1978-03-04

Presbyterian Church Hall, Sutton, Dublin, Ireland

Set List of Show:

The Hype Set List (Known Songs - Incomplete):

"Glad to See You Go"
"Dancing in the Moonlight"
"Don't Believe A Word"
"Neon Heart"
"Snakeskin Cowboy"

Opening Acts Set List (Known Songs - Incomplete):

"Who Do You Love?"
"The "In" Crowd"
"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"

U2 Set List (Known Songs - Incomplete):

"Shadows and Tall Trees"
"Television Screen"

Additional Music

Snippets of Other Songs Performed by The Hype:

Show Details:

This 1978 show was a turning point for the band. U2 were playing as The Hype early on in the night, with two other bands, The Modern Heirs (Steve Averill’s band) and The Virgin Prunes. At the end of the show, U2 came back to do an encore, using the U2 name for the first time ever. Steve Averill recalls that it was a busy night with a full audience, and that Adam Clayton had played with all three bands that night. The Edge may have also appeared with the Virgin Prunes that evening as well. Averill mentions that this was the first live appearance of The Virgin Prunes.

U2 are joined by Steve Averill (who came up with the new U2 name) and guitarist, Billy Morley on stage for the encore.

Steve Averill remembers the night in his blog, “There were four bands on the line-up that night. U2, still known as ‘The Hype’, opened the show as a five piece with Dik Evans on guitar. Next up was the Virgin Prunes, followed by the Modern Heirs, with whom I played synth, alongside Peter Hamilton (who later formed Peridots) and the late, great Billy Morley on guitar. Finally, ‘The Hype’ returned as a four piece, realistically marking their first appearance under the name, ‘U2’, before it became more ‘official’ after the Limerick battle of the bands that same month. Dik had elected to leave U2 and play with the Virgin Prunes. Three of the bands were making their debuts at this gig and Adam Clayton played with all four bands on the night!”

Averill remembers that the band played “Television Screen” in the encore. During the set by Modern Heirs, the band played “The In Crowd” and “Who Do You Love” with Adam Clayton on bass. And U2 also appeared during the Virgin Prunes set with Gavin Friday remembering, “The Virgin Prunes performed a gig in Sutton, the night the band changed their name from The Hype to U2. Dik Evans just left to join us, but the backing was Larry, Edge and Adam playing a 15-minute version of I Can’t Get No Satisfaction with myself and Guggi singing. So there are crazy nuggets out there …” Averill also has shared a photo of himself, The Edge, Adam, and Billy Morley, taken by photographer Richard Evans. As The Hype, U2 is reported to have played “Dancing in the Moonlight,” “Glad to See You Go,” and a Bruce Springsteen song. U2’s set includes “Shadows and Tall Trees.”

In a podcast titled U2-Y, Steve Averill’s son Gareth takes us back to that night in 1976, and reveals additional songs performed by The Hype that evening. He also plays a snippet of Bono saying farewell to Dik Evans from the stage, announcing that “Billy Bobbins” has chosen to leave the Hype to pursue his career in engineering, and that he’s “Really sad to see this guy go.” U2 perform under the name U2 from this point onward, including at the upcoming talent show in Limerick. About his decision to leave the band, Dik shares,
“They became very intense about it and I wasn’t, it was almost a generation gap type of gulf between us. I just didn’t fit in, the attitude more than anything. Edge for instance really wanted a career, although he didn’t know what itwas going to be, whereas I always thought of myself as going to collect, getting a degree then doing something else. I was more interested in science.”

Officially Released Tracks