The problem is me, part 4: U2

U2, International House Assembly Hall, University of Chicago, Saturday 11 April 1981

U2 performing on 11 (?) April 1981. Photos: Paul Sandberg. Image source: NewCity

In April 1981 U2 was a new band from Ireland whose first album Boy, released in the US just a month earlier, had begun to get play on college and even some commercial FM radio stations. Their sound was somewhat reminiscent of John Lydon's post-Sex Pistols band Public Image Ltd., especially PiL's First Issue album. Unlike Lydon, though, who sneered and ranted his way through songs, U2's singer Bono had a soaring tenor voice—almost too good for a rock band. (Displays of conventional vocal talent made me suspicious of a rock band's sincerity. Funny that I never have that problem with opera.)

During U2's first US tour they were appearing at the Park West in Chicago, but it was announced that earlier the same day they would do a show at the University of Chicago's International House. It seemed worth taking a chance: tickets for the I-House show only cost $1, and a free beer was included. There's a contradiction in the dates: the Park West show was evidently on Sunday 12 April (here' the setlist for the Park West concert) but various sources state that the University of Chicago show was on Saturday 11 April. I didn't keep a journal at the time, so I can't supply my own confirmatory evidence for either date. I will say that I remember feeling that I had to put in some study hours that night, which accords more closely with a Sunday than a Saturday performance. On the other hand, this was the University of Chicago, where studying on a Saturday night was not an unknown occurrence, particularly if there was a Monday morning exam.

I recall that it was an early-evening show that started around 6 pm: more evidence that it may have happened the same day as their Park West show. While it was still light outside a dear friend and I found ourselves with several hundred other people standing in the I-House Assembly Hall waiting to see what this group would be like. This video clip from Swedish television accords with my memory of what I heard and saw, including Bono's energetic onstage presence and white shirt.

https://youtu.be/98lkI64TmZQ?t=4

You'll notice in the photos above no white shirt is in evidence, a circumstance I can't explain—my memory is extremely vivid. Either that memory is false, or Paul Sandberg's photos are from their Park West performance.

The band played through practically their entire first album (here's the setlist for the I-House show) and then for an encore, almost out of material, repeated some of the songs they had already played. A recording of the I-House show has been posted to YouTube, and the song order matches the setlist linked above. The sound quality is not pristine by any means—perhaps it was recorded by someone in the audience on a Walkman?—but it's fun to hear the energy of the band and the enthusiasm of the crowd:

https://youtu.be/tXniHoUU47o

After the concert my friend and I agreed that we'd enjoyed the band's music, but neither of us were moved to make the commitment of buying their album ($6.98 was serious money for us in those days). We had no clue that within a few years U2 would become, for many, the defining band of the decade.

Perhaps U2 made a greater impression on me than I was willing to acknowledge at the time. The following year I joined a band, and our setlist included "I Will Follow." Hubris, certainly, but fortunately our vocalist and lead guitarist, both very talented musicians, were up to the challenge. I can't say that my moves on bass or my haircut were as cool as Adam Clayton's, though.

Coda: For the story of how U2 came to play the I-House as told by the man who brought them there, see this post by the Major Activities Board's Bart Lazar. He states that people were trying to climb through the windows to get into the show. I don't want to dispute his memory, but as I recall, although the crowd was sizeable, there was no trouble getting tickets—I think we walked up and bought ours at the door—and $1 was within the reach even of an impoverished undergrad like me. Perhaps the show ultimately sold out, but if so it was long after we got there.

Last time: Ramones