NT

by Tom Cleary

I was on the Sheffield University Entertainments committee and we would hump the gear in and out for all the bands, but I went out of my way to go and do so for U2. I'd heard "Bloody Sunday" on John Peel and been fascinated that an Irish band could not only play good sparse rock'n'roll but also comment on "the troubles" without taking sides. I showed up fairly early so I could meet the band and we ended up having a beer in the Student bar where Bono and I shot the breeze - my parents are ( were.. ) both Irish and we seemed to share a fair bit of common experience. Later, the gig went off to a not-huge crowd, but it grew as the set went on and the guys were fantastic ( blew the hell out of the Human League and Def Leppard, who were our local bands at the time... ) Bono was standing in the light of a green spot shining up from his left and using his hands to make shadows and emphasise the semi-mystical tones the edge was strangling out of the guitar and at one point he was asking the crowd to give him a cigarette, so I obliged ( a half smoked Marlboro ) which he used to play smoke games for a while during the guitar solo on one of the songs - then gave it back! Urgh! ( Suppose I should have saved it for e-bay, eh? ;-) My most vivid memory is of "The Electric Co." ( which I think was the finishing song of the set ) there was a real raucous feel to the crowd as we screamed along. It was a bit weird, looking back, to see all these punk kids shouting and grooving to something as mainstream as U2, but the vague overtones of the "Dead Kennedys" mixed with the savage chops of most punk bands were still there on "Boy" and the band were the absolute best stage band I've ever seen ( even when compared with "The Who", "AC/DC" and whoever else that I saw later that year at Wembley and everyone since..) I sent this "spur of the moment" review because I'm listening to "Boy" again and getting all nostalgic.

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