The First Time

9 Jul 2010597
When was the first time you saw Larry, Edge, Adam and Bono play live ? How old were you ? Was it last year on the 360� Tour or was it in another millennium way back when ?

'A hot summer day in Paris at the Vincennes Hippodrome.' remembers Dom from France. 'I was 23 year old (and) when the band finally arrived, the sunset was behind the stage and I felt like in a dream. The first song they played was Exodus from Bob Marley...'

'I was a highschool senior,' says someone else. 'And still look back at this concert at the Rosemont Horizon as my greatest moment with U2.'

'On the Vertigo Tour in Brussels, Larry puts his drums right in front of me...'

'Yale University in New Haven: epic, unforgettable show with Bono climbing anywhere he could....'

You've been posting some extraordinary memories of the first time you saw the band play live - unforgettable nights on every tour they've ever played. And not just the show - sometimes unlikely encounters with the band.

'I was 11, I lived across the road from Croke Park. That evening (of the show) our street football match had play stopped by a white Mercedes and out of the car jumps Bono in a white suit. He said hello, gave my mum a hug, shook my hand, jumped back in the car.....'

What about you ? How did you end up at your first U2 show ? Does the venue still exist ? Who did you go with ? Was there a moment you'll never forget ? One of the band do something that's stuck in your mind? A song that changed everything?

Google your memories and tell us below about the first time you saw the band live. Don't forget to add in your name and city/country at the end of the post so we know where you're from.

(Incidentally, keep a copy of your post� once you've added it below. Then post it again in our� tour section - on the night and on the tour of the show you're writing about. If you've got a photo - the band, you and your mates, the ticket stub - the tour pages are where you can upload it. The more reviews you add, the more encyclopaedic an archive of the band's touring history we'll create. Thanks.)
Comments
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eleslane
Stadio Flaminio, Roma, 06 Juky 1993
I still remember I was wearing a white T-short and green shorts, when I got under the stadium with my sister we heard the initial chord from "zoo station" and I could NOT believe that was really The Edge playing it in the reharsal!!!! The sound was simply amazing!!!! Then I remember the queue, jumping the fences, running inside and being blocked at half field by the division ...me and my sister managed to cross that separation too and reach the first rows under the stage but we lost each other ...then I remember the emotion of my first U2 concert ALONE, with Bono taking the lighter from a guy near me and lighting it up at times during BAD...so overwhelming emotion it was the first concert of a long story..... Thank you for Standing By Us through these years, me and sister followed you and will follow U2 around...see you in Turin on August 6!!!! I was 17 in 1993, thank you. Eleonora (Rome)
marianrovira
Barcelona 360º Tour, June 30, 2009
For years, since I was a teenager and his music became a summer in Dublin, my dream was to see them in concert. At the end, last year saw the start of the 360º Tour in Barcelona. It was a fantastic day, from the plane ride with many more fans of the band, then by car to Barcelona and finally the Nou Camp ... Awesome. When they left the stage, was emocinante feeling, indescribable, unforgettable, magical ... Today I close my eyes and I can remember from moment to moment that fantastic night, I will never forget. Marian. Santander. Spain
My first time...
I will be seeing U2 for the first time May 24 in SLC. Can't wait. Told my wife that if U2 was to ever come close to us, we were going, no matter how much it costs us and what we had to do to get there. Well, now the time is set and we are ready. This will be an unforgettable moment in our lives since my wife and I are both huge U2 enthusiasts. Glad to see Bono up and about. Can't wait to hear the new music mixed with the old. Cheers.
mvick1881
Urbe airport, Rome, Sept 18, 1997
I remember that, coming by urban rail, I could see the top of the yellow arch coming out of the buildings, it was 10 am... we got to the gates and we've been waiting 2 hrs for them to open, then other 9 hrs until Pop Muzik began: I was 16, never seen a concert before... at least, a serious concert I mean :) I realized I could scream louder than I thoght and so was for all the next 2 hrs, I could see my heroes just ten meters far from me. It was a sensation I never felt anymore, or at least I felt something similar in the next concerts, but not really like that time. At the end, a big red heart lighted from the biggest screen of the world, my cousin said "You'd better thank daddy to have let you come" and I began to cry, but they were tears of happiness :)
mvick1881
Urbe airport, Rome, Sept 18, 1997
I remember that, coming by urban rail, I could see the top of the yellow arch coming out of the buildings, it was 10 am... we got to the gates and we've been waiting 2 hrs for them to open, then other 9 hrs until Pop Muzik began: I was 16, never seen a concert before... at least, a serious concert I mean :) I realized I could scream louder than I thoght and so was for all the next 2 hrs, I could see my heroes just ten meters far from me. It was a sensation I never felt anymore, or at least I felt something similar in the next concerts, but not really like that time. At the end, a big red heart lighted from the biggest screen of the world, my cousin said "You'd better thank daddy to have let you come" and I began to cry, but they were tears of happiness :)
Kingsschoolboy
The Tube
I remember seeing the 'boys' (as they were then, young rather than young at heart) back in my school days when they appeared on The Tube. Big thanks to the people who got us tickets for the show every week (VIP ones, was great!!!) which we watched getting recorded up in Newcastle where I grew up. I seem to remember U2 running over their time enjoying themselves playing on the stage after the show faded out, and always thought of them as the best live band I have ever seen. Strange to think that a lot of the bands that played on there are around today, and I still listen to the music too..... Big thanks to U2 for all the music which has been in my life for almost as long as I've been around!
nataliebaker75
MCG, Melbourne, ZOOTV - November 1993
I wasn't able to go to the Lovetown shows. I was too young, my parents said, to go into the big city at night 'just to see a band'. By the time that ZooTv rolled into Melbourne a few years later, I wasn't going to miss it. How could you not be overwhelmed by the magic of ZooTv? Or awestruck by what your eyes were seeing? Of seeing the red screens light up for your first live encounter with 'Streets'? Of seeing a stadium ablaze with fire lighters during 'One'? Of the magical madness that was Mr McPhisto? Popmart was my favourite tour - it was when WIRE was at its peak and there was a real community atmosphere at the shows because of that with the WIRE banner and the WIRE tags and I loved the kitscheness of it all - but ZooTV stands alone as being a ground breaking piece of 'art' that continues to set the standard for stadium concerts for all bands. The ideas that it addressed about the mass media are still as contemporary and relevant today as they were almost 20 years ago. One can only imagine what McPhisto or the Cowboy Man could do with the likes of Twitter, Skype and other social networking sites. Those first bars of The Fly that opened the show, the Fly shades, the Fly dance, the big screens, the speed, the vibrancy, the sheer madness of it all - magic, pure magic.
feyecas
torhout/werchter 1985
u2 played and an earthkwake was recorded by the meteo service of belgium.
venusjupiter
Unforgettable Fire Tour - 17 in high sch
My first concert made for a life-changing and memorable senior year for me. I believe it was towards the beginning of 1985, at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. My two friends, Kim and Debbie, had purchased tickets and I wanted to go because I fell in love with PRIDE IN THE NAME OF LOVE and had so much fun at parties with I WILL FOLLOW, SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY and PARTY GIRL...This was before they hit it big time and I was able to get last minute tickets through the regular route. It was such an incredible experience and we were able to hop to different seats and onto the floor. After sitting in seats for awhile, we moved to the floor and made it all the way to the front of the stage. I swear Bono was singing right to me (as I'm sure everyone does!) and I remember all of the people around me started crying and holding hands and singing (I believe it was PRIDE, at that point). You could feel this intense and amazing connectedness of love, as if we were all ONE and we were all feeling it. That was an experience that was a defining moment in my life and cemented my love for the band, still my favorite group since that evening. I have been blessed to see them numerous times since then and loved them each time, but nothing has compared to that first time. Probably because they became such a huge phenomenon...So sad I have to wait till summer 2011 to see them again as I missed them at the Rose Bowl and Anaheim got cancelled (I bought four tix on Craigslist two days before). Boo! Sending you love and healing energy Bono. Please take care of yourself and please get on board the YOGA train. I, and a lot of my friends, have had back injuries and yoga is the only true way to strengthen it and be better than ever before. Trust me on this! Trust your friends, many of whom are yogis themselves!! Love&Peace...Rebecca Bennett, Los Angeles and San Diego, California.
plasticguppy
Joshua Tree - Birmingham, UK
My first U2 gig was in 1987 as part of the Joshua Tree tour at the NEC in Birmingham. I was 16 or 17 and was so excited that I hardly slept for the week leading up to it! Kept dreaming I'd lost my ticket and had to get up to check it hadn't vanished. The gig was everything I'd hoped for and I'll never forget 'BAD' and 'Streets'. They still give me goosebumps! I was lucky that a security guard let me get further forward by one block and I ended up quite near the stage. At that time U2 meant everything to me and I played their LPs endlessly. I was a typical troubled teen and felt like they really spoke to me at the time. I've calmed down a bit since! :D It was 18 years before I saw them again in Glasgow and then again last year in Sheffield. They've still got it. Good luck Bono - I'm sure you'll soon be knocking their socks off as always! Susie, Bristol, UK.
I think it was 1982 or 1983
I think it was 1982 or 1983 in Los Angeles and it was at the forum. I remember that "The Alarm" opened for U2, they where pretty good. Then U2 came on stage, I had never heard them before, I came with a girl friend of mine who said she wanted me to hear them. when the show began half of the crowd was mingling and talking during the performance then Bono did his opening cry for Sunday Bloody Sunday and the room went silent. I was also amazed by this song and have been a loyal U2 fan ever since. I have seen them in concert over a dozen times and have never been let down. I now live near Seattle and had tickets for the June 20th show but will now wait till next year to see them. Tony Carrizosa, Auburn, Washington, USA
hippiechick
Vertigo in Philly
The first time I saw and fell in love with U2 was at the Wachova Center in Philly May 22 2005, a day I will remember forever. I was 20 and I went with my mom and my best friend, I was feeling euphoric the entire night. The performances of Love and Peace and Sunday Bloody Sunday really stood out to me. It was pure magic:) I look forward to July 14th 2011 :D
18th of July 2009, Berlin, Olympiastadio
I listen to U2 since I was a child, but it was last year that I first had the opportunity to see the band live. I was 23, student in Germany, was actually watching the Slane Castle DVD while working on my computer, and thought: Hey, they have a new album, so they must have a tour coming on... let's see. Bought my ticket for Berlin in the hour... The Olympiastadion in Berlin, the U2 train (U-Bahn Linie 2) to go to the stadium, the 10-round-ola-wave before the concert even started.... The Czech guys for Angel of Harlem... Far Away So Close acoustic. This was a dream come true for me, and I will remember that day for ever. Sadly I don't have money enough (and I'll be in exam period) when the guys are in Germany again. Hope to see you soon though!
Rattlenhum
Is this real?
It was May 2001, Cleveland, Ohio, Gund Arena, Elevation Tour. I had been a U2 fan since just after the release of Zooropa. I missed my chance to see U2 during PopMart, so I had been waiting roughly 8 years to see U2 in concert. When they walked out WITH THE HOUSE LIGHTS ON I started crying a bit- I was pointing and screaming- I really couldn't believe that the actual band, Larry Adam Edge and Bono- were there, in front of my eyes, in the SAME BUILDING AS ME. It still makes my eyes water to think about it, 9 years and 6 U2 shows later.
charp
Met Center 1987
I was a high school senior and we camped out to get tickets. I can remember the hair on the back of my neck standing up as the concert started with a red background and 'lightening' strikes. The sound of Streets swelling. It was an unbelievable experience. No concert experience has come close since except those provided by the same U2.
cluttercoco
Joshua Tree-Toronto 1987
I really loved The Joshua Tree album, and became a U2 fan before I saw the show, BUT after the show I was hopelessly hooked on U2....and still am. The show was so incredible, and when the whole stadium chanted "How long, to sing this song" for at least 30 minutes while leaving the venue, it was a truly magical experience that I had never had before. Thank you U2, for all your music after and before that show. You think that you know how much you mean to your fans, but you have no idea!!!!. It is such a gift to make music that touches so many people so deeply. U2 RULES!!!
Betico
Lemon tour
My first U2 experience was in New Orleans. I was the first one to buy the ticket at the local blockbuster. Waiting in line since 3am. 50 bucks, a fortune for a 19 year old....Worth every penny, though! U2 rocking the Superdome, priceless!!
Nutfluff
U2 and WIzards of Waverly Place
My first time was 1987 at the Meadowlands. We were two songs late and I was paranoid I missed "Streets." I didn't and was lucky to share the religious experience of 30,000 people filled with elation as those first few notes echoed throughout the arena. Those notes will forever be audio valium for me as I can just listen and be taken into a state of euphoria. For years it was my airplane "take-off" song as the build of the song was a great backdrop for the planes engines revving up, speeding down the runway and lift off into the clouds just as the first lyric rang though my headphones. The band has been such a great part of my life, I paid tribute to them in the show I created for Disney, Wizards of Waverly Place. The first spell in the first show was "Edgebono-utoosis." A spell used to duplicate objects. It's amazing to see the young generation knew who I was talking about. U2 speaks to generations. I was also proud to bring my then 8 year old son to the Vertigo tour in '05. He has since then picked up a guitar and plays EVERYDAY. I was really proud the other day when he picked up his strat and went on a nice little "Edge" run... Here is a minute of it if you don't mind... the sound to me is and will always be "audio valium." Todd J Greenwald http://www.youtube.com/user/toddjgreenwald
jerseyshoreboy
Joshua Tree Tour_New Jersey 1987
The first time I saw U2 was the Joshua Tree Tour at the Brendan Byrne Arena (now IZOD center) in New Jersey. It was my freshman year at Seton Hall University and a few friends of mine ended up getting floor seats to the show. The show was incredible and the boys were fantastic. The one thing that I still remember about the show is Bono talking to the audience and stating that he wasnt feeling well and had visited a doctor during the day. The doctor asked him where he was playing and when Bono told him where, the doctor stated "don't worry, the people of New Jersey will do the singing for you." Might not have been word for word but close enough. Havent missed a show since. Looking forward to the shows in Philly and New Jersey in 2011.
elbai
Yes
I saw U2 the first time in Rotterdam 1987 the Joshua Tree tour. Concert was sold out and a friend of me brought the tickets in the middle of the night. It was overwhelming so many people. I couldn't talk for a few days because of the singing along with the songs.
swpumpkin
Sweet 16
Radio City Music Hall, December 3, 1984. It was my 16th birthday and a SWEET 16 it was! It was a benefit for Amnesty International and my girlfriends and I had 9th row seats. We took a limo in from the Jersey shore (we were a bit embarrassed by it afterall it was a benefit), but it was the only way our parents would let us go into the city and my girlfriends and I paid for the car out of our own money - a small fortune to a teenager! The Waterboys opened and played their hit "I Will Not Follow" and U2 played "I Will Follow". A security guard let me sit on the side of the stage. I had my "disc camera" with me -remember those? I have a fuzzy print of Bono centerstage holding a red rose. I remember wearing striped "ankle" jeans tucked into peter pan boots - I spent weeks picking out the PERFECT outfit! They played Party Girl that night - I thought I would lose my mind! It has been 27 years and I have attended more than 40 U2 concerts since, and you know what? I still feel like that 16 year old girl at every U2 concert. I get that same feeling of anticipation before they hit the stage. I'm glad for that. I'm glad Bono's feeling better and the tour dates have been rescheduled, it will be worth the wait to see them next summer. Soldier Field and New Meadowlands - here I come! Nicole Neal Morris County, NJ USA
Starleaf
A late bloomer.....
I saw U2 live for the first time last year in Foxborough, MA. I was 59 years old. Which only goes to show how timeless U2's music is. How it speaks to all generations. I liked the concert so much I have tickets for Philadelphia (much closer to home) for next July. See you then, lads. Bono - good to see you up and moving!!
gmom
War Tour 1983
A friend saw U2 in England so I purchased tix to the War tour concert when it came to Worcester, MA. The band was tight! Bono climb onto a pole a put the famous white flag out. It was electrifing to be there. I knew this was the band that would be playing the sound track to my life. I brought to my daughter to her first U2 concert in 2009 to U2 360 at Gillete Stadium. She was thrilled and knew all the words. Thank you for always being the song in my head and in my heart! Donna
Jenwins
Rattle and Hum to the Rose Bowl
I first saw U2 in December 1987 at Sun Devil Stadium. It was the end of the Joshua Tree tour and the band played two shows to film for Rattle and Hum (I recall that the tickets were only $5!). I was 15 and I tagged along with my sister and her boyfriend to the second show. We were in the upper, upper decks - much closer to the helicopters circling above the stadium than the stage below. No matter, though. It was an incredible show. I've never missed a tour since, and I've seen the band all across the country. I finally made it down to the floor for Elevation in New Jersey - June 2001. Now I can usually be found on the floor with a big grin on my face. I was there somewhere in the crowd for the Rose Bowl show last year. And I have my tickets for four U.S. dates next year. Can't wait.
bonogirl72
Zoo TV - Detroit 1992
I was still in high school and went with some friends. I have been in love with the band since the early 80's and was unbelieveably excited to see them live. From our show (right near the beginning when Bono was switiching channels) they cut live to the MTV music video awards where Dana Carvey played along on the drums to Even Better Than The Real Thing as Garth from Wayne's World. It was AMAZING!!! I was hooked. I have seen the PopMart tour, and Vertigo and 360 will be my 4th time. What an amazing experience. I will never forget Zoo TV though - truly one of a kind. Lianne Middleton, Windsor, Ontario Canada
rbcostie
Unforgettable Fire Tour-Hawaii 1985
I went to the U2 show by myself because my brother was seeing them in Chicago 11 days later and I wanted to have one up on him. I bought my ticket the day of the show for $15. The show LITERALLY changed my life. I had never know that music could sound the way that it did that night. When the band started the song Bad, I cried. What a powerful moment for me. I have not missed a tour since and am THRILLED that the band has rescheduled the East Lansing show for June 26, 2011. Rock on boys, you are and always will be the absolute BEST. Thank you for the most amazing moments I have ever had at a rock concert. Rebecca Brantner Costie Battle Creek, MI USA
perron
1987 Montreal, Olympic stadium
My first U2 concert was in 1987, The Joshua tree tour as you know. Bono was playing with a broken arms results from a slipping in a previoous concert (in Philadelphia I do believe!)and ask a fan to jump on stage an play a song on guitar.Was an amazing concert. Joshua still one of my greatest album. To heard them play Unforgettable fire, God's country, Exit with snippets of Riders on the storm & Gloria was unique. where i was sit, the sound was great!!
Ray&Sabina
Ahoy Rotterdam 1984
The 2nd concert in october 1984. 11 O'Clock Tick Tock was the first I remember, the crowd went wild. My wife and I moved meters without taking a single step. The crowd just pushed and pushed.
JRecio
FIrst time
1997, PopMart Tour, Houston, Texas. I was 22 years old and told my boyfriend (who is now my husband) we MUST see U2. U2 had been my favorite band since Achtung Baby came out. We drove to Houston from Corpus Christi, Texas and saw the best stadium show we'd ever seen. My hubby only knew a couple of songs, at most, but after this gig, he became a fan too. We've seen every tour , a few times, since then. POPMART, Houston, Nov. 1997 ELEVATION, Houston, April 2001 VERTIGO, Denver, CO & Houston, TX, 2005 360 TOUR, Foxborough, MA, East Rutherford, NJ & Houston, TX , 2009
Andy McGee
A wet and miserable Milton Keynes Bowl i
It was 1985, I had just finished my degree in Sheffield but was still there hanging around waiting for my results. 4 of us got tickets for 'The Longest Day' June 22nd 1985 at Milton Keynes Bowl from a company laying on a coach from Sheffield to the gig. In support were a young new band called REM, Billy Bragg and The Ramones amongst others. It was summer, we went dressed for summer but started to rain mid afternoon in the middle of Billy Bragg's set where he went on about the Miners Strike between each and every song and it did not stop for the rest of the day. It didn't just rain, it poured and the venue had absolutely no cover anywhere except the awning's of the burger vans. I remember one of the girls in our group ending up with blue feet and us all rubbing her feet to get the circulation going again. By the time U2 came on about 9pm anyone was soaked, the venue was a mud bath making Glastonbury look like a walk in the park. I have read a quote since that Bono before he came out on stage decided that U2 needed the deliver their best gig ever given cos of the weather the crowd had to put up with. They did, they were immense. They came out to 4th July playing throught the sound system and launched into a blistering opening of 11 o'clock tick tock and I will follow and soon we forgot about the weather and sang our hearts out. I remember later they started Bad and the sequencer that had the opening pad on it stopped working after about 5 seconds of the song starting cos of the rain and Bono declared that this was all '...very bad (sic)'. So whilst they tried to fix it the band played the Beatles song 'Rain'. We got Bad evetually and it was a stand out moment, what a song. Another stand out moment was a verse of Amazing Grace in the middle of Electric Co. Like many others on here, never missed a tour since, including Slane the day after Bono buried his Dad, so emotional. 12th gig coming up in Paris this Sept 2010, so long as Bono's back gets better - God bless Andy Mc
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