spanisheyes
Forum Moderator, The Goal Is Soul
This day, February 26, in U2 History:
February 26, 1980: Concert: Dublin, Ireland. U2 closes out month-long Ireland tour at the National Boxing Stadium, which
holds 2,000 people. About 1,000 people actually show up.
February 26, 1983: '40' debuts as closer.
U2 kicks off the War Tour with a sold-out show in Dundee, Scotland. This show marks Edge's vocal debut, as the band plays "Seconds." It also marks the start of a long tradition: U2 closing a show with "40."
February 26, 2000: Bono and Edge sing at Festival of San Remo. Bono and Edge perform together on the last day of Italy's Festival of San Remo. They play acoustic versions of "All I Want Is You" and "The Ground Beneath Her Feet" -- the latter song receiving its first-ever live performance. The appearance caps several days in Italy for Bono, who successfully lobbies the Italian government to drop some of its debt from Third World countries.
February 26, 2001: U2 wins and performs at the Brit Awards. U2 receives the Outstanding Contribution to Music award at the Brit Awards, the UK's equivalent of the Grammys. The band also wins Best International Group and performs four songs.
This day in U2 history is especially poignant with February 26, 1983 being the day that U2 debuts '40' as a closer. A closing tradition that would carry on for the War Tour, The Unforgettable Fire Tour, The Joshua Tree Tour, and many of the shows on the Lovetown Tour.
As someone who had the privilege of attending a show where '40' was a closer, nothing comes close to the communal uplifting that you felt with everyone singing in unison, "How long...to sing this song", as the crowd spilled out into the streets, and the long night swallowed us back in to our own worlds...but in the lingering of that moment, the words of that song stayed with you, and for that little while, everything seemed okay in the world.
Chris
February 26, 1980: Concert: Dublin, Ireland. U2 closes out month-long Ireland tour at the National Boxing Stadium, which
holds 2,000 people. About 1,000 people actually show up.
February 26, 1983: '40' debuts as closer.
U2 kicks off the War Tour with a sold-out show in Dundee, Scotland. This show marks Edge's vocal debut, as the band plays "Seconds." It also marks the start of a long tradition: U2 closing a show with "40."
February 26, 2000: Bono and Edge sing at Festival of San Remo. Bono and Edge perform together on the last day of Italy's Festival of San Remo. They play acoustic versions of "All I Want Is You" and "The Ground Beneath Her Feet" -- the latter song receiving its first-ever live performance. The appearance caps several days in Italy for Bono, who successfully lobbies the Italian government to drop some of its debt from Third World countries.
February 26, 2001: U2 wins and performs at the Brit Awards. U2 receives the Outstanding Contribution to Music award at the Brit Awards, the UK's equivalent of the Grammys. The band also wins Best International Group and performs four songs.
This day in U2 history is especially poignant with February 26, 1983 being the day that U2 debuts '40' as a closer. A closing tradition that would carry on for the War Tour, The Unforgettable Fire Tour, The Joshua Tree Tour, and many of the shows on the Lovetown Tour.
As someone who had the privilege of attending a show where '40' was a closer, nothing comes close to the communal uplifting that you felt with everyone singing in unison, "How long...to sing this song", as the crowd spilled out into the streets, and the long night swallowed us back in to our own worlds...but in the lingering of that moment, the words of that song stayed with you, and for that little while, everything seemed okay in the world.
Chris