1981-04-14

Merlyn's, Madison, WI, USA

Set List of Show:

Known Set List: (Incomplete)

"Out of Control"

Additional Music

Snippets of Other Songs Performed by U2:

Show Details:

Merlyn’s was a club in Madison, WI at 311 State Street, that greeted people at the door with a painted image of a magician. U2 played here just one night in April 1981. Little is known about the show. The band played a full set, and then came back for an encore, and several in attendance mention they played songs in the encore that they had played in the first set, which was common for U2 at the time. Bono did bring a girl on stage for a dance at some point during the show. The show was advertised with an 8:30 start time.

The show was promoted in a couple of ways including someone walking with a sandwich board outside the show advertising the gig, and a $2 off coupon being given out to attendees of an Iggy Pop show a few nights earlier. The show was also listed in local newspapers with at least one ad calling the band V-2 by accident.

Reports say that opening act Those XCleavers were popular locally and a number of people showed up to see them perform, and that after they finished, many left the building, although reports say the club was still quite full for U2. Future music producer, Butch Vig was there that night to see the headliner, and enjoyed the show. He would later work with U2 on a number of remixes in the 1990s, and would open for U2 on the 2001 Elevation tour with his own band Garbage. It is due to Vig’s recollections that we know “Out of Control” was performed at this show.

Officially Released Tracks