The 'Pride' threats against Bono

[Tommy WM]

So I was listening to an old Zoo TV bootleg from Tempe, Arizona on Youtube when I came across this comment:

"The historical significance of this concert can not be overstated. Arizona was one of the last states to agree to honor the Martin Luther King Holiday in the US. So what does U2 do? they come to Arizona and pick militant rap stars Public Enemy as their opening act! The threats to the band were serious enough that the FBI got involved and warned them not to play "Pride (In the Name of Love)"...They Did Play the song and when Bono sang the lines about MLK, he said he closed his eyes and sang them as loud as he could, and when he opened his eyes, his bass player was standing in front of him, keeping him safe."

I did a little more research and have found conflicting dates. Some say it was actually during The Unforgettable Fire Tour, however I've also found people suggesting it was during the Joshua Tree Tour. Then an old NME article popped up implying it was during 1985 and had a quote from Bono talking about it but then quite a few people in the comments section said it was during 1987.

So quite simply...do we have a definitive date for such a dramatic moment in their history?

 

[BVS]

It definitely was not ZooTV.

By most accounts it was JT tour.


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[Galeongirl]

I've only heard about it being JT as well, not sure where the UF part of the rumours came from.

Bono has told this story quite a few times, I recall it was in a book I read. Either Bono in conversations with Michka Assayas or in Killing Bono or U2 At the end of the world.

So if it was JT tour Arizona, it could have been either of these two dates at the start of the tour:
1987-04-02 - Tempe, Arizona, USA - Arizona State University Activity Center (17 songs)
1987-04-04 - Tempe, Arizona, USA - Arizona State University Activity Center (19 songs)

OR the final two shows:
1987-12-19 - Tempe, Arizona, USA - ASU Sun Devil Stadium (20 songs)
1987-12-20 - Tempe, Arizona, USA - ASU Sun Devil Stadium (22 songs)

Pride was played on all four dates. One could argue that it would be more logical to have this at the start of the tour, as they had probably been hyped up by the album release and everything, being in the media a lot, so that coudl've caused the spark in the nutjobs threatening them... but one could also argue the later shows are more logical, as the tour has seen more dates, and there would have been more instances of Bono ranting so he probably did some MLK related rants to that the nutjobs might've heard about.. plus more time to stew. I dunno, maybe someone else has more exact info.

 

[david]

Joshua Tree tour. It's somewhat documented in Outside Is America, I believe.


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[Headache in a Suitcase]

http://archive.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/articles/20100118mlkthreat0118.html

 

[cobl04]

So it's more of an urban legend.

 

[david]

They opposed Mecham, but whether Bono was going to be killed for doing so is something no one can really confirm.


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[corianderstem]

WHY DOES BONO LIE.

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[Headache in a Suitcase]

Did Meecham jump in front of Bono to take the bullet? #spoileralert

 

[super fly guy]

Did Meecham jump in front of Bono to take the bullet? #spoileralert

Yeah,that was a shock! Poor meecham.?

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