09/25/1976 Larry's Kitchen - Dublin, Ireland
setlist not available
comment: First meeting in Larry's kitchen after Larry Mullen Jr. posts a notice on the Mount Temple Comprehensive School notice board in search of musicians for a new band. Larry Mullen Jr. was on drums, Paul Hewson on lead vocals, Dave Evans and his older brother Dik Evans on guitar, Adam Clayton, a friend of the Evans brothers on bass guitar, and initially Ivan McCormick and Peter Martin, two other friends of Larry Mullen. Peter Martin did not return after the first practice, and Ivan McCormick left the group in the next weeks.
Songs performed are not known. In an interview with U2Songs, Ivan McCormick recollects Johnny B Goode, Jumping Jack Flash, and Smoke on the Water as songs that might have been played. Eamon Dunphy's The Unforgettable Fire states Brown Sugar and (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction were played, but given the numerous errors in the text this cannot be confirmed. Because of the uncertainty we currently list this set as unknown.
00/00/1978 Magnet Bar - Dublin, Ireland
setlist not available
comment: The Edge joined The Citizens for a guest appearance on guitar at one of their shows. The date of this performance is completely unknown.
03/00/1978 Our Times - Dublin, Ireland
The Fool
comment: U2, then still known as The Hype, make their first TV appearance on RTE's TV show Our Times. This appearance took place in late February or early March 1978; a more precise date is not known.
03/02/1978 RTE Studios - Dublin, Ireland
Street Missions
comment: U2's first ever television appearance. The performance, on the show Youngline, was filmed when U2 were still called The Hype. However, it went to air in June 1978 after they changed their name to U2 and the TV show credits them correctly with their new name.
04/01/1978 Eamon Andrews Studios - Dublin, Ireland
Don'tcha Hang Up, She's My Girl, Street Missions, Concentration Cramp, The Television Song, Inside Out (Oh No), Drive On John, Night Fright, Neon Heart, 2-4-6-8 Motorway
comment: After winning the Harp Lager Talent Contest in March 1978 and receiving the chance to record a demo funded by CBS, U2 play a studio set on an unknown date in April 1978. The session lasted about half-an-hour and came to an end after Larry's father arrived. They play two cover songs at the end after running out of finished original material. "Concentration Cramp" and "Night Fright" are referred to on tape as "Concentration Camp" and "Night Flight" respectively.
Some short clips from this demo session were played by BP Fallon on his radio show in September 1982. Bootlegs containing recordings of Trevor and Jack in a Box are purported to be from this session, but the differing audio quality and live appearances of both lead us to believe they were from a session in February 1980.
11/01/1978 Keystone Studios - Dublin, Ireland
Street Missions, Shadows and Tall Trees, The Fool, Stories for Boys
comment: U2 perform a studio session produced by Horslips' bassist Barry Devlin. It was planned for 5 songs in total to be recorded. In interviews Devlin has indicated that work had begun on a fourth track, believed to be an early version of Stories For Boys, but this was not recorded after the session came to an early end following the intervention of Larry's father. After circulating for years in bootleg form, the three recorded songs were finally given an official release in 2004 as part of iTunes' "The Complete U2" digital pack.
12/19/1978 McGonagle's - Dublin, Ireland
Pretty Vacant, Route 66
comment: Hot Press’s Christmas party. Paul Boyle (The Vipers), Dave Sweeney (The Vipers), Steve Jones (Sex Pistols), and Larry are impatient for the official live band, Fit Kilkenny and the Remoulds, to begin so they take action into their own hands. They jump on stage and play two songs before they are unplugged mid-way through the second song; Jones is on vocals and guitar, Boyle on guitar, Sweeney bass, and Larry drums.
02/00/1979 Eamon Andrews Studios - Dublin, Ireland
Life on a Distant Planet, Twilight, Another Time, Another Place, Alone In The Light, False Prophet
comment: On an unknown date in February 1979, U2 records a studio set for another demo. The engineer is Dave Freely, and this recording of Twilight goes on to become the b-side of U2's second single, Another Day, in February 1980 (a new, much more polished version is recorded for Boy).
06/01/1979 Windmill Lane Studios - Dublin, Ireland
Something's Better Than Nothing, My Baby Left Me
comment: The Edge records two songs with The Teen Commandments, a group comprising individuals from several bands. The date of this session is known to have been in summer 1979, but the exact date is unknown. Something's Better Than Nothing is released on the Just For Kicks compilation album in December 1979, which also included a recording of Stories For Boys. My Baby Left Me was included on another compilation album, Vinyl Verdict. A third track, Private World, was also recorded but did not feature Edge. This session is the earliest recording featuring a solo member from U2.
08/04/1979 Windmill Lane Studios - Dublin, Ireland
Out of Control, Boy-Girl, Stories for Boys, Stories for Boys
comment: U2 records a studio session with producer Chas de Whalley at Windmill Lane, their first at this studio where a number of subsequent albums were recorded by the band. Out of Control, Stories For Boys, and Boy-Girl are subsequently released on U2's debut EP, Three, in September 1979. Out of Control was chosen as the single's a-side after the three songs were played on Dave Fanning's radio show and listeners voted on which they preferred. Stories For Boys is known to have been recorded twice: the alternate take was included on the album Just For Kicks in December 1979. The version of Stories For Boys included on The Complete U2 and the 2008 remaster of Boy are of this alternate take, rather than the one used for the original Three release. Out Of Control and Stories For Boys were recorded again for the Boy album in 1980.
10/00/1979 Aspects Of Rock - Dublin, Ireland
Life on a Distant Planet
comment: U2 appear on Irish TV show Aspects Of Rock.
12/16/1979 CBS Studios - London, England
Another Day, Pete the Chop
comment: U2 records a brief studio set with producer Chas de Whalley. This recording of Another Day was released as U2's second single in February 1980. Pete the Chop was also recorded at this time, but the band was dissatisfied with the result and the tape of this recording has been lost.
01/05/1980 RTE Studios - Dublin, Ireland
Stories for Boys
comment: U2 perform a song on Irish TV for The Late Late Show.
02/01/1980 Windmill Lane Studios - Dublin, Ireland
Trevor, The Dream is Over, Silver Lining, A Day Without Me, Jack in a Box
comment: A previously unknown recording session unearthed by U2songs. The exact date of the studio sessions is unknown, but is believed to have taken place in February 1980. The recordings of Trevor and Jack in a Box were believed to have been made in April 1978, but the differing audio quality and live debuts of both songs lead us to believe that this date is the more likely source.
03/13/1980 Baymount Entertainment Centre - Strandhill, Ireland
Another Day, Out of Control
comment: Setlist incomplete. Admission is £2.50, which includes supper.
03/19/1980 Acklam Hall - London, England
Stories for Boys, Another Day
comment: Setlist is incomplete. Hot Press reports a large and interested crowd for the Virgin Prunes and U2, but much of the audience left a few songs into Berlin's set to go to the bar outside.
03/22/1980 Town Hall Theatre - Ballina, Ireland
setlist not available
comment: U2 are scheduled to play a show in Ballina, but it is cancelled at the last moment as they are still in London to sign a record contract the next day. Advertisements for a later show in May mention it will be U2's first visit to the city after previous cancellations.
04/05/1980 Windmill Lane Studios - Dublin, Ireland
11 O'Clock Tick Tock, Touch
comment: Recording session with Martin Hannett.
06/28/1980 Wheatfield - Clondalkin, Ireland
setlist not available
comment: U2 appear at a free afternoon/early evening "Family Festival" alongside Oisin and other bands.
07/21/1980 Project Arts Centre - Dublin, Ireland
11 O'Clock Tick Tock
comment: U2 perform a surprise concert under their original name Feedback as a warm-up for a major outdoor concert six days later at Leixlip Castle. They play a half-hour set; the only known song is the opener.
07/27/1980 Leixlip Castle - Co. Kildare, Ireland
11 O'Clock Tick Tock, Another Day, Another Time, Another Place, An Cat Dubh / Into the Heart, Shadows and Tall Trees, A Day Without Me, Twilight, The Electric Co.
comment: Dublin Festival 1980. The above setlist is incomplete. This show features the last known performances of Shadows And Tall Trees (the only Boy song to not be performed on the Boy Tour) and Another Day.
07/28/1980 Dalymount Festival - Dublin, Ireland
setlist not available
comment: This show never happened, despite numerous inclusions of it in U2 publications over the years. There was no show at Dalymount Park that day, let alone one featuring U2.
08/15/1980 Theatre Hall - Gorey, Ireland
setlist not available
comment: U2 headline a show as part of the 11th Gorey Arts Festival.
09/22/1980 Maida Vale Studios - London, England
I Will Follow, The Electric Co., An Cat Dubh / Into the Heart
comment: Short session for Mike Read's BBC radio show. Broadcast in the following days during the Read show. I Will Follow released on One and Only: 25 Years of Radio 1.
10/02/1980 The Forum - Hatfield, England
A Day Without Me, I Will Follow
comment: U2 are recorded for the program White Light, their first TV appearance outside of Ireland. They may have performed a third song, but only the first two are known. It is believed this programme was recorded on 2 October and aired on 6 October, though these dates may be incorrect.
10/21/1980 Granada Television Studios - Manchester, England
I Will Follow
comment: Filmed for an episode of Get It Together. The exact date of recording is unknown but we believe it to be accurate based on filming schedules. The program aired on 11 November.
11/26/1980 Old Playhouse Theatre - Hulme, England
Twilight, 11 O'Clock Tick Tock, I Will Follow, Father Is An Elephant
comment: U2 play in an empty theatre to record tracks for Peter Powell's afternoon show on the BBC. It is understood that this never aired and the recording of Father Is An Elephant has not surfaced; Bono reportedly sang it in the men's toilets to give the vocals an echo effect.
02/09/1981 Swedish TV 'Mandagsborsen' - Stockholm, Sweden
11 O'Clock Tick Tock, I Will Follow
comment: This is U2's first TV appearance in Scandinavia and they play two songs live in the studio.
02/11/1981 Unknown Bar - Amsterdam, Netherlands
setlist not available
comment: Bono and Edge have fun in a bar before their concert later that night. Bono plays a couple of songs on piano though what exactly they were is unknown.
02/28/1981 UK TV 'Old Grey Whistle Test' - London, England
The Ocean, 11 O'Clock Tick Tock, I Will Follow
comment: "I Will Follow" is released on The Old Grey Whistle Test video compilation in 2003.
03/04/1981 KYW-TV Station - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Interview
comment: Bono is interviewed by host Cyndy Drue for the program 'The Rock and Roll Show'. It is his first interview on American TV. U2 are named 'New Artist Pick of the Month' on the program. After the interview concludes she gives Bono a ride to the Bijou Café for their concert later that night. She meets the band and they ask her to join them for dinner ahead of the show, which she declines.
03/05/1981 WQBK-FM Radio Station - Rensselaer, New York, USA
Interview
comment: Bono and Larry are interviewed on WQBK-FM to promote their concert in Albany that night.
03/09/1981 CHOM-FM Radio Station - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Interview
comment: The band are interviewed by CHOM-FM ahead of their concert in Montreal later that night.
03/11/1981 Queen's Dairy - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Interview
comment: Ahead of their concert at the Maple Leaf Ballroom that night, Bono and Adam have an interview with Jeannie Becker for CityTV's program The New Music. Bono is named as Bono Vox. Clips of the interview are paired with footage of I Will Follow filmed later that night and shown on MuchMusic multiple times over the years.
03/19/1981 KUSF-FM Radio Station - San Francisco, California, USA
Interview
comment: U2 are interviewed on KUSF-FM, who are promoting their concert that night.
03/27/1981 WBCN Studios - Boston, Massachusetts, USA
setlist not available
comment: Bono, Larry, and Edge are guest DJ's for WBCN. This is the date of broadcast and may have been taped on earlier date.
04/12/1981 WNVR-FM Radio Station - Chicago, Illinois, USA
Interview
comment: Bono is interviewed about the concert the night before.
04/12/1981 WXMET Radio - Chicago, Illinois, USA
Interview
comment: Adam and Steve Lillywhite interview.
05/25/1981 WBRU Radio Station - Providence, Rhode Island, USA
Interview
comment: Writer Bill Flanagan takes the band to an interview with WBRU, the campus radio station of Brown University. He later drives them to their concert that night.
05/27/1981 WBCN Studios - Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Interview
comment: Bono, Larry, and Edge have an interview with host Ken Shelton, their second appearance on the station in the last two months. At the time they are on air Adam is having his own interview with the fanzine Over-View.
05/30/1981 NBC Studios - Tomorrow Coast to Coast - New York, New York, USA
I Will Follow, Interview, Twilight
comment: Broadcast on 4 June 1981. U2's first major appearance on US television. Bono and Edge are interviewed between songs by Tom Snyder. Twilight fades out during ending credits
08/28/1981 BBC TV 'Top of the Pops' - London, England
Fire
comment: U2 make their first appearance on the BBC's long-running Top of the Pops. The performance of "Fire" is done to a backing track, as is usual for the show.
09/03/1981 BBC Radio 1 - Maida Vale Studio - London, England
Boy-Girl, With a Shout (Jerusalem), I Threw a Brick Through a Window, Scarlet
comment: U2 perform for The Richard Skinner Show. An interview with Kid Jensen is sometimes added to this date but that took place later in the year. First performance of "Scarlet"; it was not played again until 25 November 2010, over 29 years later. Last performance of "Boy/Girl". This show has incorrectly been dated as 14 November 1981; it actually happened on 3 September 1981 and was broadcast five days later. The three October tracks were included in the deluxe release of the album in 2008.
10/25/1981 RTBF Studios - Brussels, Belgium
I Fall Down, Gloria
comment: U2 perform on the RTBF I live program "Generation 80", broadcast in Belgium and France, before their set later that day. Only two songs are known, vocals were not live.
01/25/1982 RTE2 Studios - Dublin, Ireland
Interview
03/06/1982 OK Club - Tallahassee, Florida, USA
I Will Follow, Wild Thing (with The Slutboys)
comment: After performing at the Leon County Arena, Bono, Adam, and Larry go for a walk and hear a garage band, The Slutboys, performing. Curious, they go to listen and ultimately are invited onstage for a song. In Edge's absence Bono plays guitar for I Will Follow. He later joins The Slutboys on stage a second time for a rendition of Wild Thing.
03/13/1982 Miller's Cave - Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Southern Man, Out of Control
comment: After the gig at the North Hall Auditorium, U2 head at midnight to Miller's Cave, a club run by a local band, to celebrate Adam's 22nd birthday. The band play songs in honour of Adam and then U2 come onstage to drunkenly play two songs.
03/21/1982 Nightclub - Phoenix, Arizona, USA
setlist not available
comment: U2 visit a nightclub and some of them jam with a local singer-songwriter.
05/01/1982 UK TV - 'Get Set For Summer' - Unknown, England
Gloria, A Celebration, Interview, Rejoice
05/15/1982 'Something Else' - Manchester, England
Rejoice, I Will Follow, With a Shout (Jerusalem)
comment: Last performance of With A Shout. Recorded and broadcast on TV a week later.
07/17/1982 Sheriff Street Community Centre - Dublin, Ireland
Let's Twist Again, An Cat Dubh / Into the Heart, 11 O'Clock Tick Tock
comment: Setlist incomplete. U2 play a free rooftp concert at a community centre on Sheriff Street as part of a festival called Inner City Looking On. Some crowd members managed to climb onto the rooftop to join U2. Before An Cat Dubh, a large drunk man confronted Bono and insisted he perform Let's Twist Again. Bono did so a cappella, with the crowd filling in the lyrics he did not know. Photos indicate this gig was a pretty cramped affair; Edge is seen playing his black Fender Stratocaster.
07/31/1982 Gateshead International Stadium - Gateshead, England
Invisible Sun (with The Police)
comment: Bono makes a guest appearance during The Police's set. Earlier in the festival, U2 had played their own complete set.
08/21/1982 Sutton Castle - Howth, Ireland
Tutti Frutti
comment: Wedding reception for Bono and Ali. Edge, Adam, and Larry join local musician Paul Brady for a cover of "Tutti Frutti". The reception eventually knocks out the power to the facility.
12/06/1982 Hammersmith Palais - London, England
Knockin' on Heaven's Door (with The Alarm)
comment: Before U2's set, Bono joins opening act The Alarm onstage.
01/23/1983 BBC TV 'Top of the Pops' - London, England
New Year's Day
comment: U2 "perform" on Top Of The Pops, miming to backing tracks due to studio policy.
01/23/1983 Maida Vale Studios - London, England
setlist not available
comment: Rexorded in Studio 4 for BBC David Jensen show.
01/31/1983 BBC Radio Session - London, England
setlist not available
comment: On this date, U2 reportedly played an in-studio session that was never broadcast. They gave an interview and then played, in order, Like A Song, Surrender, I Will Follow, and Sunday Bloody Sunday. However, this setlist has NOT been 100% confirmed and is thus not listed in the setlist field above in order to maintain the integrity of our "most played songs" count.
02/21/1983 David Jensen Interview - London, England
Interview
02/26/1983 BBC Radio One Interview - Dundee, Scotland
Interview
03/16/1983 Tyne Tees TV Studios - Newcastle, England
Gloria, New Year's Day, Sunday Bloody Sunday, 40, I Will Follow
comment: Interview with Bono before the set is played. The performance is broadcast two days later on the 18th and features only Gloria, New Year's Day, and Sunday Bloody Sunday. I Will Follow is broadcast on the 24th. The performance of 40 has never been aired.
03/30/1983 BBC TV 'Top of the Pops' - London, England
Two Hearts Beat as One / Let's Twist Again (snippet)
comment: U2 appear on Top Of The Pops and play to a backing tape as per show policy. This is the date the band was recorded; the show was broadcast the next day.
04/23/1983 WQDR Radio - Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
Interview
05/04/1983 WBCN Studios - Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Interview
comment: Interview with Carter Alan
05/08/1983 WHCN Radio - Hartford, Connecticut, USA
setlist not available
comment: Guest DJs.
05/09/1983 'Rockline' Radio Show - New York, New York, USA
Interview
05/19/1983 WMMS Radio - Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Interview
05/28/1983 Vechtewiesen - Schuettorf, Germany
setlist not available
comment: An advertisement in March said that U2 were booked to play the Schüttorf Open Air festival on this date. For unknown reasons this did not occur, likely due to it coinciding with the second leg of the War Tour in North America.
09/23/1983 The Ritz - New York, New York, USA
Knockin' on Heaven's Door (with The Alarm)
comment: Bono joins The Alarm for one song
10/23/1983 University - Dublin, Ireland
Knockin' on Heaven's Door (with The Alarm)
comment: Bono joins The Alarm for one song
11/21/1983 TV Studio - Tokyo, Japan
Interview, New Year's Day
comment: During their visit to Japan in November 1983, U2 appear on an unidentified Japanese TV show. Edge's guitar breaks down and he plays most of New Year's Day's guitar parts on piano while Bono vocalizes what was meant to be the guitar solo. And the end of that his timing is thrown off and the song's conclusion is improvised. The exact date of the recording is unknown. At their first concert in Tokyo on 26 November Bono refers to it having occurred the previous weekend, which would place it on either the 20th or 21st.
12/01/1983 Best Hit USA - Tokyo, Japan
Interview
comment: U2 appear on Japanese TV show Best Hit USA for an interview the day after the end of the War Tour. The band do not perform any songs.
12/18/1983 Victoria Apollo - London, England
I Will Follow, 11 O'Clock Tick Tock, Seconds, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Knockin' on Heaven's Door (with Mike Peters), New Year's Day, 40
comment: U2 play at "The Big One", a charity show for the Campaign For Nuclear Disarmament. Mike Peters of The Alarm joins U2 for Knockin' On Heaven's Door.
07/08/1984 Slane Castle - Slane, Ireland
Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat, Blowin' In The Wind
comment: Bono joins Bob Dylan on stage for two songs at his concert.
12/03/1984 WBCN Studios - Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Interview
comment: 'Undying Fire' - Interview with Carter Allen
12/04/1984 MTV Studios - New York, New York, USA
Interview
12/17/1984 'Rockline' Radio Show - New York, New York, USA
setlist not available
12/31/1984 Picadilly Radio Interview - Unknown, Unknown
setlist not available
01/04/1985 Barrowland Ballroom - Glasgow, Scotland
New Gold Dream (81–82–83–84) / Light My Fire (snippet) / Take Me To The River (snippet)
comment: Bono joins Simple Minds onstage for one song.
01/05/1985 Barrowland Ballroom - Glasgow, Scotland
New Gold Dream (81–82–83–84) / Light My Fire (snippet) / Take Me To The River (snippet)
comment: Just like the previous night, Bono joins Simple Minds onstage for one song.
02/18/1985 RTE2 Studios - Dublin, Ireland
Interview
comment: Dave Fanning Show
04/17/1985 WBCN Studios - Boston, Massachusetts, USA
setlist not available
07/13/1985 Wembley Stadium - London, England
Sunday Bloody Sunday, Satellite Of Love (snippet) / Bad / Ruby Tuesday (snippet) / Sympathy For The Devil (snippet) / Walk On The Wild Side (snippet)
encores: Do They Know It's Christmas (with Band Aid)
comment: 'Live Aid' concert. U2 were scheduled to play Pride (In the Name of Love) third but it was cut from their set after Bad ran extremely long. Bono joins an All-Star finale for Do They Know It's Christmas.
01/30/1986 RTE2 Studios - Dublin, Ireland
Womanfish, Trip Through Your Wires, Knockin' on Heaven's Door
comment: U2 appear on a late night Irish television show called TV Gaga and play two new songs. One, Womanfish, has never been performed elsewhere or released in any form; Bono claims it is about a mermaid the band met in America. The other is a very early version of Trip Through Your Wires introduced as "I Trip Through Your Wires", during which Bono sings "in this town" repeatedly. After these two songs, the band cover a Bob Dylan song to conclude their set. The set is ramshackle and the band are almost certainly drunk, particularly Bono.
05/17/1986 RDS Showgrounds - Dublin, Ireland
C'mon Everybody, Pride (In the Name of Love), Sunday Bloody Sunday, Maggie's Farm / Old McDonald Had A Farm (snippet) / Cold Turkey (snippet), Bad / Candle In The Wind (snippet) / Walk On The Wild Side (snippet)
encores: Whiskey In The Jar, Make It Work
comment: U2 perform at Self Aid with a large number of other Irish performers. After U2's set is a tribute to the recently-deceased singer of Thin Lizzy, Phil Lynott, involving the remaining members of the band. Bono joins them for a verse of Whiskey In The Jar. At the end of the show, Bono and Larry are involved in a rendition of the concert's anthem, Make It Work.
06/04/1986 NBC TV 'Today Show' - San Francisco, California, USA
setlist not available
06/10/1986 Ramada Hotel Lounge - Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Sweet Jane
comment: Peter Gabriel's drummer and Lou Reed's guitarist ask if they can play with the house band. Bono joins them and sings Lou Reed's Sweet Jane; he alters the lyrics to "Sweet Rose" in honour of a woman in the lounge to whom he sings the song. Later, they are joined by Larry, Adam, Peter Gabriel, Bryan Adams, the Neville Brothers, and Joan Baez, but the rock and blues songs they covered are unknown. At 4am, the hotel manager removes them from the lounge but they keep singing in the foyer.
06/11/1986 Ramada Hotel Lounge - Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Vicious (with Lou Reed)
comment: U2, Lou Reed, Peter Gabriel, Bryan Adams, and Joan Baez all played in the lounge again. The only song known is Vicious, which Lou Reed and Bono sing together.
06/13/1986 ABC TV 'Good Morning America' - Chicago, Illinois, USA
Interview
06/14/1986 Central Park - New York, New York, USA
Sun City, Give Peace a Chance
comment: At an Anti-Apartheid Rally, U2 and most of the Conspiracy Of Hope Tour performers join Little Steven and his band for two songs.
06/28/1986 Croke Park - Dublin, Ireland
Love Song, Sun City, Dance To The Music
comment: Bono makes a guest appearance at a Simple Minds concert.
07/08/1986 Kai Iwi Marae - Kai Iwi, New Zealand
Let It Be, Knockin' on Heaven's Door
comment: Bono sang at the funeral of his friend (and U2's tour manager) Greg Carroll at Kai Iwi Marae near Whanganui. He was accompanied on violin by Gavin Buxton of the Ponsonby DCs. Greg, who was Māori, was given a traditional Māori funeral. He was a member of the Rātana Church, and the local Rātana choir also performed at the funeral. Leading the choir was Greg's uncle Dalvanius Prime, a famous New Zealand performer.
01/09/1987 Paradiso - Amsterdam, Netherlands
Van Morrison's Gloria
comment: Adam makes an appearence at a Dutch fan club convention and joins the band Tuesday Blue for a rendition of Van Morrison's Gloria (not U2's Gloria).
03/08/1987 Balmoral TV Studios - Belfast, Northern Ireland
People Get Ready, Southern Man, Trip Through Your Wires, Exit, In God's Country, Pride (In the Name of Love)
comment: Filmed in front of a small audience for the TV show Old Grey Whistle Test. Only Exit and In God's Country are broadcast, and this was actually the first ever live performances of both of them. This was also the first of many times that U2 covered People Get Ready.
03/13/1987 Boland's Mill - Dublin, Ireland
People Get Ready
comment: Adam celebrates his 27th birthday with 300+ guests in the hall where the band has been rehearsing for their upcoming tour. A country band provides music, and at one point in the festivities, U2 take over the instruments and play People Get Ready.
03/16/1987 RTE Studios - Dublin, Ireland
Springhill Mining Disaster
comment: U2 appeared on an episode of the Late Late Show celebrating the 25th anniversary of band The Dubliners and covered Peggy Seeger's Springhill Mining Disaster, a song The Dubliners often performed. At the end of the show, U2 also participated in an All-star Finale with The Dubliners and The Pogues.
03/27/1987 Liquor Store Rooftop - Los Angeles, California, USA
Where the Streets Have No Name, People Get Ready, In God's Country, Where the Streets Have No Name, Sunday Bloody Sunday / Dancing in the Street (snippet), Where the Streets Have No Name, Where the Streets Have No Name, Pride (In the Name of Love)
comment: U2 film a music video for Where The Streets Have No Name. When the video shoot is publicised on radio, large crowds gather on surrounding streets and block traffic. The band first perform Where The Streets Have No Name with backing tapes, but its subsequent three performances as well as the other songs are fully live. Eventually, the local police shut down the video shoot but more than enough footage is captured for the music video.
04/08/1987 LA Club - Houston, Texas, USA
I Walk The Line, Lost Highway, Lucille, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Folsom Prison Blues
comment: After finishing their concert, U2 go to a local bar and perform a number of songs with the band that was playing there. Please note: more songs than the five listed might have been played, and the order may have been different.
04/14/1987 US Grant Hotel - San Diego, California, USA
Lucille Bono and Edge acoustic
encores: Lucille Bono and Edge acoustic, Knockin' on Heaven's Door Bono and Edge acoustic, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For Bono and Edge acoustic
comment: A group of fans gather outside U2's hotel after the band's gig, and when the band arrive to sign autographs, an acoustic guitar is passed to Bono and he plays a quick version of Lucille. The band then go into the hotel and the fans remain outside, singing U2 songs. Bono comes back down to see them again and like before, he is passed a guitar. This time he plays three songs, including Lucille again.
04/15/1987 US Grant Hotel - San Diego, California, USA
Lost Highway
comment: U2 record a video message for The Tube TV show from their hotel room and play a joking cover of a country song. Although some sources record this as taking place on 14 April 1987, it is highly likely that it actually took place early in the morning of the next day.
05/22/1987 'Rockstars' Interview - Unknown, Unknown
Interview
comment: Timothy White interviews Bono
06/25/1987 Dave Fanning Radio Show - 2FM Studios - Dublin, Ireland
Interview, Lost Highway, Puppy Love
comment: U2 make a lengthy appearance on Dave Fanning's radio show and it goes down as legendary in the band's folklore. Early in the show, inspired by Iggy Pop's Lust For Life, the band dance wildly and shed their clothes. The appearance is subsequently known as the "In The Nude" interview. It is full of jokes, including two humorous on-air covers by the band.
07/10/1987 Feyenoord Stadium - Rotterdam, Netherlands
Interview, Lucille
comment: Before U2's set later that evening, Adam Curry interviews Adam and Bono for Dutch TV. Curry has trouble keeping their attention with predictable and mundane questions. In an attempt to liven up the interview, Bono grabs a guitar and sings a couple of verses of Lucille. He claims that he wrote the song that very morning, despite the fact he'd first performed it back in April 1987.
09/08/1987 'Trip Through Your Wires' - American Radio - New York, New York, USA
Interview, Lucille, Lost Highway
09/26/1987 Greater Calvary Baptist Church - Harlem, New York, USA
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
comment: U2 rehearse I Still Haven't Found with the New Voices Of Freedom gospel choir ahead of their performance together at Madison Square Gardens two days later. Footage from this rehearsal appears in the Rattle & Hum movie. It is unknown how many times the band and choir ran through I Still Haven't Found; there are reports that they ran through multiple versions with a piano, but the piano does not appear in the footage on Rattle & Hum, so that means a minimum of three performances: two with piano and one without.
11/01/1987 Hoosier Dome - Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Lucille, Lost Highway
comment: Before their own set, U2 play a little prank on the audience. Disguised in silly wigs and ridiculous cowboy clothes, they take the stage to play two songs to the perplexed audience as a country and western band called The Dalton Brothers. Bono is Alton Dalton; Edge (who sings Lost Highway) is Luke Dalton; Larry is Duke Dalton; Adam is Betty Dalton. It is only when U2 play Lucille again during their set that most of the audience realises U2 were the Daltons.
11/11/1987 Justin Herman Plaza - San Francisco, California, USA
All Along The Watchtower, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Out of Control / Sexual Healing (snippet) / Dancing On The Ceiling (snippet), People Get Ready, Trip Through Your Wires, Silver and Gold, Helter Skelter, Help, Pride (In the Name of Love)
comment: All Along The Watchtower was recorded here for Rattle & Hum; this is the first time U2 had performed it since 1 February 1981 and it is so ramshackle that it was touched up in the studio before the commercial release. In the middle of Sunday Bloody Sunday, Bono sees a sign with 'SF' & 'U2' on it. Bono mistakes the 'SF' as Sinn Fein (rather than San Francisco) and has a fit. During Out Of Control, Bono sings a mangled lyric that combines references from Sexual Healing and Dancing On The Ceiling into one short snippet.
11/18/1987 Memorial Coliseum - Los Angeles, California, USA
Lucille, Lost Highway
comment: U2 repeat a prank they did previously in Indianapolis. Before their actual set, U2 take the stage disguised as a country and western band called The Dalton Brothers. Like in Indianapolis, Alton Dalton (Bono) hands vocal duties to Luke Dalton (Edge) for Lost Highway. Adam is again dressed as a Dalton sister, Betty Dalton.
11/22/1987 Antone's - Austin, Texas, USA
Improvisation
comment: After their concert the band visit the local Blues club, Antone's. On stage were Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmie Vaughan, T-Bone Burnett, Chris Layton, and the house band. After refusing several times, Bono and Edge join the group of artists on stage for a slow improvised blues jam with Bono singing and Edge on piano. Larry was also present but did not perform. Some reports erroneously mention Dr. John's participation that night; though he was in attendance earlier that evening he had left by the time this happened. The sequence was filmed for Rattle and Hum but not included in the final film; a short clip of the performance was included in From the Sky Down.
12/12/1987 Hampton Coliseum - Hampton, Virginia, USA
Good Work
comment: It's the last time The BoDeans support U2, and to commemorate the occasion, Edge comes onstage and jams with them for their closing song. At the end, Larry comes onstage talking into a megaphone; Bono follows him, takes the megaphone, and repeatedly proclaims "The BoDeans, yeah!" View U2's headlining set here.
12/18/1987 KUPD FM Studios - Tempe, Arizona, USA
Stairway To Heaven, Lost Highway, Mothers Of The Disappeared / El Pueblo Vencerá (snippet)
comment: Bono and Edge appear on local radio before their two concerts at Sun Devil Stadium. Edge performs the beginning of Stairway To Heaven, and later on does a full cover of Lost Highway. Both participate in an incomplete version of Mothers Of The Disappeared. Bono reveals that the band are considering an attempt to replace traditional closer 40, and its "how long" chant, with Mothers Of The Disappeared and a Spanish chant of "el pueblo vencera" (in English, "the people united will overcome").
03/02/1988 Radio City Music Hall - New York, New York, USA
setlist not available
comment: U2 receive the Grammy awards for "Album of the Year - The Joshua Tree" and "Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group - I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For".
09/21/1988 Los Angeles Coliseum - Los Angeles, California, USA
Chimes Of Freedom, Get Up Stand Up
comment: Bono only - Amnesty International 'Human Rights Now' tour
10/16/1988 Dominion Theater - London, England
All Along The Watchtower, Angel of Harlem, When Love Comes To Town, Love Rescue Me
comment: U2 appear at the Smile Jamaica concert. First performances of Angel Of Harlem and Love Rescue Me. When Love Comes To Town is played with Keith Richards; Love Rescue Me is played with Ziggy Marley and this version appears as a b-side on the Angel Of Harlem single.
10/27/1988 Savoy Cinema - Dublin, Ireland
When Love Comes To Town, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Angel of Harlem, Stand By Me
comment: U2 performed this set on a catwalk between the cinema and the Gresham Hotel.
10/29/1988 Cine Gran Via - Madrid, Spain
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
comment: Bono and Edge perform at the Madrid premiere of Rattle And Hum.
10/31/1988 Leicester Square - London, England
setlist not available
comment: London premiere of Rattle And Hum - the police refuse to let U2 play an impromptu performance.
11/04/1988 China Theater - Los Angeles, California, USA
When Love Comes To Town, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Stand By Me
comment: Los Angeles premiere of Rattle And Hum.
12/16/1988 RTE Studios - Dublin, Ireland
Interview, Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
comment: Acoustic performance on live TV on the Late Late Show.
02/22/1989 Shrine Auditorium - Los Angeles, California, USA
setlist not available
comment: U2 receive the Grammy awards for "Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group - Desire" and "Best Video Performance, Short Form - Where the Streets Have No Name"
03/11/1989 National Stadium - Dublin, Ireland
When Love Comes To Town
comment: B.B King Concert - Edge and Bono only
04/27/1989 Pink Elephant Nightclub - Dublin, Ireland
We Are The Champions, My Way
comment: Bono's friend and former Virgin Prunes member Gavin Friday launches his debut solo album and Bono joins him on stage for a couple of cover songs.
04/30/1989 Abbey Theatre - Dublin, Ireland
September 1913, Mad as the Mist and Snow
comment: At a fundraising event, Bono appears solo to perform his own musical adaptations of two William Butler Yeats poems to a backing tape.
06/04/1989 RDS Simmons Court - Dublin, Ireland
Knockin' on Heaven's Door (with Bob Dylan), Maggie's Farm (with Bob Dylan)
comment: Bono appears on stage at a Bob Dylan concert.
06/17/1989 Glastonbury Festival - Glastonbury, England
Feet On The Ground
comment: Adam joins the Hothouse Flowers during their performance at Glastonbury. This is the first time a member of U2 appears on stage at the festival, and the only time until Edge joins Muse 21 years later in 2010.
06/23/1989 Mother Redcaps Tavern - Dublin, Ireland
setlist not available
comment: Maria McKee Concert - Adam only
09/16/1989 Sydney Harbour - Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Lucille
comment: U2 play with B.B. King on a boat rented for B.B King's 64th birthday.
10/21/1989 Triple M Studios - Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Slow Dancing
comment: After U2's concert on 20 October 1989, the band appear early in the morning of the 21st on Triple M radio's The Midnight Show. During their appearance, Bono debuts Slow Dancing, though he does not sing the whole song. It is unclear whether this is due to the lyrics not being finalised or Bono simply choosing not to sing the whole song.