Boy Tour
Starting in September 1980, U2 went back on the road in support of their new forthcoming album Boy. The album itself was due to be released on October 20, 1980, and the first leg of the tour, through the UK, was in advance of the album. Touring in support of the album continued until June 1981, when the band would take a break from concert tours to work on their new album, October.
The Boy Tour was the first tour to take U2 to North America, playing a small handful of shows in December 1980 throughout the USA, with one stop in Canada.
Boy: Leg One [UK and Europe]
The first leg of the tour saw U2 visiting clubs throughout the UK, starting with an appearance in Coventry, and wrapping up the UK leg of the tour on October 11, 1980. A short trip to Netherlands and Belgium followed, which were U2's first concerts outside of Ireland and the UK, before one final date at the Lyceum Ballroom in London. A date back home at the Project Arts Center to launch the album for the hometown crowd followed, and then more shows throughout England, a stop in Edinburgh in Scotland, and the band's first show in Paris, France.
The last three shows on the tour were supporting The Talking Heads, first in London for two shows, and then in Paris. A few of the other shows listed here were in support of other bands, but the majority saw U2 headlining small clubs.
The fan club album released through U2.Com in 2015, Another Time, Another Place was recorded at the Marquee Club in London on this leg of the tour, on September 29, 1980.
- 1980-09-06: General Wolfe, Coventry, England
- 1980-09-07: Lyceum Ballroom, London, England
- 1980-09-08: Marquee Club, London, England
- 1980-09-09: Carwardines, Berkeley, Bristol, England
- 1980-09-11: Wellington Club, Kingston-upon-Hull, England
- 1980-09-12: Taboo Club, Scarborough, England
- 1980-09-13: Queen's Hall, Leeds, England
- 1980-09-15: Marquee Club, London, England
- 1980-09-16: Fiesta Suite, Plymouth, England
- 1980-09-17: The Golden Eagle, Birmingham, England
- 1980-09-18: Civic Hall, Totnes, England
- 1980-09-19: Marshall Rooms, Stroud, England
- 1980-09-21: Nag's Head, Wollaston, England
- 1980-09-22: Marquee Club, London, England
- 1980-09-23: Limit Club, Sheffield, England
- 1980-09-24: Friars Club, Aylesbury, England
- 1980-09-25: Brady's, Liverpool, England
- 1980-09-26: Cedar Club, Birmingham, England
- 1980-09-27: Lanchester Polytechnic, Coventry, England
- 1980-09-29: Marquee Club, London, England
- 1980-09-30: Polytechnic, Brighton, England
- 1980-10-02: Brannigan's, Leeds, England
- 1980-10-03: Porterhouse, Retford, England
- 1980-10-04: London School Of Economics, London, England
- 1980-10-05: Half Moon Club, Herne Hill, London, England
- 1980-10-07: Boat Club, Nottingham, England
- 1980-10-09: Polytechnic, Manchester, England
- 1980-10-11: Kingston Polytechnic, London, England
- 1980-10-14: KRO Studios, Hilversum, Netherlands
- 1980-10-15: Milkyway, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- 1980-10-16: Vera, Groningen, Netherlands
- 1980-10-17: Gigant, Apeldoorn, Netherlands
- 1980-10-18: Claridge, Brussels, Belgium
- 1980-10-19: Lyceum Ballroom, London, England
- 1980-11-07: University, Exeter, England
- 1980-11-08: University, Southhampton, England
- 1980-11-09: Moonlight Club, London, England
- 1980-11-11: Kent University, Canterbury, England
- 1980-11-12: Communal Building, University of Bradford, Bradford, England
- 1980-11-13: Limit Club, Sheffield, England
- 1980-11-14: Kidderminster Town Hall, Kidderminster, England
- 1980-11-15: Polytechnic, Bristol, England
- 1980-11-18: University, Reading, England
- 1980-11-19: Polytechnic, Wolverhampton, England
- 1980-11-20: Polytechnic, Blackpool, England
- 1980-11-21: Nite Club, Edinburgh, Scotland
- 1980-11-22: Brady's, Liverpool, England
- 1980-11-24: Polytechnic, Coventry, England
- 1980-11-26: Playhouse Theatre, Hulme, England
- 1980-11-26: Marquee Club, London, England
- 1980-11-27: Marquee Club, London, England
- 1980-11-28: Aston University, Birmingham, England
- 1980-11-29: Keele University, Newcastle, England
- 1980-11-30: Jenkinson's Cabaret Bar, Brighton, England
- 1980-12-01: Hammersmith Palais, London, England
- 1980-12-02: Hammersmith Odeon, London, England
- 1980-12-03: Théâtre Mogador, Paris, France
- 1980-12-04: Baltard Pavilion, Paris, France
Boy: Leg Two [North America]
U2's first tour of North America was due to start in Rochester, New York on December 5, 1980, but that show was cancelled for unknown reasons, and the band would make their debut the next night in New York City at the Ritz. U2 receive a positive response in New York, but the crowd is small, estimated at only 25 people.
The band move from New York, to Washington DC, and then Buffalo, NY, and onto their first show in Canada, on December 9. The following day U2 have some time off and do a photoshoot in Toronto. The band is in Toronto when they hear of John Lennon's murder. After the single night in Toronto at the El Mocambo, the band returns for five more shows in the USA. Time between this tour and the next is short, after just one day off the band begins again with shows in Ireland up until Christmas.
- 1980-12-06: Ritz, New York, NY, USA
- 1980-12-07: Bayou, Washington, DC, USA
- 1980-12-08: Stage One, Buffalo, NY, USA
- 1980-12-09: El Mocambo, Toronto, ON, Canada
- 1980-12-11: Mudd Club, New York, NY, USA
- 1980-12-12: Main Event, Providence, RI, USA
- 1980-12-13: Paradise Theater, Boston, MA, USA
- 1980-12-14: Toad's Place, New Haven, CT, USA
- 1980-12-15: Bijou Cafe, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Boy: Leg Three [Irish Tour 1980]
After returning from North America, U2 hop right back into touring, with a handful of shows before Christmas in Ireland. These shows are advertised as the "Irish Tour '80" in the press and on posters for the shows.
The band play in Belfast, and the remainder of the shows are in the Republic of Ireland. After the show at the TV Club on December 22, U2 will take a break for the holidays and won't start touring again until the new year.
- 1980-12-17: Ulster Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- 1980-12-18: Leisureland, Galway, Ireland
- 1980-12-19: Riviera Club, Baymount Hotel, Strandhill, Sligo, Ireland
- 1980-12-20: Arcadia Ballroom, Cork, Ireland
- 1980-12-22: TV Club, Dublin, Ireland
Boy: Leg Four [Europe]
U2 return to Northern Ireland at the end of a Christmas break and restart touring, in an appearance that is filmed by the BBC.
This leg of the tour sees them visit Sweden, Germany and Switzerland for the first time, as well as returning once again to Scotland, Belgium, The Netherlands, and France.
A planned show in York on January 26 is cancelled via notices in the music papers. No reason is given for the cancellation.
- 1981-01-23: McMordie Hall, Queen's University, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- 1981-01-24: Strathclyde University, Glasgow, Scotland
- 1981-01-25: Valentino's Club, Edinburgh, Scotland
- 1981-01-27: Cavendish House, Manchester Polytechnic, Manchester, England
- 1981-01-28: The LCR, University of East Anglia, Norwich, England
- 1981-01-29: Park Campus, Nene College, Northampton, England
- 1981-01-30: Students' Union, Loughborough University, Loughborough, England
- 1981-01-31: City Hall, St Albans, England
- 1981-02-01: Lyceum Ballroom, London, England
- 1981-02-09: Underground, Stockholm, Sweden
- 1981-02-10: Théâtre de la Bourse, Beursschouwburg, Brussels, Belgium
- 1981-02-11: Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- 1981-02-12: Paard Van Troje, The Hague, Netherlands
- 1981-02-13: Eksit, Rotterdam, Netherlands
- 1981-02-14: Donkiesjot, Sittard, Netherlands
- 1981-02-15: Onkel Pös Carnegie Hall, Hamburg, Germany
- 1981-02-17: Kant Kino, Berlin, Germany
- 1981-02-18: Sugar Shack, Munich, Germany
- 1981-02-19: Salle Du Faubourg, Geneva, Switzerland
- 1981-02-20: École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'État, Vaulx-en-Velin, France
- 1981-02-21: Théâtre Le Palace, Paris, France
Boy: Leg Five [North America]
U2's second tour of North America sees the band traveling the Northeast of the USA before doing three shows in Canada, and then heading to the West coast to resume shows through the USA.
At a stop at the Foghorn Tavern in Portland, Oregon on this tour, Bono misplaces his briefcase which includes his notes on lyrics and songs for the new album. The briefcase is returned to him decades later.
- 1981-03-03: Bayou, Washington, DC, USA
- 1981-03-03: Bayou, Washington, DC
- 1981-03-04: Bijou Cafe, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- 1981-03-05: J.B. Scott's, Albany, New York
- 1981-03-06: Paradise Theater, Boston, MA, USA
- 1981-03-06: Paradise Theater, Boston, MA, USA
- 1981-03-07: Ritz, New York, NY, USA
- 1981-03-09: Le Club Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- 1981-03-10: Barrymore's, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- 1981-03-11: Maple Leaf Ballroom, Toronto, ON, Canada
- 1981-03-14: The Old Globe Theatre, San Diego, California
- 1981-03-15: Country Club, Reseda, CA, USA
- 1981-03-16: Woodstock, Anaheim, CA, USA
- 1981-03-18: Student Union Ballroom, San Jose State University, San Jose, California
- 1981-03-19: Old Waldorf, San Francisco, CA, USA
- 1981-03-20: Old Waldorf, San Francisco, CA, USA
- 1981-03-22: Foghorn Tavern, Portland, OR, USA
- 1981-03-23: Astor Park, Seattle, Washington
- 1981-03-24: Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Canada
- 1981-03-26: New Faces Roadhouse, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- 1981-03-28: Rainbow Music Hall, Denver, Colorado
- 1981-03-30: Rox, Lubbock, TX, USA
- 1981-03-31: Club Foot, Austin, TX, USA
- 1981-04-01: Cardi's, Houston, TX, USA
- 1981-04-02: Bijou, Dallas, TX, USA
- 1981-04-03: Quicksilver's, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
- 1981-04-04: Cain's Ballroom, Tulsa, OK, USA
- 1981-04-06: Uptown Theater, Kansas City, MO, USA
- 1981-04-07: Graham Memorial Chapel , St. Louis, MO, USA
- 1981-04-09: Sam's, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- 1981-04-10: Filmore, Ames, IA, USA
- 1981-04-11: University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- 1981-04-12: Park West, Chicago, IL, USA
- 1981-04-14: Merlyn's, Madison, WI, USA
- 1981-04-15: The Palms, Milwaukee, WI, USA
- 1981-04-17: Bogart's, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- 1981-04-18: Harpo's, Detroit, MI, USA
- 1981-04-19: Agora, Columbus, OH, USA
- 1981-04-20: Agora, Cleveland, OH, USA
- 1981-04-21: Decade, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- 1981-05-02: Rathskeller, Gainesville, FL, USA
- 1981-05-03: End Zone, Tampa, FL, USA
- 1981-05-04: Agora, Hallendale, FL, USA
- 1981-05-06: Agora, Atlanta, GA, USA
- 1981-05-08: Ol' Man River's, New Orleans, LA, USA
- 1981-05-09: Poet's Music Hall, Memphis, TN, USA
- 1981-05-11: Rainbow Music Hall, Denver, CO, USA
- 1981-05-13: Santa Monica Civic Auditorium , Santa Monica, CA
- 1981-05-15: California Hall, San Francisco, CA, USA
- 1981-05-19: Ryerson Theatre, Toronto, Canada
- 1981-05-21: Uncle Sam's, Buffalo, NY, USA
- 1981-05-22: City Limits, Syracuse, NY, USA
- 1981-05-23: J.B. Scott's, Albany, NY, USA
- 1981-05-24: Club Casino, Hampton Beach, NH, USA
- 1981-05-25: Center Stage, East Providence, RI, USA
- 1981-05-27: Toad's Place, New Haven, CT, USA
- 1981-05-28: Metro, Boston, MA, USA
- 1981-05-29: Palladium, New York, NY, USA
- 1981-05-31: Fast Lane, Asbury Park, NJ, USA
Boy: Leg Five [Europe]
After a lengthy tour of North America, U2 get ready to go into the studio to work on October but do play a small number of shows first, including two shows in England, and one large festival show in The Netherlands, playing to the largest audience the band has faced to date.
Often a show on June 4, 1981 at Salford University is listed in U2 show lists. This show did not happen. The Ents team at Salford had booked and promoted the show, however the week before the show was due to happen, they were notified that U2 would not be back from their North American tour in time to keep the committment and the show would have to be cancelled. The Polecats replaced U2 on the bill.
After these shows the band go into studio to start work on October in Dublin. That process will take them into August, at which time they will once again start booking a handful of shows and festivals, including the first appearance at Slane Castle. These are listed under the Pre-October tour.
- 1981-06-06: Friars Club, Aylesbury, England
- 1981-06-08: Sportpark, Geleen, Netherlands
- 1981-06-09: Hammersmith Palais, London, England
Related News: Boy Tour
- "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" (1980-11-01)
- "General News: Rocking and Rolling" (1981-03-28)
- "All This and U2" (1981-12-12)
- "Boy for Black Friday, Newly Discovered Show, and More" (2020-11-22) For full news please visit our news page.