U2 Concerts 1979

A Complete U2 Concert List from 1979

03-01-1979 McGonagle’s, Dublin

Attendance; unknown
Support; unknown
Admission; unknown
Set; unknown
Hot Press review by Bill Graham It’s no secret at headquarters that I have a special spot for U2. Indeed I’ve no hesitation in rating them the best unrecorded band in Ireland and one whose potential is still barely tapped.
Unfortunately, circumstances weren’t the best for this review. Production of our yearbook meant that their two recent McGonagle’s gigs, the first for the Hot Press/McGonagle’s party itself, the second on the third day of this New Year passed without praise in print. They were simply the most exhilarating performances by a local band I’ve witnessed in the last twelve months.

U2 Concerts 1979
Bono & Adam on stage at McGonagle’s. Note Bono wearing a tie. This was a short lived image change.
U2 concerts 1979
Bono sporting a tie & headband

26/01/1979 Community Centre, Howth

Attendance; unknown
Support; Virgin Prunes
Admission; £0.75p
Set; unknown

27/01/1979 McGonagle’s, Dublin

Attendance; unknown
Support; unknown
Admission; £1.00
Set; unknown
Bill Graham Last Saturday week, U2 played twice. The matinee was at McGonagle’s an enterprising foray to capture the teen audience barred by licensing laws and late night opening.
Unprofessionally, my clock stopped so I lost an hour, only appearing to catch the last four numbers. Neither I nor U2 were happy with the sound but the band did succeed in their primary aim of attracting and impressing a sizeable underage contingent. They return there this weekend.

27/01/1979 Buttery, Trinity College, Dublin

U2 concerts 1979
Photo by Patrick Brocklebank.

Attendance; unknown
Support; System 20
Admission; £0.60p
Set; includes Street Mission, Concentration Cramp
Bill Graham The later date was two hundred yards down the road in Trinity but the late arrival of the hired equipment and a hurried sound check weren’t the best preparation. Not that it fazed the support, System 20.
U2 were solace for the bewildered, even if their set slumped slightly in the final third, before a racing version of “Street Mission”. So if the band were scrambling, it’s indicative of their growth that an average set nonetheless promoters their merits rather than exposing their failings.
Partially, it’s due to Paul Hewson. Undoubtedly, the best front man since Geldof, he’s a powerfully charged battery of energy, and utterly unignorably. His enthusiasm is such that even a potentially pessimistic song like “Concentration Cramp” doesn’t flounder in grim negativity, he and the band trampling underfoot all those confining restrictions of school days.

The Kinks

Furthermore, except for one purloined Kinks riff, U2 owe no obvious debts to earlier styles. Their songs are uniquely their own, vibrant celebrations that are both direct in impact yet not so simple in style. It’s U2’s most enduring asset that they’ve taken only the ideals of the new wave, but not its licks, so that while their songs retain pop vivacity, their structures stretch towards more complex forms. They are already their own category.
So many estimates of local bands end with double edged compliments, ifs, buts and luke warm qualifications. U2 belong to a whole other league.

McGonagles was a seedy old dance hall on South Anne Street, so run down by the 70’s that if offered a perfect venue for punk acts. Infamously, the only alcohol the bar sold was rip-off plonk and a vile Irish perry called Ritz.

01/02/1979 Edmund Bruke Hall, Trinity College, Dublin

Attendance; approx 30
Support; unknown
Admission; £0.30p
Set; unknown
Edumnd Burke Hall as it is today. The hall seats approx 200.

U2 Concerts 1979
Photo of the hall in 2015

03-02-1979 McGonagle’s, Dublin

Attendance; unknown
Support; The Citizens
Admission; unknown
Set; includes Concentration Cramp, Street Missions
This concert is the second of a trial run of Saturday lunchtime shows run by McGonagles for the under 18 fans, there is no alcohol on sale within McGonagles, Berlin & Free Booze also played these gigs. This is the first of two shows U2 play today, the second is at Trinity College.
Emmett O’Reilly The dates sound about right, we’d been given the support slot because we’d helped out U2 by doing a support slot, at short notice, when they couldn’t make it on time to an afternoon underage show in McG’s. It was a Saturday afternoon when we stepped in to play. Our bassist played the gig during his lunch-hour, then had to go back to work. We only appeared cos Bono rang me from RTE earlier that day as they’d been filming there and it had over-run drastically. Quick thinking on his part, you’d have to admit.

03/02/1979 Buttery, Trinity College, Dublin

U2 Concerts 1979
Photo by Patrick Brockle Bank

Attendance; 350
Support; unknown
Admission; £0.60p
Set; unknown
Patrick Brocklebank “U2 played a fair bit in Trinity College, both in the Buttery and in the Pavilion Bar. On the 3rd of February they played a matinee in McGonagles, then played in the Buttery. I was both photographer and roadie that day, helping to bring equipment down from McGonagles to Dik Evans’ flat in the GMB, on campus, right beside the Buttery”.
U2 had an edge (no pun intended)  over most of their rivals when it came to these city centre gigs as they did not have to  transport their equipment across town. Dik Evans had rooms at Trinity College, which U2 would use these for practice sessions and to store their equipment.

17-02-1979 Project Arts Centre, Dublin

U2 Concerts 1979
Image from “In Dublin” magazine

“Dark Space Festival”
Attendance; 800
Support; The Mekons, Rudi, Protex, The Idiots, Berlin, DC Nien, The Atrix, The Virgin Prunes, U2, Phantom Orchestra, Rock DeValera & The Gravediggers, The New Versions, Gillespie & Gibbs, Revolver, The Letters, Zebra, The Vultures.
Admission; £4.00
Set; includes Shadows & Tall Trees, Cartoon World, Another Time Another Place, Street Missions encore Glad to See You Go. U2 play two sets at this concert. The first was cut short by a power cut, the second finished the festival.

21/03/1979 College of Technology, Kevin Street, Dublin

Attendance; unknown
Support; unknown
Admission; £1.50 from the Student Union, £2.00 on the door
Set; includes 2, 4, 6, 8 Motorway
U2 do a lunchtime show, 1 til 2, Revolver do the night time show 11pm til 2am. A hole week of gigs take place, bands playing are; The Lookalikes, Rocky DeValera & the Gravediggers, DC Nien, Bogey Boys, Rag Ball, Sacre Bleu, Zebra.

U2 Concerts 1979
Advert from Hot Press

Paul McGuinness makes U2 take a short break from playing live, to practice their songs and make the set tighter, this was their first gig after the break. It’s also believed to be the first gig that The Edge uses his now famous “Gibson Explorer” guitar. The guitar was purchased while on holiday in New York.

12/04/1979 Arts Block, Trinity College, Dublin

U2 concerts 1979
Trinity College advert from In Dublin

Attendance; unknown
Support; unknown
Admission; £0.30p
Set; unknown
This was a lunch time show, please note it should read Thursday, not Tuesday on the advert.

05/05/1979 Liberty Hall, Dublin

U2 concerts 1979
Hot Press gig guide

Attendance; unknown
Support; The Letters, U2, Revolver
Admission; unknown
Set;​ unknown
The Letters are the opening act with Revolver headlining. Revolver gave U2 a lot of support in these early days, giving them support slots at the Celebrity Club & The Project Arts Centre.
This is the only time U2 are known to have played this venue.
According to a “Frontlines” article in “Hot Press” Rocky DeValera & The Gravediggers are the opening act for this concert. Rocky & The Gravediggers going on stage at 1pm, U2 at 3pm and finally Revolver at 4pm. This benefit concert, against Ireland’s notorious anti contraception laws. The bands perform on a stage with banners behind them campaigning for “Free legal & safe contraception”. U2’s set is stopped mid set while the women from the “Contraception Action Campaign” make their speeches.

12/05/1979 Dandelion Market, Dublin

Attendance, approx 200
Support The Fast, Martin Egan
Admission £0.50p
Set; includes Out Of Control, In Your Hand, Concentration Cramp, Shadows & Tall Trees, Judith, The Fool.
This was the first of the now legendary Dandelion Market gigs, U2 went on to play this venue 8 times 1979.

U2 Concerts 1979
Photo by Patrick Brocklebank

Before going on stage, Bono worked the door, taking the 50p entrance fee from the punters.
The Fast were a Ramones tribute band, they played with U2 twice at the Market & once in Howth, the dates for the other two concerts are not known.
Martin Egan is singer/song writer, I believe still playing today.

12/05/1979 Trinity College, Dublin

U2 concerts 1979
U2 on the steps of Trinity College

Attendance; unknown
Support; unknown
Admission; £0.60p
Set; includes Out Of Control, In Your Hand.
U2 perform an open air lunchtime concert

U2 Concerts 1979
The U2 publicity machine in action.

26/05/1979 McGonagle’s, Dublin

Attendance; unknown
Support; Virgin Prunes
Admission; £0.40p
Set; includes; Shadows & Tall Trees, Concentration Cramp, Wild youth?, 12XU?, The Killing Of George?.

Attendance; unknown
Support; Virgin Prunes
Admission; unknown
Set; includes; Shadows & Tall Trees, Concentration Cramp, Wild youth?, 12XU?, The Killing Of George?.

This was a lunchtime show.
Review from Heat Fanzine 
With U2, it’s a different matter, totally devoid of pretensions this energetic band of youngsters fairly storm through a dynamic set of tight rockers……….The ghost of “Shadows of & tall trees” “Wild youth” “Concentration Cramp” “12XU” etc, this thrilled all the McGuinness family. This band do not pander to the hi step pogo element & accentuate both highs & lows with songs like “The killing of George”. Idols voice & on stage hysterics augured well for the mode of professionalism & perfection pyrotechnics confused those not liberal enough to accept well played boring guitar fills, which bear no relation to the mess around which is supposed to fill. When those people accept that youngsters can be pretentious without adopting brown rice attitudes & appeal then the time will be right for U2 the new akron concept.

26/05/1979 Downtown Kampus, Cork

U2 concerts 1979
Advert from Hot Press

Attendance; unknown
Support for; The Only Ones
Admission; unknown
Set; unknown
The Only Ones were an English band on tour in Ireland. 
Stac Coll (U2 sound engineer) This was some kind of step up, supporting The Only Ones, Peter Perret’s band. For me it was another 2- gig gig. I was mixing U2 in Cork & then The Virgin Prunes in Dublin the Following night. Fine by me. The gig was an education in rockbiz hierarchy, we got no sound check to speak of, because I didn’t get the main desk, but a pissy little Allan & Heath 12-2 & a Bison Echorec, which should be “echo wreck”. For all I know it bypassed the graphics to the main feed. The sound was mush but I knew the sound of U2 inside out by now, the songs were all the same song, all I had to do was stretch Bono’s voice a bit, give more throw like, which the Bison can do, if fuck all else.

Running Late

The entire gig was running late, U2 on at sometime around 23:00. Noise up & job done; that was the Big Time in one flat line. The Only Ones were another education, the precision & empathy of the band was just how a band should be, must be.
After the gig the fun started. There was no seat home for me. But of course I didn’t have to walk oh heavens we can’t have that can we?.. I got the train fare & a drive to Cork station. I never got paid for my work so I could always keep the train fare & walk back to Dublin. First train Sunday morning was after 10:00 so I had a long sit. I got back to Dublin with enough time to grab a bite in The Coffee Inn, across the street from Gonagle’s, the gig venue. 

03/06/1979 McGonagle’s, Dublin

Attendance; unknown
Support; Freebird
Admission; £0.75p
Set; includes Stories For Boys 

U2 Concerts 1979
Advert from Hot Press

07/06/1979 McGonagle’s, Dublin

Attendance; unknown
Support Santa (David Id), Poo the Ventriloquist, The Blades
Admission; unknown
Set; includes In Your Hand, Speed Of Life, Concentration Cramp, Another Time, Another Place.
U2 play the first of 4 Thursday gigs at McGonagle’s titled “Christmas in June”.

U2 concerts 1979
jingle poster marc buijs

10/06/1979 Airport Hotel, Crofton, Dublin

U2 concerts 1979
Picture from Another Time Another Place

Attendance, unknown
Support, The Modulators
Admission, £2.00
Set; unknown
U2 are listed as the U2 Band in the local press for this concert.
Paul Bell ” At this time my band “The Lookalikes” were playing a residency at the Crofton Hotel, playing to crowds of up too 1,200. Bono approached me too see if U2 could play the venue, we booked them in for four Sunday nights in June ’79.

After The Show

After the show, I spoke with Bono in the dressing room. I told him, you were great, you’re gonna be huge. Bono “Really how big. Paul “Massive”. Bono “Bigger than the Beatles?” Paul “Yes”.
He (Bono) decided that U2 would cancel the rest of the dates as this was not the venue from them. Paul McGuinness had been against them playing the Crofton in the first place.

14/06/1979 McGonagle’s, Dublin

Attendance; unknown
Support; Santa, Poo the Ventriloquist, The Modulators
Admission; unknown
Set; includes, In Your Hand, Speed of Life, Concentration Cramp, Another Time Another Place.
U2 play the second of 4 Thurday gigs at McGonagle’s titled “Christmas in June”.
Review by Karl Tsigdinos June 78 McGonagles Jingle Balls
The Level of confidence & maturity U2 have attained over the past year is quite remarkable.
Across two of their “Jingle Balls” nights at McGonagle’s, U2 ably demonstrated their cohesion as a band which has finally freed them of the sometimes distasteful self-consciousness that used to pervade their appearances.

U2 Concerts 1979
Image supplied by Marc

The songs are tighter, the musicianship excellent, & the beautifully timed sets were propelled by the burgeoning spirit of Rock ‘n’ Roll abandon which U2 are now injecting into their performance. Paul Hewson… uhh, sorry…. Bono now commands the stage with a unique presence, while Dave Evans… uhh, sorry… The Edge stamps character into nimble guitar playing.
Adam Clayton & Larry Mullens are now a creative rhythm force where they were once merely competent.
Together they can now make songs I’ve heard several times before… including some two Thursdays in a row… sound invigoratingly fresh. “In Your Hand”, “Speed Of Life”, “Concentration”, Another Time, Another Place”, the ingredients of a classic set that, when coupled with (variously) Christmas decorations, a “holiday snap” slide show, & an… uhh… evocative silhouette show between Bono & Dave’s sister.

Support Acts

Praise must also be meted out for U2’s choices of support acts the Blades (first Thursday) & the Modulators (the next).
With an incisive, well-honed brand of Pop/Rock redolent of the Beatles, Jam, Who & Elvis Costello amongst others, the Blades are very hot tip for the top. They, like the Modulators (who demonstrated more enthusiasm than polish on their ‘first’ gig), boast a very fine lead vocalist who will undoubtedly establish himself as a major local force.
There will only be one or two more Jingle Balls in McGonagle’s. I wholeheartedly recommend you haul your hams down there!

21/06/1979 McGonagle’s, Dublin

Attendance; unknown
Support; Santa, Poo the Ventriloquist, The Strougers
Admission, £2.00
Set; unknown
Bono & David Id with the Denis Rusk & Noel Kelleher (Strougers) backstage at McGonagles, picture supplied by Peter McCluskey

Peter McCluskey (The Strougers) “I remember at the end of each gig of that residency, Larry’s dad, Larry Mullen senior, would come in and immediately start humping his son’s drum hit into the boot of his estate car parked outside Mcgonagle’s. the idea was to get Larry home as quick as possible to either do a bit of studying for his leaving cert or else get him into bed for a bit of kip so he could be up for school in the morning…..I tell ya – the edge was only brilliant then – a natural finish explorer flashing all over the stage – fantastic….”

U2 concerts 1979
David Id as Santa, Denis & Noel. Image supplied by Pete McCluskey

28/06/1979 McGonagle’s, Dublin

U2 concerts 1979
jingle poster supplied by Marc Buijs

Attendance; unknown
Support; Santa, Poo the Ventriloquist, The Citizens, Revolver
Admission; £2.00
Set; unknown

Emmett O’Reilly

“Was playing support to U2 in McGonagles one night when we were told Revolver had been added to the bill as some A&R men were at the gig. Then later, Paul McGuinness took me aside and told me that Revolver had asked to go on 2nd, as the A&R guys wouldn’t be there in time to see them but that it was up to us, as we’d been booked weeks before. Knowing that we were gonna be offered a contract by Mother Records, I felt inclined to let them leapfrog us but when I consulted with the rest of the band they told me to tell Revolver to fuck off. Later, I was told Revolver had decided to break up that night”.

Philip Byrne

Yep I remember that. There was also one of those gigs that I went on stage and did a duet with Bono. Patrick Brocklebank has the pictures of this. Billy also played on that duet I think?? Although he may have been in The Radiators by that time? I had dyed my hair blonde by then LOL!

Review by Joe Breen Irish Times

Away from the land of the skylab to the more mundane atmosphere of Dublin’s McGonagles, where last Thursday, U2 played the final gig of their short residency there. I had not seen this promising young Dublin band for a while & I was impressed by their increased confidence & tighter playing. However, some of their material still needs more compact presentation & maybe a little less affection would strengthen their strong punchy songs.

U2 concerts 1979
Christmas in June, image supplied by (Pete the Roz) McCluskey)

30/06/1979 Community Centre, Condalkin

U2 Concerts 1979

Attendance; unknown
Support to; Raw Deal, Free Booze, The Rage, D.C. Nien & DJ Pat James
Admission, £1.50
Set; unknown
A 10 hour rock festival.
Pat James was very influential in the early days of U2, watching them many times, including all their Dandelion Market concerts & playing their demo’s on his radio show. Pat also gave U2 their first radio interview.
Poster supplied by Gerry Quigley of Raw Deal

07/07/1979 McGonagle’s, Dublin

Attendance; unknown
Support; unknown
Admission; unknown
Set; unknown
U2 continue their Thursday night residency at McGonagle’s after the 4 weeks of “Jingle Balls” concerts.

11/07/1979 Community Centre, Howth

Attendance; unknown
Support; unknown
Admission; unknown
Set; unknown

12/07/1979 McGonagle’s, Dublin

Attendance; unknown
Support; unknown
Admission; unknown
Set; unknown

18/07/1979 Meeting Place, Dublin

Dorset Street, Dublin
Anti Nuclear Benefit Concert
Attendance; unknown
Support; Rocky DeValera & The Gravedigers, Scuillion
Admission; between £0.70p & £1.00
Set; unknown
Capacity at the Meeting Place is only 130, ticket prices range from £0.70p to £1.00. This is the one and only time U2 are known to have played this venue. This could have been the start of U2’s support for the anti nuclear movement, many years later they would play a show in Manchester protesting against the Sellafield plant in the north west of England. This is the one and only time U2 play this venue.

19/07/1979 McGonagle’s, Dublin

Attendance; unknown
Support; unknown
Admission; unknown
Set; unknown

26/07/1979 McGonagle’s, Dublin

Attendance; unknown
Support; unknown
Admission; unknown
Set; unknown

27/07/1979 Community Centre, Howth

Attendance; unknown
Support; unknown
Admission; unknown
Set; unknown

28/07/1979 Dandelion Market, Dublin

Attendance; approx 200
Support The Strougers
Admission, £0.50p
Set; includes Pretty Vacant, Out Of Control, Stories For Boys
This is the only known concert U2 play without The Edge on guitar. Joe Savino (from the Brown Thomas Band) & Denis Rusk of the (Strougers) join U2 on stage, included in the set is a cover version of the “Pistols” “Pretty vacant”.
Bono would work the door at these gigs, taking the 50p entrance fee off the punters before going on stage.
Emmett O’Reilly  Well, there was the fairly-well documented incident where Denis’s foot went through a hole in the patched-up stage, right up to his thigh and he just kept playing. Sound was pretty good, the band were getting very solid, as I recall. U2’s set at the time was well-paced, power-pop with a touch of a more expansive style developing. Edge was beginning to sound like a serious, serious talent & I often spent entire gigs mostly listening to his playing.
Denis Rusk the stage was scaffolding poles with lino to stand on. Very rock and roll. 
Pete McCluskey “the edge was taken ill with suspected meningitis and bono played and sang for the first couple of numbers. he soon found the guitar a bit restricting and asked was there anyone in the audience who could play guitar. without hesitation, joe savino put his hand up and called to bono. he made his way to the stage and strapped on the guitar and played a few numbers with the rest of u2 – i’m nearly sure i remember one song was a rolling stones song… i remember he was wearing a black overcoat at the time and he looked like one of echo and the bunnymen agianst the u2 lads in their t-shirts.”
This is the first of two gigs U2 play today the second being at the Downtown Kampus in Cork. It is not known whether the Edge or Bono played guitar at the Cork concert.
Peter McCluskey “THE ONE WITH PETE AT THE DANDELION WHERE HIS GLASSES FELL OFF…..1979 was sure a craaaazy year. note the jumper i’m wearing…an old girlfriend gave it to me and i had to keep wearing it and wearing it and wearing it in case she’d turn up to see was i wearing it and if i wasn’t i just KNEW there’d be trouble…….”
for those of you who remember the dandelion gigs on a saturday and sunday afternoons…the strougers (a band i was in) played there a number of times – 2/3 times supporting an up-and-coming U2 …came across this old newspaper ad…
Peter McCluskey I remember you falling off stage, I remember playing support to u2, i remember jumping off stage after our set and then standing with a tape recorder recording the u2 gig – still have it on tape. i remember playing with another band of mine called DRIVER, whatshisname o’rourke on bass, bill graham was there and reviewed us in hotpress the next week. i remember playing with u2 and the edge couldn’t make it cos he had suspected meningitis and bono had to play guitar. he got fed up, asked if anyone could play guitar and joe savino jumped on stage and played. i remember trying to hold my balance on the shifting planks of the stage. i remember the music, the fun, the thrill of it all……..
Colm O’Kelly I remember that dando gig (when the edge got sick) Paul came running out into the courtyard in a total panic running around like a looney and spotting band members (me included) I`m sorry to say that I didn’t help him but enjoyed seeing him sweat a bit, guess I was jealous of them.

28/07/1979 Downtown Kampus, Cork

Attendance; unknown
Support; Bootlace
Admission; unknown
Set; unknown
This is U2’s second gig of the day, the first was an afternoon gig at the Dandelion Market in Dublin. The Edge did not play the afternoon gig as he was ill, Bono, Denis Rusk (The Strougers) & Joe Savino of the Brown Thomas Band played guitar instead. It is not know if the Edge or U2 played this gig. This could be U2’s first headline appearance at the Arcadia Ballroom.
Concerts at the Downtown Kampus are put on by the student union at University College Cork. The original couple of gigs at the Kampus were held in the college canteen, but this venue proved to be too small, so it was moved to the Arcadia Ballroom. The ballroom was a well known showband venue for many years. These concerts were organised by Elvera Butler, founder of Reekus Records in Ireland. 

04/08/1979 McGonagle’s, Dublin

Attendance; unknown
Support for; Zebra
Admission; unknown
Set; unknown
Back in 1979 Zebra were Ireland’s only reggae band. Like U2 they played at the Dandelion Market & can also be found on the “Just Kicks” LP.

10/08/1979 Community Centre, Howth

Attendance; unknown
Support; The Modulators, The Strougers
Admission; unknown
Set; includes Cartoon World, Life on A Distant Planet, Stories For Boys, Silver Lining.
Review by Neil McCormick We supported the again at Howth Community Centre in August. This was our territory, the hall was crammed & the Modulators played a blinder. Then U2 came on & ripped the roof of the place. They played a furious new wave rocker called “Cartoon World” (written, so I gathered, by the Edge, which might account for why it had finished lyrics rather than relying on lots of “oo-ee-oo’s). Against a chunky, stop start guitar, Bono delivered droll depictions of ordinary lives where the characters seem to be increasingly dysfunctional, climaxing with the memorable couplet; “Jack & Jill go up the hill/ they pick some flowers & pop some pills!” With Bono roaring the punchline with maximum showmanship, hands aloft as the Edge’s guitar kicked in the chorus, the crowd went absolutely wild. These were Beatles in the Carvern experiences for me. I was getting used to seeing all the big names who came to Ireland, but U2’s gigs were always the most special.
Peter McCluskey (The Strougers) “We managed to blag a couple of gigs supporting U2. We had been to see a U2 concert at McGonagle’s. After the show our bass player Shay Hiney, talked me into going upstairs to the dressing room to try and blag a gig supporting U2. Shay was the type of guy that could talk his way into anywhere for free. We went upstairs and burst into the dressing room, Paul McGuinness was sat in the corner dressed in a suit and smoking a big cigar. Shay informed the stunned Paul that we had just cut a demo & would like a slot supporting U2. Paul must of been impressed because we got our gig, we were to support U2 at Howth. It only dawned on us later, how do we get our equipment to Howth, we lived the other side of Dublin.
On the day we had to take our guitars and and drums on the bus to Dublin centre and then change busses to get out to Howth. When we arrived in Howth we had to carry our equipment up the hill to the Community Centre.
When we arrived at the Centre U2 seemed very nervous, they did a long sound check, with Bono standing on the dance floor listening to the other to make sure the sound was just right, Bono was wearing his black and white check trousers. The rumour was that an A&R man from CBS would be at the show, this could explain why Bono appeared to be nervous.”
Shay Hiney You were there all right! Remember the U2 gig in Howth CC when we were supporting them… The night the A & R gang were out .. And you copped Adam’s bass was out of tune…. I told him, he got it in tune.. And the rest is history! So, you are part of the story Denis ! Funny, Just remembered that now…
Hot Press So the Strougers play undistinguished music in a distinguished way. One’s perspective depends on the group’s own perspective. In a world of Talking Heads and Teardrop Explodes what’s the point? But in a world of gigs in Howth, supporting U2 at short notice, with 30 people coming from Navan Road to see you and the same 30 helping to carry your gear on the bus both to and fro, is not to be dismissed.

11/08/1979 Dandelion Market, Dublin

Attendance; approx 200
Support; The Strougers
Admission, £0.50p
Set; Out Of Control, Speed Of Life, In Your Hands, The Fool, Concentration Cramp, Another Time, Another Place, Stories For Boys, Shadows And Tall Trees, Cartoon World, Alone In The Light, Street Missions, Life On A Distant Planet, Boy Girl, encore Out Of Control, Glad To See You Go.
Many thanks to Pete McCluskey for the full set list, Peter recorded this concert on his tape deck.
This was the third of the now legendary Market gigs. U2 would play this venue 8 times in 1979.
Pete McCluskey “We got back late after the Howth gig and as we were not due at the market till after midday on Saturday, I decided to have a lay in on the Saturday morning. I got up late Saturday morning, did all the normal things breakfast wash etc, and then went to get my guitar from my parents room which is were I kept it. The door to my parents room was locked, I called my dad to ask him were the key was. He told me my mum had it & she was in Dublin shopping. My heart sank, how could I do the U2 gig with no guitar. My dad said he would go in to Dublin & find my mum & get the key (don’t forget this is way before we all had mobile phones). Off he went to Dublin on his bike, somehow he found her & returned with the key. At last I could get my guitar, but it was now too late for me to make the gig. So my dad paid for a taxi to take me to the market (this was the first time I had ever been in a taxi). I arrived just in time to get on stage and start playing”.

“After we finished our set & were getting our gear off the stage, the Edge gave me his Gibson Explorer guitar & asked if I would put it on the stage for him. I could not believe how heavy it was, we were used to cheap copies not the real thing”!
Peter McCluskey i remember you falling off stage, i remember playing support to u2, i remember jumping off stage after our set and then standing with a tape recorder recording the u2 gig – still have it on tape. i remember playing with another band of mine called DRIVER, whatshisname o’rourke on bass, bill graham was there and reviewed us in hotpress the next week. i remember playing with u2 and the edge couldn’t make it cos he had suspected meningitis and bono had to play guitar. he got fed up, asked if anyone could play guitar and joe savino jumped on stage and played. i remember trying to hold my balance on the shifting planks of the stage. i remember the music, the fun, the thrill of it all……..

16/08/1979 El Ruedo, Carlow

Attendance; unknown
Support; unknown
Admission; unknown
Set; unknown
To date this is the only time U2 are known to have played Carlow.
Many of Ireland’s top bands of the time played this venue including The Radiators From Space, The Vipers, Fit Kilkenny & the Remoulds, Sacre Bleu, The Sinners, Fabulous Fabrics, BT’s.

21/08/1979 Baggot Inn, Dublin

Attendance; unknown
Support; Dj Dave Fanning, The Blades
Admission; unknown
Set; includes Concentration Cramp, In Your Hand, Stories For Boys, Shadows & Tall Trees, Out Of Control.
Capacity is 400, normal ticket prices range from £0.80p to £1.00
Paul Slattery “Sounds” Showtime! The Blades came on and played a damn fine set. U2, I thought, would have to be a decent band to follow them and we were not disappointed. U2 came on stage and gave a really inspired performance to the 100 or so people packed into the bar. They could really play and Bono’s theatrical performance saw him running around the stage and jumping on various chairs. Everyone in the room went crazy and I thought; they’re a hell of a good live band. Naturally the steady flow of Guinness had helped, but I’d actually taken two rolls of film of them on stage, which was a lot for me.
Sounds review Dave McCullough Later that night we arrived and I finally had the pleasure of catching the fabled U2 live. The venue was the Baggot Inn which lives up to it’s sleazy name with a vengeance. “Tonight’s something of a test night”, Bono explained. “This is the first New Wave type gig this place has put on and if it’s a success then bands might be able to use it regularly”. 
Gigs are a scarce commodity in Dublin. In fact, there are none, save the odd fortunate one nighter at one of the many “straighter” rock venues (ancient Skid Row and Horslips guitarists rool OK, y’understand) or the odd support slot at one of the city’s two or three bigger, ballroom type venues (a band called D.C. Nien tonight having the unenviable task of warming up an AC/DC audience).
Bands, therefore, are hungry and they must search for gigs, as U2 have done. Their labour is not in vain, either, as the gig this night proves. The band give evidence to their burgeoning popularity in the city by cramming as many bodies into a scantily publicised Hope & Anchor type gig as is physically (as opposed to legally) possible.
Their set is quite brilliant. It’s an often disarming experience travelling out of London and seeing relatively unknown bands capable of taking on the prima donnas of the Hammersmith Odeon, Marquee and Nashville and wiping the proverbial floor with them (re Tours and Undertones in the past) and this was yet another such occasion. U2 are total, solid music, naturally intended for the head and for the feet, inculcating meaning innovation, expressing enough power in communication to knock the unsuspecting listener on his back.
Guitarist David Edge is the most flamboyant player I’ve seen since Stuart Adamson of The Skids (a major influence, as they say) creating a sizeable, unique niche of sound that spreads across U2’s music with scintillating effect, joining together with Larry Mullin’s bass and Adam Clayton’s drums to form what the band constantly seek, namely a wide sound and a big impression.
Front man Bono is a new r’n’r performer. He takes the genre’s tricks of the trade and tries them out on his audience, shifting their opinions and attitudes. In this sense U2 are unashamedly didactic; they attack their their audience and hope maybe to leave them at the end of the night feeling shifted or moved in their attitudes.
Bono, like the rest of U2 and The Virgin Prunes, study mine in order “to use up every little ounce of space on stage”. The effect is totally absorbing. You follow Bono with your eyes as he counts on his fingers or runs across stage or spontaneously mines something that is impenetrable but apposite to the moody, fat rolling sound. At the Baggot the mike broke in front of him. Instead of panicking he used the fluke, calling a kid from the audience down front, thrusting the mike into his upheld right hand and using his right arm, as it were, as a mike stand throughout the song.
And the songs are splendid, inspired impressions of that big sound the band seek, from the Skidsian raunch of “Out Of Control”, the analytical power of “Twilight” and “Stories For Boys” or the speedy pop of “Boy Girl”, revealing an already established, remarkable songwriting force.
Like The Fall or the Zoo bands or Swell Maps, U2 have thrown the New Wave over their collective shoulders and are now stepping out in the direction of more vital contemporary expression while instinctively still retaining the clipped muscularity of the ’76 revolution.
In this small space I can but present you with a whisper of the U2 vibe. Suffice to say that a single should be available soon in Ireland on CBS with an album to follow (tentatively titled “Boy”) and all hell will break loose over the coming months about this marvellous, mystical band. It’s just a thought, but somebody suggested that if the Boomtown Rats were the John the Baptists of Irish r’n’r, then U2 must be……

Taken from an interview in Hot Press with Paul Cleary of The Blades “With the original line-up we were fairly ragged to begin with, which is only natural as it was 1977 and making a bit of a racket was all-important. We definitely improved immensely because we always believed that songs were the key to everything and we worked really hard on those. As you know yourself there was an awful lot of shape-throwing going on in Dublin back then and very few songs knocking around. U2 were more into an overall sound than anything else, The Virgin Prunes I didn’t even reckon were a band at all, more like some weird art project, DC Nien The Atrix .
“I’d always been a big fan of The Beatles and Motown, so when we started writing songs I was looking to people like Lennon & McCartney and Smokey Robinson and trying to see how they structured their stuff. And let’s face it, if you’re going to pinch ideas then they’re the boys to hit!”
“Via a residency in Pearse Street’s The Magnet (“Our home venue in the early years!”) The Blades quickly graduated to larger city centre venues, one of their most memorable adventures being the now legendary six-week residency in The Baggot Inn with U2 in the late 70s. Much was made of the supposed rivalry between the bands but Paul insists that this was blown out of all proportion”.
“That was definitely a media thing,” he states categorically. “There might have been a certain degree of animosity between our fans and their fans but that’s always the way – it’s like Celtic and Rangers fans battering each other while the players shake hands and have a drink after the match. We always got on reasonably well with U2. They had their thing, we had ours and the two bands sounded absolutely nothing like each other so there wasn’t anything in that at all. They were about to release their debut album, we hadn’t even recorded ‘Hot For You’, they were off to America, we hadn’t even played London at that point the rivalry was hyped up, definitely.”Dave Fanning “U2 played four Tuesday nights at the Baggot Inn, supported by “The Blades”. I introduced the bands & DJ’d before & after the sets. U2 were on the up but The Blades by then had a bunch of singles behind them, all of which I still regard as classic Irish singles. Paul Cleary was a great singer & songwriter, & they had a strong working class following, but their live thrill didn’t translate to their first album. At the Baggot gigs, though, there were still people who came for the The Blades & left when U2 came on”.

28/08/1979 Magnet Bar, Dublin

Attendance; 53
Support; unknown
Admission; £1.00, £0.75p with student or dole card
Set; unknown
From the Irish Times
This is a benefit concert for the short lived “Rock against sexism” campaign. It may also be the only time U2 played the Magnet Bar.
This concert took place in 1979 not 1978, as previously thought. Joe Breen of the Irish Times advertises this concert in his column dated Monday 13th August 1979.

01/09/1979 Downtown Kampus, Cork

Attendance; unknown
Support; unknown
Admission; unknown
Set; unknown

If you can help with this page please get in touch