his back surgery and various injuries he’s accumulated over the years.

U2 hired a new drummer Bram van den Berg, from the Dutch band Krezip, to fill in while he was away.

In the meantime they have been wowing thousands of fans at the Sphere, a 336ft tall and 516ft wide ball in Las Vegas.

They kicked off their U2:UV Achtung Baby Live residency at the venue in September, and such was the demand for tickets they extended it, with the final show set to take place on Saturday, March 2.

U2 are the first band to play in the $2billion Sphere, which hosts shows utilising a 160,000 wraparound LED display and 164,000 speakers. The venue also has 4D capabilities that surround the audience in their seats.

The outside of Sphere, or the Exosphere, is the largest LED screen on Earth, consisting of approximately 1.2 million LED pucks spaced eight inches apart. Each puck contains 48 individual LED diodes.

Tickets for the band’s shows have been priced from $400 to $1,450.

The Irish rockers, who have won 22 Grammys, have been performing for two hours at a time inside the Sphere, with fans going wild over the ‘absolutely insane’ and ‘mind-blowing’ visual experience.

In their first show they  performed in front of a plethora of attractive visuals – including kaleidoscope images, a burning flag and the Las Vegas skyline.

A slew of celebrities were among the crowd of more than 20,000 who received the first-look at the much-anticipated show, including Jon Hamm, Paul McCartney, Jimmy Iovine, Dr. Dre, Dakota Fanning, Connie Britton, Elizabeth Banks, Aaron Paul, Bryan Cranston, Josh Duhamel, Jane Seymour and Kate Hudson.