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. Recently the Rolling Stone magazine 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, the magazine broke down which still-active bands have been at it the longest — with no breaks, no lineup changes, no hiatuses. With apologies to long-running bands like Rush, Green Day and ZZ Top who all had drummer turnover early on the magazine brought out a list.
With 29 years of active and 8 albums releases, U2 stands top on the list and followed by 16 other long-running bands including Radiohead, De La Soul, Cafe Tacvba, The Hibes, Sloan, Portishead, Muse, Ramstain, The LOX, Coldplay and others.