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by Charles Thomas

While visiting our parents during summer break from college, my younger sister and I decided to hit mom and dad up for tickets to the Paris Hippodrome show. U2 had been through Paris the month before, but at a much smaller venue, and we couldn't get tickets. The Hippodrome was outdoors, and huge, in the center of a horse race track. The tickets seemed very expensive, and our parents protested a bit, but they gave in finally.

We took the rail from the Western suburbs to the Hippodrome. We got there plenty early, because I wanted to be in a good, up-close location. We walked from the train station through the gates and stopped at the souvenir stand. I had been to several concerts, but this was the first one at which there were T-shirts which had a dedicated back print for the venue. My sister and I both selected the white T-shirt which read, "Paris Hippodrome July 4" over a grey Joshua Tree silhouette (they also sold one with all the European dates listed), and I bought a patch for my jean jacket.

The field was large, but we were very early, so we selected a spot very close to the stage. The Pogues I had heard of, but wasn't very familiar with. UB40, however, were a lot of fun. The crowd was there for U2, however. I remember distictly the crush when U2 took the stage, as all the people behind us rushed forward. It was difficult for us to keep our feet as the crush of the crowd moved back and forth, side to side. As much as I wanted to be close, I also wanted to enjoy the show, and my sister was having a difficult time, so I suggested we move back until we could find a quieter area.

We still could see the stage quite well. I remember being suprised at the number of covers and snippets of other groups' songs that the band played. I also expected to hear 4th of July from the Unforgettable Fire, as it was July 4th!

During the show, we saw a cloud appear in front of us and to our right. A commotion began near the cloud, and suddenly our eyes were stinging. I remember that the show stopped for a few moments, and then continued as the tear gas dissipated. I was concerned that the the band might stop the show completely, and hoped nothing further would happen.

There were television cameras present filming the concert, and I hoped that some type of video would be made, like the one at Red Rocks. The news reported that the U2 Hippodrome show was the largest rock concert in France to date. Madonna broke the attendance record later.

I loved the record, Under a Blood Red Sky, and the concert ended to my delight with "40", and I sang, "How long" with the rest of the crowd until it was clear that the band would not return. We walked off the field, and caught the train back home.

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