by Richard

My second U2 gig after catching them on the JT tour in 1987. This of course was the famous "Stop Sellafield" concert. For some reason I had not rushed out to get tickets for the Zoo TV tour when they went on sale even though I really loved the Achtung Baby album. Anyway, I thought the chances of getting tickets for any of the shows was an impossible task until one of my friends happened to mention that he could get priority tickets to this show through his Greenpeace membership. So 20 pounds was handed over and about a week later my friend came up with tickets for me and 3 of my other friends. What a star!

I was 19 and four of us drove up to Manchester from Nottingham in my friends car.

The thing is that I remember very little about this concert at all really. I don't recall anything about any of the other acts that appeared (Kraftwerk, Public Enemy, Big Audio Dynamite) and precious little about U2's set.

It's weird, it's as if I wasn't there at all.....but I was! (and I hadn't been drinking or anything like that either!)

I think maybe at the time I just didn't "get" the Zoo TV thing yet and it was bit of a culture shock from the JT shows....I think I was probably overwhelmed by the whole vibe. I would go on to see them on the Zooropa leg of the tour they year after and would have far clearer memories of that show.

One thing I do remember is that in the backed up traffic on the way out of the GMEX carpark my friend jokingly sounded a little tune on his car horn...and this set off dozens of other people sounding their horns and making a huge din as we waited to get out. A bit of childish humour but fun all the same.

I read later that a pre-fame Noel Gallagher was at this concert too...who knows I could have been sat next to him and not realised!

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