1980-06-01

Brady's, Liverpool, England

Set List of Show:

Additional Music

Snippets of Other Songs Performed by U2:

Show Details:

This show does not appear in other databases, but we do believe that it happened and on or near this date. We believe the next stop on U2’s tour of the UK was a last minute opening gig with Wah! Heat and Pink Military. The show was not announced as part of the tour ad, so it appears to be a late addition. We do know that U2 performed this show. This show would be their first known performance in Liverpool, and they played a club known as Brady’s. (Brady’s was known as Eric’s until March 1980)

In interviews, Rob Jones of Wah! Heat, remembers that U2 supported them on two different occasions. Once at Manchester Polytechnic (posters show this was May 31, 1980) and once in Liverpool: “I met Pete Wylie at Eric’s whilst playing with Crash Course, soon after he joined we split, and then Pete and I went on to form Wah Heat. Pete, Easty and I lived together in a flat in Penny Lane. Wah! Heat was heading for something good and headlined bills in Manchester and Liverpool where U2 and Pink Military actually supported us.”

This remembrance of playing with U2 in Liverpool is backed up by photographer Francesco Mellina. In an interview with Old Manchester Confidential Mellina shared photos of a young U2 that he took one night in Liverpool. “I took them at Eric’s and they became a little bit of history. U2 were supporting Pink Military and Wah! Heat and they were third on the bill. What I saw in them that night is something that I have rarely seen before. When Bono started to sing…and who could believe the guitar sound that The Edge was coming out with? What I felt was the passion.” Mellina shared with the BBC, “When I tell people that nobody believes me. Having the photographic evidence is so amazing because it’s undeniable. I just thought they looked and sounded good, particularly the passion Bono showed on stage. Even though I didn’t know much about them I took the photos and I’m glad I did because it’s a historic moment.”

It is well-documented that U2 played Brady’s on two other occasions. Both times they headlined, and this is shown in advertisements for those shows. In neither case were Pink Military or Wah! Heat supporting U2 at these shows. This is a separate, third appearance, where they opened for the other acts. They played with the other two bands on May 31, 1980 as well, and had the next night open, in a rather busy schedule. It was their only free night to pick up another show, so we are placing this show on June 1, 1980. This date however, is unconfirmed, but we do know that the concert happened. (Checking gig guides from that time, the date does not have any conflicts for the other two bands, or the venue itself, but it is possible that this happened after the known dates for the 11 O’Clock Tick Tock Tour.)

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