The Unforgettable Fire Tour

The Unforgettable Fire tour took U2 around the world in 1984 and 1985, starting with shows in New Zealand, prior to the album even being released. The band performed at 112 shows over the course of the tour, and also made a stop in London to perform at Wembley Stadium for the now infamous Live Aid concert.

The first leg of the tour was called "Under Australian Skies" and featured a mix of "War" and "The Unforgettable Fire" tour hallmarks. Originally planned to appear in Australia for the Narara Festival in January, the band had to cancel and the opening shows of this tour were the first in those regions instead. Even some of the merchandise looked like the "War Tour" merchandise, and indeed new songs were in short supply until the fourth show on the tour, where "Pride" and "The Unforgettable Fire" were added.

Under Australian Skies / The Unforgettable Fire: Leg One

Although usually classified with The Unforgettable Fire tour, this first leg was one that was a little different. Merchandise sold on the tour resembled materials from the War tour, and were branded with the name "Under Australian Skies" in Australia itself. The band was unfamiliar with the new album material and songs from that album were slow to appear during this leg of the tour. "Pride (In the Name of Love)" debuted on the first night of the tour. "The Unforgettable Fire" would also debut before the band finished in New Zealand. "Wire" and "A Sort of Homecoming" would debut in Melbourne on September 17, towards the end of the tour, and no other songs from the new album would be performed on this leg.

It was during this leg of the tour that U2 met Greg Carroll in New Zealand, and hired him to work for the band. Greg was killed while working for the band, and The Joshua Tree is dedicated to his memory.

The Unforgettable Fire: Leg Two

The second leg of the tour was scheduled to co-incide with the release of the album in Europe on October 1, 1984. The tour was set to open in Rotterdam that night, and dates were scheduled throughout Europe. But the band quickly realized while touring Australia that they hadn't had time to practice the new material and were reluctant to go out with another show similar to what these areas had seen on the War tour. Faced with starting a tour unprepared, U2 cancelled a number of shows, including shows in The Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Spain and France. In total 14 shows that had been advertised did not happen. The band instead started the next leg of the tour on October 18, 1984 in Lyon, France. They picked up the remainder of the shows planned from there, and did not make up the cancelled dates. They did manage to introduce a number of songs in this leg of the tour including "MLK," "Bad," and "Indian Summer Sky" on the first night.

During an appearance in Wembley Arena in London, U2 records some material during soundcheck, including a "live" version of "A Sort of Homecoming" which features on the "Wide Awake in America" EP.

Support on this leg of the tour was provided by Big Audio Dynamite and The Alarm. The tour ends with an appearance at the RockPop Festival in Dortmund, Germany with The Waterboys, Spandau Ballet, Bryan Adams and Talk Talk.

The Unforgettable Fire: Leg Three

After touring Australia and New Zealand, and then Europe, U2 return to North America for a 10 date tour, with 9 of the shows in the USA and one show in Toronto in Canada.

The tour wraps up in mid-December, and U2 stick around the New York area to do press interviews for a few days before returning home. The band will take a month off before returning to the tour.

The Unforgettable Fire: Leg Four

The fourth leg of the tour takes the band through Europe, visiting many of the countries that had been scheduled on the second leg but were eventually cancelled. This includes U2's first performance in Italy.

During a show in Zurich, Bono suffers from vocal troubles, and the band leaves the stage for 20 minutes before returning to finish the show. When they return they finish off "Sunday Bloody Sunday" again.

The Unforgettable Fire: Leg Five

The fifth leg of the tour took U2 back to North America for a second set of shows there. The leg opens in Dallas, Texas, and stays mainly in the USA, except for shows in Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa mid-tour.

The tour finished in May 1985, in Fort Lauderdale.

The Unforgettable Fire: Leg Six

The sixth and final leg of The Unforgettable Fire tour saw U2 playing festivals in Europe in the summer of 1985, including festivals in Germany, Switzerland, England, Ireland and Belgium.

This leg of the tour also features the first time that U2 played Croke Park in Ireland for their own concert, a venue they still revisit today.

Near the end of the leg, U2 would also appear at Wembley Stadium for a now famous performance as part of Live Aid. They finish things after that appearance by making a surprise appearance at the Lark by the Lee Festival in Cork.

U2's next appearances would be around Ireland, and as part of the "Conspiracy of Hope" tour, and their next tour would be in 1987.

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