U2 - First TV appearance on RTE 1978

[@helenellis9472]

Its nice to see Larry smiling...its very rare that he does!💖✨️

[@LuisVidrioTipsyConsejos]

I think it was the first time and the last time that he did it

[@ConnorWilson2891]

Larry has got hair like Jon bon jovi

[@alexandrebenois7962]

Someone must have bribed him to smile for once.

[@jryland6]

HE WAS MUCH YOUNGER THEN. 😂

[@vossenspringer]

It's quite remarkable that they've been playing together for such a long time, almost 50(!) years. 🤟

[@divad23]

I think if these lads keep working on it, they’ve got a bright future

[@prillewitz]

Nah, it’s nothing

[@YtuserSumone-rl6sw]

If they just get X100 more pretentious and vassalizing for oligarch interests, they will get a huge audience who idolize them I predict.

[@leokimvideo]

Before The Edge discovered the Digital Delay guitar pedal

[@LKtube1]

or pedals ..

[@TheAgentAssassin]

Oddly enough The Edge was singing in delay pedal fashion repeating Bono's lyrics. 01:03

[@partyguinness]

Curious. Som many young bands in the 70s…dudes were still teenagers and actually playing instruments..! You don’t see that today.

[@paulj0557tonehead]

Good memory man.

[@free322001]

And yet, no one else saw how to use it like he did.

[@DanielRezendeGuitar]

I'll show this clip to every music student of mine. Before mention the band name of course! Priceless lesson.

[@jean-louispech4921]

They are so youg, that i would not have recognized them if it was not written , while i know them from 1983. It was punk time, many young boys were beginning like this without special talent, any personal style, no real musician training, etc... at their beginning, but they were optimist, and some of them became great bands in the 80's , and some are still playing....

[@jackbombay1423]

Do your students know who U2 are?

[@DanielRezendeGuitar]

@@jackbombay1423 yes, U2 are still pretty famous here in my country (Brazil).

[@jackbombay1423]

@@DanielRezendeGuitar I mean for younger generations.

[@paranoidplane9799]

​@jackbombay1423 U2 is one of the best-selling artists of all time

[@skarath]

I'm glad they got better. That was hard to watch. Especially Bono.

[@nadogrl]

Especially…😂

[@teetaunjj7894]

Not hardly... this is probably the best thing I've ever heard from them

[@mnmm1]

They were kids...about 17 years old...how many teens have the skill and guts to go that on national TV? On their way they were. But kids yeah.

[@larrypresnall5360]

Just shows that with the right sunglasses, one can achieve anything.

[@DCtouring]

it's weird seeing my fave guitarist hit some bad notes

[@MrCrrispy]

Wow, only 5 years before the live at Red Rocks, the evolution is amazing!

[@maggienbob1304]

No kidding! Definitely!

[@j.w.r3730]

Was at that show,it was incredible.

[@401xyz]

yeah a bit like the beatles hmmm.....

[@Krawat2007]

I love this moment in 0:27 when Larry is smiling - I see there pure happiness of dreams of young guy coming true. So brilliant and brings memories of my own times of drumming - unfortunately on much less scale.

[@sexobscura]

O yes They made it ALL the way to the RTE

[@DaveRucci]

Yea I saw that too. Then he missed the drum roll. Lol

[@fostexfan160]

At least you're still with us, Bonham, Moon, Peart have sadly departed

[@NiueanHoney]

What I was thinking…

[@jim2lane]

I had never seen any footage of him playing with a traditional grip in the past - something only drummers notice of other drummers. But he must have switched to the standard grip shortly after this, because every other shot I've ever seen of him from '80 onwards no longer shows this

[@Cornerboy73]

From here to the Sphere. These guys have travelled a long and winding road indeed. What a legacy; I don't think we'll ever see anything quite like U2 again.

[@johnnyoranges]

I hope we don't.

[@rq83]

LOL...😂

[@concettaworkman5895]

Never. Except for the Bee Gees.

[@makeithappen1952]

Hell I hope not. What a load of crap from someone with an ego the size of Jupiter.

[@robwilson1140]

WE can only hope.

[@patton303]

This is such a high school band right here.

[@groovymoon]

The edge was about 17 during that taping.

[@RabidWildCreature]

@@groovymoon him and Larry Mullen Jr were only 16 their birthdays hadn't come up yet. and bono had only turned 18 a few weeks before before

[@nelsonx5326]

They graduated. Bono is over dramafying things here.

[@apemoon1731]

​@@Lamster66 Did they go on to have the same success as U2?

[@FFM0594]

That's exactly what they were.

[@BlueAsh-MilitaryAviation]

It's incredible that Bono and Adam Clayton were 18 and The Edge and Larry Mullen Jr. were only 16 when this was televised. Even at that young age they knew what they wanted and were driven enough to get there!!

[@blite13]

they were groomed at a young age......not organic.

[@Pablo-ub4ht]

Bono was riculous at that point...and beyond.

[@SirManfly]

@@Pablo-ub4ht They were all teenagers!! 🤣

[@beagley]

Larry looks 12

[@AZVIDS]

Before Bono was the worlds biggest POS😉

[@fmmaj9noname332]

I love all the hair, I love Paul's Elvis moves, and Larry looks like he's about 13 with that grin. Now on to find the video of them as "Hype."

[@johnbsouth1]

There’s no way these guys are ever gonna make it. 😮

[@anibalbabilonia1867]

👋😂Lmfao!

[@trisspeaker9572]

I saw U2 at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago in 1983. My friend who was into bands like Kiss and Judas Priest said that exact same thing at the end of the concert.

[@johnbsouth1]

@@trisspeaker9572 that’s so cool. I saw similar lineup without the boys from Dublin sadly. But one year it was UFO and then Sabbath I think.

[@pleeman]

Saw them in Detroit in 1984, (12/8/84) small 5 thousand-seat Fox theater and they were on fire! 11 O'Clock Tick Tock I Will Follow Seconds MLK The Unforgettable Fire Wire Sunday Bloody Sunday The Cry / The Electric Co. / Send in the Clowns (snippet) / Amazing Grace (snippet) A Sort Of Homecoming Bad October New Year's Day Pride (In the Name of Love) encore(s): Gloria Party Girl 40 What a magic night! We got in when we could not afford scalper tickets and a side door flew open! We found faith in the future with these guys and next year (3/23/1985) I saw them at Cobo Hall playing to 20k and I saw a band literally BLOW UP in 4 months! Two years later Joshua Tree would send them into the stratosphere. I was a HUGE MTVer back then and the videos they did were impressive. 11 O'Clock Tick Tock I Will Follow Seconds MLK The Unforgettable Fire Wire Sunday Bloody Sunday The Cry / The Electric Co. / Amazing Grace (snippet) A Sort Of Homecoming Bad / Ruby Tuesday (snippet) / Sympathy For The Devil (snippet) October New Year's Day Pride (In the Name of Love) encore(s): Knockin' on Heaven's Door Gloria 40 / Do They Know It's Christmas (snippet) / We Are The World (snippet)

[@brandonlink7471]

Said some people in 78. Ha.

[@boke75]

Hard to believe 2 years later these lads would come out with "Boy" - which was and still is an awesome debut album !

[@annarellapino5961]

Well, sometimes producers do the miracle😎

[@annarellapino5961]

Steve Lillywhite!!!

[@pascaldeshayes5459]

Oh, wow, yes, it definitely took some serious vision to turn them into what they've become ;-) And Larry playing traditional grip ?!

[@michaelepp6212]

A lot can happen in 2 years, especially at that age.

[@legrandmaitre7112]

Not really!!😅

[@marcgoldstein2957]

7 years from Live Aid. Crazy.

[@mc76]

I was working in a record store in 1980 when Boy came out. We had never heard of U2., but being children of the Cold War, we were intrigued by the name, so we gave album a spin. It did not leave the turntable for the rest of the day. We sold out the whole shipment in one day just by playing it in the store.

[@armondtanz]

Mad in those days, thats was a skill, sifting thru albums in the store and making sure you listen out for a banger ;)

[@kenglass7833]

Same thing, hanging in the local record store in the eighties which was something we did always as teens and the owner says I got something for you guys. We were blown away !! Seen them the night after Lennon was shot for 5 bucks at the El Mocambo for the first time of 25

[@nsbd90now]

The guy at the record store told me to buy it! And so I did.

[@robertpeters4161]

@@armondtanz I heard about midnight special but 50 years ago, I was too busy getting drunk and smoking dope to care too much about t.v. shows. As far as I was concerned, WE WERE "THE SHOW"! THOUSANDS OF KIDS WITH NO PLACE TO GO! I got bored with it all and left the country for awhile.

[@HOPEat]

Awesome!!! 🍻☮️

[@karmicselling4252]

The Edge plays more notes on his guitar in this one song than he has done in all the playing he has done since.

[@4himsanctified]

right. who'd have known

[@pguilhaus3378]

The solo of his life😁 Not great but decent.

[@marcelobaez6115]

Here all his style was very very different indeed

[@4himsanctified]

@@marcelobaez6115 discovered delay

[@pmoris4405]

Exactly

[@rohayamohamed7509]

thanks for this video clip of U2 on the children's TV Youngline

[@superdave7241]

💥💥💥Reminds me of a battle of the bands in our school cafeteria

[@gustaaf1892]

Except some of those bands were probably better than U2 was here.

[@paulteller8383]

HA you're right!

[@marciomagalhaes286]

It's really amazing that these four still together as a band to this day. This is priceless.

[@mikeblaz]

They've been irrelevant for decades....

[@YewrMan]

Sure they've nothing else for doing.....

[@hectorortegaplancarte5356]

I was just thinking about that. I just realized that these four have been the same band members since then! No changes in drummer, bassist, guitarist and/or vocalist. Amazing 👌

[@michaelehrmann-falkenau7645]

@@mikeblaz I don't agree. And the point is that they are still together, not whether they matter to you or anyone else.

[@BigBri550]

It is so rare for a band to not change any members after the band has formed. I know of no other famous group that can make the same claim: even The Beatles changed drummers at the last minute.

[@arminius301]

There was an unbelievable amount of confidence in that much suckage. But that's what it takes to make it big some day. They certainly stayed the course and came up with some groundbreaking stuff no doubt.

[@shanghaiffgg]

OMG I have been a life long U2 fan and never seen this.The song is called street mission. incredible and thanks for posting.

[@latinolawdog5067]

Based on what I heard, the song is actually called "Djreet Mid-shun"

[@shanghaiffgg]

@@latinolawdog5067 de stree mishun

[@gcoller]

I know this is a little rough but I'm noticing the absolute confidence on stage. They got so much better so quickly.

[@ralphlazio505]

@George Coller - They did grow sooo quickly. I think it’s because of the way the band communicated after each set.

[@giannagarcia4937]

❤esto es Oro hssta nuestros tiempos 2023

[@chevy4x466]

Wow, that was really terrible. They must have worked really tirelessly to get so good in a short amount of time

[@GarthWatkins-th3jt]

Some things are meant to be. If you think not, try going back in time to change what is. Or what is not. Good luck with that. And if there was ever proof of what they say, the Irish create their own luck, U2 is way high on the "proof sheet." I would love to knock back some pints of ale with these fellas. Maybe some other time if it's meant to be. Much love to one and all who I'll see on the other side.

[@MissPresley69]

Sold their souls... 😏

[@dragonflyflutterby2952]

Well, you’re wrong aren’t you. This is great. I love to see The Edge play with such determination 😁and Adam (with that hair! 😂) playing a bit more easy in their early years but certainly not bad at all. Larry’s one of my favorite drummers and smiling shyly for the cameras. 😁 All the sudden with Bono jumping on the stage in his tight white pants, all energy, sounds amazing. I love Bono’s voice and this was just the beginning. They end being one of The Greatest Bands Of All Time (in all the world) and they deserve it. I saw video of them playing last Christmas eve outside in a small square in Ireland (where my mom’s from) and hanging out with their fans. They are dedicated to their fans like no others. “Happy Christmas Everyone!” 😁🎄🕯️🙏🏼🕊️🤍

[@beckiebuist803]

They were just babies here...and LMJ is the Irish Charlie Watts.

[@yesthatbruce]

Holy crap, this is amazing. So young! I have to admit that if they weren't identified, I would not have a clue who these guys were.

[@401xyz]

they weren't identified they were created , like the beatles etc....music is an industry nothing left to chance

[@NewtaoV]

"Bono, if you don't arrive in time, we will start With or Without You". And they really did!

[@patrickdonegan9559]

I hear what you did there!

[@vimfuego8827]

@@patrickdonegan9559 You must be thick if you didn't

[@patrickdonegan9559]

@@del808 ?

[@johnnyenglish583]

brilliant! :)

[@sheagoff6009]

It’s crazy that these young boys are still together all these years later. They became the soundtrack of my life. These kids had no idea what they were in for.

[@rra1762]

Wow, so young. My favorite band, ever. I can put on any old album and love it all over again. They are fantastic in concert and the vibe of the fans at the concerts is really great.

[@louise_rose]

Larry is completely adorable here - they all look like they're 14 or 15 and playing the local youth club rather than their actual age of 17-18. 😂 But they developed fast - only three years later they were one of the hottest bands in Ireland and ready to take on American audiences.

[@nancydemoss2945]

I love it when Larry smiles into the camera. Just a baby. He'll, they all were!

[@Dario-by4ii]

You can tell me what you want, but this raw and imperfect performance gives me much more emotion than the last 5-6 U2 albums. The first years of the band represent for me the true essence of U2

[@chipapa50]

It shows that grinding and doing the hard work and persistence will get you far. That is what these guys have done and lasted 40 plus years now. Shows the greatest bands in music history start somewhere and hone in their craft to make it, not social media or given to them.

[@richarddunne9802]

I love the way a busy drum fill starts while the camera is on Larry at 0.32 and they cut away quickly because he obviously isn't playing it 😅

[@jasonwarren3999]

Ya! I rewinded to see if I really saw what I saw.

[@MarkW1210]

Yeah what was that lol. Was it just a bad camera angle and optical illusion?

[@pennetierphilippe8529]

@@MarkW1210 I noticed it too... hilarious

[@chonwilson]

Te amo U2, Gracias por este vídeo que no tiene precio para nosotros los Fanáticos de esta banda tan emblemática del Rock mundial

[@mike4179]

Incredible that U2 went from this to hits like Gloria in just 3 years. To succeed you have to know when your stuff sucks and that you need to get better. U2 knew when to pivot.

[@louise_rose]

It's hard to believe that they're actually 17-18 years old here: they look more like fourteen, like a middle-school hobby band....Very fun clip and they look like they're enjoying themselves too! The earliest live footage I've seen with them before is from 1981 and by then they're clearly a far more cohesive band.

[@RobSmith-rn3ie]

This didn't suck. It wasn't spectacular but it didn't suck either. Edge's backing vocal was a little off, it needed another verse, and Bono needed some work. Larry starts to speed up a couple times but catches himself quickly... But the band still sound good anyway.

[@cl5619]

@@RobSmith-rn3ieit was a pretty bad song at this point. It could have been good. But it needed a lot of work

[@gregorythompson6521]

Good comment, what was that CD ? WAR was it,, i love all those songs .

[@faber.t.5004]

They hadn't met Brian Eno yet.

[@theoriginalchefboyoboy6025]

The drummer's smile has "hi mom" written all over it...

[@jellomonkey3265]

THEN HE MISSES DRUM FILL CLEARLY ON RECORDING

[@Adeyamusic]

Haha! This video is priceless!! They've come a long way! Thank you to KEYMUSIC for sharing!

[@LuvsAutumn8467]

So cool to see such an early performance of theirs. They definitely don't have the intensity they would have later on but they look like they are having alot of fun.

[@Mojokiss]

its amazing to see the transformation these bands went through, such as depeche mode etc

[@caskstrength7629]

Duran Duran/Tears for Fears.

[@jeremyc9593]

I just came from "Tears for Fears" first TV appearance, when they were in a band called Graduate, and it really is crazy to see the origins of these huge bands. That damn Graduate song is catchy as hell.

[@bonovoxpartygirl]

The quality is so good ❤️

[@joelobuchowski4571]

They obviously went a lot further since this 1978 appearance. Bono’s run to the stage almost seemed late, but was good to see the other band members highlighted.

[@Buster_Piles]

Little known fact: boner is only 3 foot 6 inches tall but wears big shoes. He's basically a leprechaun.

[@michaelehrmann-falkenau7645]

@@Buster_Piles His name is "Bono".

[@JamesMorgan_LifeandText]

I love that early sound that they built on over the years! 👏👏👏

[@geregarcia]

If someone told me I would queue 8 hours to buy tickets to attend to concerts at Camp Nou stadium with a capacity of 100.000 people to see these bunch of nerds I wouldn't have believed it. That said, I can see a sparkle of potential with the Edge's solo. 🙏🙏🙏 Thank U2 for giving us a great live. See you at the sphere! God bless u

[@henriqueerenner5741]

see you there!

[@menotyou9406]

And to think from here they grew to one of the greatest band producing one of my all time favorite albums Joshua Tree! That album still holds up today.

[@paulluongo2756]

Wow these guys definitely grew into a power house of a rock band .... Amazing...

[@jamestomkin8784]

I first saw them during the 1983 War tour , in Rochester, NY for $6.00. There were about 2000 people at the old RIT hockey rink. I still have the ticket stub!

[@avanti6058]

Remember kids, there is always hope.

[@roncyr5072]

I remember a roommate of mine in university going crazy over their music in the early 80’s. I couldn’t stand it. He’d play it all the time. Understand that I was playing the total opposite of the music spectrum. Maiden, Ozzy, Saxon, and JP.

[@blackmore4]

I'm not a big U2 fan at all but I still think your roommate was right :)

[@tootrue6529]

Based on this, I don't see much of a future...

[@poppycock6572]

Right?

[@NederAbdalla]

😂

[@tjh780]

🤣 I agree.

[@gregscott2005]

Yeah, they sucked.

[@michaelehrmann-falkenau7645]

Ooh, quite like The Edge's solo in the beginning, though. You gotta remember that they were only just beginning.

[@AndrewKazmierski]

They were just kids but they already had their signature sound, great video!

[@joefranco8345]

Do they?? Please point it out

[@AndrewKazmierski]

@@joefranco8345 all I’m saying and I’m not a U2 fan, is it sounds like a primitive U2, especially when the vocals kick in.

[@joefranco8345]

@@AndrewKazmierski 👍🏻

[@smithnjefferson]

There is a passion in Bono that instills confidence and commitment to the music, without it this song would have been horrible, he is a true frontman.

[@kojam1]

My regret is that I only found out about them when they released Me Years Day. Even then, I was a hard rocker and didn't want to give them the time of day. I couldn't get that song and their fresh original sound out of my head. Been a huge fan ever since. Still, it would have been extra special to witness history in the making. So much great music over the years!!!

[@seksualusis]

It was little until Achtung Baby, good bang with that and following Live DVD. Further, I was one to regret getting it on Apple device as a pushed gift-promo.

[@kojam1]

@@seksualusis Let's not talk about that. LOL

[@gausselim1474]

I don't know if I ever realized how old these guys are..!?!? Love U2!!!

[@tromboneJTS]

Incredible guitar solo. Played the hell out if the Blues scale. Song was a hybrid of Rock Lobster and a random Dire Straights lick.

[@evangelicalsnever-lie9792]

Not 'incredible,' very, very basic. And he started getting stale with it about 3/4 of the way through. Now if Joe Satriani played it - it would be "incredible."

[@jeromesurffoil7033]

@@evangelicalsnever-lie9792 I think it was very good, especially for a 16 year old lad in 1978. Let's hear a 16 year old Joe Satriani so we can compare. Also this song is not the type that needs a "shred" type solo.

[@nonprogrediestregredi1711]

I was six years old in '78 and I'm quite glad that I was blissfully unaware of U2 at that point. That "performance" was painful!

[@rjfivethousand]

Painful? OK, I can see that. I was thinking more hilarious.

[@jandevries57]

I think both hilarious and painful 😮

[@Greenballoffire]

Am I the only one who enjoyed it??

[@neaituppi7306]

I love the extended guitar solo at the start.

[@tomorr2009]

I read somewhere that just after this Bono took singing lessons and improved dramatically 😀😀😀😀

[@shawn2380]

Thank God he did that. All he had here was the attitude - which did serve him well.

[@HopeIanHope]

Absolutely hilarious 🤣😂😅😭. Why did no one stop them.

[@RS54321]

The hair!!

[@pedrosousa5969]

😂

[@CocoOPNY]

🤭🤣🤣

[@danielmoran9902]

I am astonished! Here, The Edge is CLEARLY playing more than one note during a solo!!!

[@raymyhill2]

its a double stand in.

[@0801075001]

that's how adulthood works... less effort, more character, more brains...

[@groovymoon]

The Edge may be a great guy and someone you would want to have a beer with.... but he is IMHO pretty much overrated. (BTW I do play guitar, badly, but I do play)

[@francescoielmoni3702]

Never judge yourself to hard , things can be better in the future

[@yancowles]

These guys are criminally underrated and way ahead of their time, they should have been huge.

[@mortenjrgensen9138]

maybe at some point,people will see the talent,we just have to wait,maybe some day the band will make a song for a batman movie or something idk but i think those dudes will do great at some point 😅😆😁

[@123jlb]

ha ha ha\...😆😆😆

[@giannagarcia4937]

❤jaja....yo si les veía futuro, tal vez para csntar en la eurocopa o como para inaugurar el monumento más grande de las Vegas como es l Esfera❤

[@michaelehrmann-falkenau7645]

@@mortenjrgensen9138 A Batman movie? I don't think so. They'll never be that huge.

[@DuncYo]

NEXT!!! BORING!!!

[@Darbobski]

The 77s were also on Island Records label at the time. They have an extensive library worth looking into as well.

[@isaachernandez7619]

If I would have seen this in 1978 I would have said “don’t quit your day job” boy would I have been wrong.

[@CocoOPNY]

@@Lamster66 😂

[@JosephPerrotta-db9xp]

Yeah they sound terrible

[@JosephPerrotta-db9xp]

Sound like a.garage band who hasn't made it to the garage yet

[@ernietedeschi]

It's really interesting how much like a conventional 70s rock guitarist The Edge sounds at this stage in his life. He's doing a perfectly-passable-for-an-18-year-old guitar solo! Edge occasionally gets criticized today for being incapable of fast, technical playing, but in 1978 he was very much down the road of that style. And yet the style he did develop in the 1980s is so much more interesting and unique.

[@loris9744]

He was only 16. 2 months from 17

[@moekirby2613]

We sure Edge really played that on the recording?

[@tonypasma1707]

mmmm

[@jomidiam]

For a band to be together for this long with no lineup changes is amazing.

[@karensylvia9423]

Wow The Edge is a better guitar player than I thought he'd be without all the delay and effects he has since used.

[@nelsonx5326]

That was cool guitar work.

[@polo7155]

My thoughts exactly

[@MrSparklespring]

Indeed, he even can play a decent solo!

[@marcop1587]

Delay, reverb, effetcs in general is what shaped U2s sound

[@colinmcdonough4034]

His use of effects was always an artistic choice. He's a very good player on a technical level he just doesn't feel the need to shred. It's not how he rolls, much better to create his own definitive sound than to copy someone else's.

[@Kohntarkosz]

Wow, who knew The Edge could play guitar like THAT?!

[@HappyGoLucky1411]

I saw them back in 82, they were the opening act for the j. Geils band...I had never heard of them before....they went on to be one of the most popular bands in the world

[@brian49684]

Same! West Palm Beach Auditorium! Wished I had paid more attention but the fact I still remember an unknown opener forty years later says something about them.

[@DSelwyn21]

Larry Mullen Jr. using traditional grip on the drumsticks. I've never seen him use that before.

[@markothwriter]

Wow. I remember seeing these guys after this-- maybe 2 or 3 years. I was 8 years old. I could tell that they had talent.

[@fleatactical7390]

I saw them when I was still in the womb. I just knew they had the makings of international stardom.

[@sdh8286]

@@fleatactical7390 I knew them when they were U1

[@fleatactical7390]

@@sdh8286 Heheheh that was good. Got a chuckle out of me.

[@burtpanzer]

If I had seen this first I probably wouldn't have seen them again.

[@unready1961]

If these guys practiced a bit more, and the guitarist got some effects pedals they might go somewhere.

[@kennydobbins1345]

And they did. It is now 44 years later.

[@boke75]

Same ol' humouristic hindsight 20/20 meme, eh ? But I guess it'll always work.

[@adrianb2066]

Na… it will never work, unless, the guitarist starts religiously wearing cowboy hats and beanies.

[@stephenroldan5107]

Maybe a shimmer verb

[@zwastiunburzy3688]

Well, he got the effects pedals....one, really. The practice, however....

[@kunjiklub]

Little did they know 45 years later they would be performing regularly in Las Vegas in a sphere

[@fastica]

Not Larry.

[@tedfreeman2709]

Pre-new wave! ...what a difference a little worldly experience and new influences will make. I have always said my favorite "80s band" was actually Steve Lillywhite; wherever he went, greatness followed.

[@nelsonx5326]

These guys are gonna be huge.

[@marinajane7749]

Yeah, with “Seven Course Irish Meals”* for life! * (A six-pack & a potato)

[@nelsonx5326]

@@marinajane7749 And Irish birth control, a bottle of whiskey.

[@cuckootown9478]

No, but Bono's ego would get bigger and bigger, along with his sunglasses abd high heels

[@chrisbarlow2131]

This just shows the debt of gratitude that U2 owed the likes of Steve Lilywhite who produced Boy etc, because here they are as naff a school rock band as you are likely to ever have the misfortune of encountering. Lilywhite totally transformed their sound. I can't imagine any other producer doing a better job than he did. I think if they'd gone for any other producer they may have bombed altogether. Funny how life turns out.

[@KurtI2525]

Yup. Success is down to so many variables all aligning.

[@t.brennan]

First few singles weren't Lilly white and they were excellent.

[@bobblaszczak7972]

@@t.brennan lily white destroyed the Stones Dirty Work.

[@mrJimCharles]

I don't think it was Lillywhite as much as it was them realizing they weren't going to make it sounding like half-ass Thin Lizzy

[@chrisbarlow2131]

@@bobblaszczak7972 It's horses for courses.

[@hometeaminspectionserviceo8293]

I saw them at a bar in Oklahoma city circa 1980. We did not pay much attention to them as we had no idea of course. I just remember thinking it was weird to have a band from so far away playing there as it was usually just local bands. They did not really impress me at the time. Wish I would have paid closer attention now. Too bad we did not have cell phones back then.

[@barryledgister4496]

I couldn't listen all the way through. We need a reaction vid of present day U2 watching this.

[@davidmenasco5743]

It would be like watching video of how you dressed or acted in middle school. But, you know, everybody's gotta start somewhere.

[@sol1120]

Pretty darn good for teenagers just starting out. Talent and Staying with it are the key

[@noscrubbubblez6515]

Love this. Playing almost affordable instruments and oh get that pentatonic scale down, right Edge? Undeniable talent. Then they took themselves too seriously. OCTOBER- combined the best of them with really good recording engineer.

[@jj9749]

The Edge guitar skills never reached this level again

[@raymyhill2]

Only down down down

[@eliaol4231]

Larry is such a sweetheart here 0:27

[@Tocimah]

my first song in the US was I believe 1979. I Will Follow. Loved that song.

[@eraserheadbaby7471]

If I was on the tech team of their Sphere shows, I would totally prank them by putting this up on the dome. Yes, I would lose my job but it would be awesome

[@christopherwall444]

Love it! The Elvis leg shake is funny

[@timmytrimble4069]

Yea, bit of mick jagger too.

[@76-UVB]

This extremely rare and valuable footage disproves the commonly held notion that Bongo became the massive bell end that he is immediately after U2 found fame.

[@seanphillips6565]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@richardboran749]

Adam Clayton was amazing live. One of the best bassist to ever take the stage. Edge’s sound effects also amaze me. Studio doesn’t do him justice.

[@davidjdevan]

The Edge... of puberty

[@RS54321]

🤣🤣

[@trevoroutim8519]

I see a good future for this band, if they just keep on at it🤣

[@evangelicalsnever-lie9792]

It's so funny! Because that joke has never been told before!

[@groovymoon]

I saw them at a KEG party at SUNY Albany in like early 80's... It was a HUGE keg party. Any student at any SUNY campus could go. I remember thinking. "These guys are going to make it big".

[@brentlanyon4654]

I have always maintained that Adam Clayton was the basis for the character, "Napolean Dynamite".

[@CocoOPNY]

😂😂

[@dhegenk256]

I hope they passed the audition. Those lads have potential.

[@latinolawdog5067]

I'm not even a U2 fan at all (never have been), but even in this video you could tell Bono had that certain "something" in terms of stage presence that separated him from most front men.

[@StLProgressive]

It’s pretty stunning that 10 years later they were the biggest band on the planet, having just written 3 near perfect albums, riding the success of The Joshua Tree. They’re pretty awful here, lol, but you can tell everyone has real talent. Bono improves so much from this to the I Will Follow vid. 💚🍀

[@johnnyg1161]

🤣

[@ericwanderweg8525]

@@johnnyg1161right? I was thinking the inverse of everything he said. U2 sucks and Bono is an egomaniac.

[@JohnSmith-gq9gn]

@@ericwanderweg8525 Glad someone else said what I was thinking. Never liked Bono.

[@Dreyno]

@@ericwanderweg8525Is he? How has he displayed that?

[@Dreyno]

@@JohnSmith-gq9gnWhy are you glad someone else said it? You would’ve said it anyway. Don’t pretend you haven’t said it a thousand times on other KZbin videos just like every other sad bastard who has a Bono fixation.

[@BushidoPhoto]

They definitely got way better later on. This is horrendous.

[@killingheros3554]

I think this is pretty damn good, I think their earlier stuff is their better songs.

[@marianaevangelina7541]

That's the point.....but they are HUGE ❤ what about you? I mean ..how far will you go😅

[@IndineraFallz]

this is horrendous when bono jumps in, it's okayish before that

[@kathleenmckenzie9500]

❤❤❤❤❤ fantastic. It's was like that and awesome. You would rock out. Explosive hype of the future. I want to be in a rock band too.

[@claudioj.santosAdv]

Uma relíquia musical!

[@GarethThomasTunes]

That song sounded like a Dire Straits cover morphing into a Clash cover….

[@markchristopher420]

🤔 *Dire Clash!* 😂

[@GarethThomasTunes]

@@markchristopher420 my high school band did DireClash covers, but that’s about as far as my high school band went…

[@markchristopher420]

@@GarethThomasTunes London For Nothing + Sultans Calling + The Walk Of Go Now?

[@germanpaino]

Perseverance is certainly a virtue

[@johnbuell8035]

Difficult to imagine that Bono could be even more of a prat than he is now. But there it is…

[@starduck8014]

LOL

[@marciomoura9556]

😂😂😂😂

[@f.w.2054]

Bozo from the very beginning!

[@petezereeeah]

😅😂Good one

[@MJ-pb4eu]

A midget prat, at that 😆

[@piktormusic2538]

In the next few years, Bono developed quite a bit as a singer/frontman. This video kind of gives one hope that even dorks can eventually learn to become cool.