by Ian Molyneaux

I attended this show with my brother, sister and one of my sister's friends. So far as I can remember it was a great show. An adoring crowd, U2 played well, close to Christmas, so everyone was in good spirits.

It was part of the pre-War tour, so War had been recorded but not released. I don't recall anything odd about the set list - I always remember if a band doesn't play something I expect them to play - so it was a straight run through the Boy and October favourites, the non-album singles (I remember Bono getting very energetic during 'A Celebration'), and some of the about-to-be-released War material.

One thing that struck me about the show was the audience. It contained almost as many females as males. Not usual for a concert by a youngish band in Belfast in the early 1980s. That probably reflects the audience that U2 appealed to - more than just the rabid male rock fans who attended most of the hard rock/metal or new wave/alternative (was that word used back then?) concerts.

I do know for certain that U2 played 'Electric Co.' that night. My favourite U2 song. I would have probably rioted if they hadn't!

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