April 26, 2024

by Brian

Well, it was 18 years ago when I was 20 years old. I remember that the concert was originally supposed to be an outdoor show, but the forecast of rain forced the location to change to the gymnasium. Actually, it turned out to be a beatiful sunny day, and Bono sarcastically commented something like, "Thank God they moved us all inside".

It was an afternoon festival kind of show. There were two bands that played before U2 took the stage (one of the bands was NRBQ, can't remember the other one).

I remember that U2's performance was energetic and excellent, with Sunday Bloody Sunday as a highlight with Bono waving the white flag. The Red Rocks video truly captures the performance that I witnessed better than my memory can describe it here.

The band, like me, were young then. Who knew at the time that I was watching from 10 feet away, that they would become one of the world's greatest and most popular bands.

I also remember buying an army green "War" tour T-shirt for around $6.

Probably the most amazing thing, besides U2's performance, was that they actually had kegs of free beer with paper cups at the back of the gym. It's amazing to me now how liberal drinking policies were back then. Needless to say, by the end of the concert the entire floor of the gym was awash in a thin coating of fresh beer and made walking quite an event. I can remember people holding on to each other and many others hitting the floor. Truly great, fun time.

Also saw them in Worcester, MA on "The Unforgettable Fire" tour in a large arena and am going to see them in Boston on June 9, 2001. Really looking forward to it.

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