1981-03-14

The Old Globe Theatre, San Diego, California

Set List of Show:

Set List:

"The Ocean"
"11 O'Clock Tick Tock"
"Touch"
"An Cat Dubh"
"Into the Heart"
"Another Time, Another Place"
"The Electric Co."
"Things to Make and Do"
"Stories for Boys"
"Twilight"
"I Will Follow"

Encore:

"Out of Control"
"11 O'Clock Tick Tock"
"The Ocean"

Additional Music

Snippets of Other Songs Performed by U2:

"Cry" (U2) /

Show Details:

This show in San Diego has been a bit of a mystery because the exact venue is unknown. The show was listed on two publications for radio listing all of U2’s shows, one published in February 1981, and the other published in March 1981, where the San Diego show is listed as the first show. This second ad was also reproduced inside a US version of the single “I Will Follow.” A recording labeled as being from San Diego has also circulated for years, and is the source of the set lists used here, as well as in the book U2 Live and other sites, but if that is indeed from San Diego, Bono makes a comment about having been there before, which the band never was. So while we believe the show happened, we just don’t know where it was held, other than “San Diego” and cannot confirm that the recording listed as having been from San Diego actually is.

Over the years a couple of locations have been suggested, including the Old Globe Theatre, however The Old Globe Theatre was consumed in a fire on March 8, 1978. The entire theatre had been destroyed in minutes. And it did not reopen until 1982. The Backdoor Café at San Diego State University has also been suggested, but the talent booker for that venue in 1982 had passed on U2 saying they wanted too much money. He told The Union Tribune that he “didn’t think more than five people would come.”

For the sake of this entry we have left the location as the Old Globe Theater. There were replacement venues in use including a temporary outdoor venue known as the Festival Stage, and the Spreckels Theatre was used as well for productions by the Old Globe Theatre group. If you have any information on where U2 might have played this show in 1981 we would love to hear from you.

Officially Released Tracks