1979-06-14

McGonagles, Dublin, Ireland

Set List of Show:

Additional Music

Snippets of Other Songs Performed by U2:

Show Details:

U2 play four shows, each Thursday in the month of June at McGonagles. These shows are titled “The Jingle Balls” and are advertised as celebrating Christmas in June. This is the second of these shows. The shows are complete with with Santa Claus as a support act (played by Dave-Id of the Virgin Prunes) and “Poo the Ventriloquest.” This particular show also featured The Modulators (featuring Neil and Ivan McCormick) in support. Admission for these shows is £0.75.

Karl Tsigdinos from Hot Press attends the first two shows, this one and the earlier one on the 7th. (It is Tsigdinos who contributes the pass used in our graphic above.) His review of the two shows states:

“The level of confidence and maturity U2 have attained over the past year is quite remarkable. Across two of their “Jingle Balls” nights at McGonagles, 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. The songs are tighter, the musicianship excellent, and 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 and Larry Mullen 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, and an…uhh…evocative silhouette show between Bono and Dave’s sister. Praise must also be meted out for U2’s choices of support acts the Blades (first Thursday) & the Modulators (the next).” Although the songs mentioned are not specified as having been played both nights we’ve listed them for both shows. The set list is incomplete.

U2 played McGonagles a number of times in the late 1970s. The venue, located at 21A South Anne Street, started hosting concerts in 1978 and continued to do so until 1992. Prior to that, it was known as The Crystal Ballroom. Bono’s parents, Iris and Bob would often go dancing at The Crystal Ballroom and Bono would later write about the venue in “The Crystal Ballroom”: “My mother died when she was at her father’s funeral. I was only 14. And in this song I am singing, ‘Everyone is here tonight, everyone but you.’ And it’s me wanting to see my mother dance again in the Crystal Ballroom and for her to see what happened to her son.” On July 1, 2018, Bono remembered from stage that U2 had played McGonagles 29 times in their career. That night was their 30th performance at Madison Square Garden, making it U2’s most played venue, but up until that point, McGonagles appears to have been the most played.

Related News

Officially Released Tracks

< PREVIOUS SHOW | NEXT SHOW >