by Dale

This was my second U2 show. It was at a place appropriately name South Park Meadows because that's what it was minus the park part. Yes, a stage stuck in the middle of a big field. Not exactly your ideal concert venue. It was early June, so once the sun went down, the weather was pleasant. Right before sunset, The Alarm took the stage. No one had heard of these guys because this was their first gig in America. They were excited and nervous. Austin audiences are always enthusiastic about good bands and gave The Alarm a warm welcome. The setting sun gave them a beautiful backdrop and created an excellent environment and tone to get the evening rolling.
Right before U2 came on, my future wife and I worked our way right up to front and center. She had never seen U2 before and had no idea what to expect. As usual, U2 came out with guns blazing. The crowd went nuts from the first note. The audience had sat through the opening band, but once U2 hit the stage, everyone was on their feet. Just like the show the previous year, the concert turned into a dancing love fest. Out in the middle of a big field, everybody had plenty of room to move around. Basically a couple of acres of grass dance floor. Bono was quite surprised how much noise a bunch of Texans could make out in an open meadow. He said we had managed to take a huge field and covert it into an intimate little room.
The show was on par with the Red Rocks show that was shot on video the week before. The band was riding a whole new wave of success and you could see the delight in their performance. Once again, U2 took Austin along for dancing, singing romp. My wife became an instant fan and together we've seen every U2 show in Austin since that magical night.

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