The DRAMA Between U2 and the Detroit Lions

In 1997, the Detroit Lions were preparing for a big game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football. However, there was just one small problem with their preparation, which completely derailed their plans and derailed their chances of winning the game and keeping their playoff hopes alive
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[@thomaswatkins3686]

Went to this concert. It was one of the most unimpressive and uninspired concerts I’ve ever seen. I think, if memory serves, this was near the end of the tour of North America (like a month or so out). And you genuinely sensed the band was tired. It was the last time I ever liked U2 also. I hated most of their music from that time. Then they rebranded themselves as cheesy alternative when techno went out of style. And now I won’t listen to them after Auchtung Baby. It’s all garbage from Zooropa on. The cool part tho was walking down the steps to the main floor and seeing the hard concrete and looking around during the show imagining how cool it would be to play in front of that place. Really miss the Silverdome. Favorite memory came a few years later, after 9/11/2001 Lions v Rams. Monday Night. They lost a zillion to nothing. But every fan in the stands had an American flag. Those were fun days.

[@walter3001]

U2 is also a band I’ve never liked, probably because of the Songs of Innocence nightmare.

[@ropeblaster420]

About a minute goes by of Bono clapping his hands every six seconds, then announces, "Every time I clap my hands, a child in Africa dies. A voice is heard from the audience with a thick irish brogue saying... "Well then, stop clapping your hands!"

[@DolFan316]

When I think about U2 I think about a bunch of pretentious twits who were "woke" at least 20 years before it became cool. Always so desperate to make their audience feel guilty about something, as if starving children in third world nations and environmental damage was ALL YOUR FAULT.

[@davidclare7274]

Let's be real, Detroit wasn't winning that game if they had 2 weeks of prep.

[@Subbuteohobby]

I do believe that U2 was also the reason that the Montreal Alouettes left Olympic Stadium and moved to Percival Molson Stadium at McGill University. The Alouettes had an improbable home playoff game, and since the Big O was unavailable, they moved permanently to McGill.

[@matthewdaley746]

It's, really, unfortunately, garish.

[@gordonwhitney6052]

U2 concerts impacting football teams isn't limited to the NFL. In November 1997, the CFL's Montreal Alouettes had to move a home playoff date because of a U2 concert at Montreal's Olympic Stadium. It was one of the best things to ever happen to the team. The Als hadn't been close to drawing enough fans to cover the cost of using the Big O. Being forced to move the playoff game to the much smaller Percival Molson Stadium led to the team moving there permanently, as it was a much more appropriate size for the needs (and drawing power) of a CFL team.

[@matthewdaley746]

The only reason that eyesore still exists is demolition means Montreal's chances of getting another, MLB, team, instantly, go from virtually zero to actually zero, truly, it's a tragic case of denial.

[@TPTGopher]

@gordonwhitney6052 To this day, they play Sunday Bloody Sunday before every game to commemorate U2's unwitting role in saving the franchise.

[@matthewdaley746]

​@TPTGopher It requires implosion, yesterday.

[@DolFan316]

I remember two things about the '90s Lions besides Barry Sanders. 1. They'd almost always get off to a bad start, have to battle like crazy to make the playoffs, and then went one and done. 2. They always seemed to beat the Packers at home and lose to them on the road.

[@CTubeMan]

Considering the circumstances the Lions are lucky their Sunday was not a Bloody Sunday.

[@donaldpaluga]

But when it comes to a Super Bowl, Detroit Still Hasn't Found What They're Looking For

[@CTubeMan]

@@donaldpalugaAs the last year and a half has proven it’s not because they lack Desire.

[@donaldpaluga]

​@CTubeMan but invariably they end up on The Street With No Name

[@donaldpaluga]

​@CTubeMan whereas Rodgers did what he did When Love Came To Town

[@CTubeMan]

@@donaldpaluga Well played my man!

[@danmount9462]

U2 can subscribe to this channel 😂

[@RetroJR3379]

BEST SEGWAY EVER

[@dangard75.wordpressdotcom]

I will follow!

[@ropeblaster420]

The segway puns don't always work, but Jag hit with this one.

[@RetroJR3379]

@jesseyates721 Im just waiting for a 1985 Bears video just so we could hear... Shuffled your way and press the like and subscribe LOL

[@jeffduflo8204]

That's the Lions damn fault for not having facilities available. Don't feel bad for them. Be prepared.

[@Matthew6248]

Not the first time a detroit team had drama with a musical act, sometime in the 1980s, there was drama between John Denver and the Tigers

[@SaintNormRIP]

The Tigers were using “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” during the 5th inning when the grounds crew raked the infield dirt. John Denver happened to be an Orioles fan and sang the same song at an Orioles game. The controversy is that John Denver was an Orioles fan, and at the time the Tigers and Orioles were competing regularly to win the AL East. There wasn’t really a controversy. The guy was a fan of another team. That’s the “controversy”.

[@arizonawrestlinginterviews1040]

Can one of you JG9 historians help me out here- I'm pretty sure he made a video about the John Denver situation

[@daveporter0217]

​@@arizonawrestlinginterviews1040 He made a JG7 video about it

[@OsmosisMiller]

​@@arizonawrestlinginterviews1040It's over jg7

[@OsmosisMiller]

​@@arizonawrestlinginterviews1040it's over on jg7. And it's doozy

[@americanidol30]

The Packers backup quarterback in 1997 was Steve Bono. Bono, get it?

[@michaelsamuel9841]

😂

[@mrnosaj71]

You have the best videos that relate football with anything!

[@rambothedog2003]

I wish the Lions would go back to this look. Instead of the 10 thousand different variations they have had since.

[@WrestlingWithHorror420]

Thank you! They're variant uniforms are annoying AF; just give me my Honolulu blue and silver! GOOOOOOOOO LIONS!

[@pappy4075]

I was at that concert it was great and Smasmouth opened traffic horrid

[@RetroJR3379]

If I remember when Bobby Ross coached the Chargers cause of thr heavy rain they had to practice for the AFC Title game vs Pittsburgh at a ballroom

[@matthewdaley746]

The Steelers were, so, sure they would win they had, already, made a SB video, that backfired disastrously, twice, first, they completely ignored the Chargers, and, lost, second, the, NFL, decided that they were, "owed," a trip to the SB the following year, and, did the Colts dirty, fortunately, the Cowboys, ultimately, prevented any permanent damage.

[@DolFan316]

@@matthewdaley746 How exactly did the NFL rig it so the Steelers reached the Super Bowl that season? All I remember is the dropped Hail Mary at the end of the AFC title game and Neil O'Donnell taking a dive in the Super Bowl. Nobody can ever convince me he didn't.

[@matthewdaley746]

​@DolFan316 Kordell Stewart ran, out-of-bounds, before scoring what would be the, Game-Winning, TD, the stadium was absolutely blanketed with, "Three More Yards," banners, (in a move, instantly, outlawed), plus, the receiver dropped the, TD, because he was blatantly interfered with, the Colts were owed an untimed down, unfortunately, the, NFL, had, already, decided the Steelers, "deserved," to go to the SB, the Steelers proved, otherwise, against the Cowboys, simple as that.

[@lucyloo2228]

Please do a video of how good Jimmy Smith was in the clutch. Here are a few to get you started: 1996 game winning TD in Denver, 1996 Hailmary TD at Patriots, 1997 Hailmary before halftime in the Jets playoff game, 2004 4th down against the Bills, 2004 Overtime game winner against Lions, 2005 Jets in overtime, TD against the Colts before halftime in between 2 defenders, and countless 4th down catches and touchdowns.

[@CTubeMan]

This unofficial Official Jaguar Gator 9 historian will remind everyone you made a video about the time the Colts had a practice facility in 1975 that was also not conducive to kicking or much else.

[@davidroberts7282]

I think the Baltimore Colts, despite a shaky 4-4 start to the season and more then a few anxiety-inducing moments of tension, and melodrama, ended up having a much better, more successful season that year then what the 1997 Lions ended up achieving, barely making into the playoffs as a WC at 9-7 despite a talented WR corps, a decent overall defense, and Barry Sanders providing NFL fans his best season ever of his entire career. His 2,000-yard statistical bonanza of a season seems almost mythical now, but Ive always believed that year was his absolute best. FWIW, of those talented, scrappy, over-achieving Colts teams of the mid-late 70'e, their 1976 team was probably the best of all of them in terms of talent, stats, dominance, team depth and cohesion. They were very good teams still stuck in an age of very great, Dynasty teams like Pitssburgh, Oakland, Miami and later on, Denver. 1976 was easily Bert Jones best year of his underrated career and IMHO, fully deserved winning the season's MVP award.

[@matthewdaley746]

Colts were preoccupied, unquestionably.

[@matthewdaley746]

​​​@@davidroberts7282Failures caused departure, unquestionably.

[@DolFan316]

@@davidroberts7282 '76 Colts had the best point differential of those mid '70s teams (just 2 shy of their best of the decade) and came the closest to winning a playoff game by far. So...yeah. And almost nobody seems to remember that in 97 Barry's first two games were so bad the media was churning out articles asking what was wrong with him. He actually ran for 2000 yards on the nose in the final 14 games after just 53 the first two 😯

[@matthewdaley746]

​​​@@DolFan316Playoffs were disappointing, unquestionably.

[@johnwiesner9590]

This was the final season that TNT and ESPN both had SNF games. The week before was the final ever game TNT. televised.

[@DanStrayer]

Intriguing bit of trivia. I wonder if that means that it was Verne Lundquist’s last NFL broadcast. I’m guessing no, as there would surely have been at least one time he was on the 🎙️ when CBS got the NFL back for the 1998 season and onward.

[@johnwiesner9590]

@DanStrayer He did announce NFL games on CBS in 1998 and 1999, including the divisional round playoff game where the Jaguars beat the Dolphins 62-7 in the most lopsided NFL playoff game in the last 83 years. In 2000-2016 he announced SEC games on CBS.

[@johnwiesner9590]

@matthewdaley746 That year Seattle won the AFC West with a 9-7 record, which meant they probably wouldn't have been a playoff team if they were in any other division.

[@mgb4692]

​@@johnwiesner9590 Interesting mention of the Seahawks relating to Verne, he did their preseason games back in the mid-late 2000s

[@ChasetheG]

I wonder if Taylor Swift will screw over the Dolphins, Saints, or Colts this year.

[@matthewdaley746]

1. Weather, Dolphins. 2. Money, Saints. 3. A treacherous owner, Colts.

[@DolFan316]

Taylor Swift is the official spokeswoman for the group who wants to screw over all of humanity. It used to be Madonna, but she was too obvious with the satanism.

[@matthewdaley746]

​​​​​​@DolFan316 Madonna learned the hard way what happens when popularity is based largely on outrageousness, unquestionably, her downfall was something that could have been seen a country mile away, period, simple as that.

[@MatthewRedding-z9p]

Let's pray u2 doesn't screw it up for the lions anytime in the future and let's pray the lions find what they are lookin' for, ha, get it

[@ItsMe-zr7jb]

Click the card in the upper right corner

[@charliem9831]

The POPMart was massively underrated

[@mangrove]

POP itself is a massively underrated album. The show at the Silverdome was also Larry's birthday; the crowd sang Happy Birthday to him. And after the concert, the band went to a diner in Hamtramck and shot the video for If God Will Send His Angels.

[@charliem9831]

@@mangrove POP was actually the album that got my into U2. It was Staring at the Sun the hooked me. And I was off on a great Musical Journey

[@RetroJR3379]

Mexico City should've thought of that when they decide to booked Shakira & Cruz Azul days before the Chiefs/Rams game

[@donaldpaluga]

@@RetroJR3379 Hips Don't Lie

[@RetroJR3379]

@donaldpaluga Yea and we don't confuse them with mountain

[@rngfootball759]

At least Wrestlemania 3 and 2023 Summerslam didnt screw up the Lions those occur in offseason

[@mangrove]

The Pistons had to move a playoff game from the' Dome to the Joe in 1984 because a motorcross event had been previously scheduled for that same date. It was the deciding game of the series, too.

[@rngfootball759]

I think that was against the Knicks when Bernard King went off

[@CutterHistorical]

RATS I WISH I WAS THE FIRST TO SAY ABOUT U2 IMPACTING THE MONTREAL ALOUETTES IN 1997 IN THE RIGHT WAY POSSIBLE

[@donaldpaluga]

TBF JG9 Smash Mouth wasn't an All Star band in 97

[@SaintNormRIP]

Their debut album had just hit and Walking on the Sun had just started getting radio play. So you’re correct.

[@matthewdaley746]

Not a believer, unquestionably.

[@matthewdaley746]

​@SaintNormRIP Unfortunately, era, was, abbreviated.

[@donaldpaluga]

@@matthewdaley746 because of Steve Harwell's death, sadly #thenthemourningcomes

[@matthewdaley746]

​​​@@donaldpalugaAn unfortunate passing, unquestionably.

[@jasonfischer8946]

Allen Iverson diaagrees with your analysis.

[@donaldpaluga]

@jasonfischer8946 Mark Madsen thinks The Question is a joke

[@ronpeacock9939]

If the team owned their own venue, this would not have been a problem. When you essentially rent a venue from the city, you are not the only one renting it. More fuel for teams to own it themselves and not expect cities to built it for them.

[@timtebowsleftarm5368]

They couldn’t use a local high school or college? How Lions of them.

[@matthewdaley746]

Foolish pride involved, unquestionably.

[@donaldpaluga]

@@timtebowsleftarm5368 or a Discotheque

[@matthewdaley746]

​@stfi7566 Victory is confusing, unquestionably.

[@matthewdaley746]

​​​​@@donaldpalugaThat sure applies, unquestionably.

[@TreFinesse81]

They had a mini dome next to the Silverdome where the team could walk from and to. Thats not an excuse. I’m from Pontiac and this was public knowledge

[@animoetprudentia2865]

And people wonder why Barry retired. Sheila is trying her best to correct decades of ineptitude. She's off to a pretty solid start. #onepride

[@JMRyan10]

Of course the Lions hate U2. After all, U2 has more Super Bowl appearances than the Lions.

[@nosajiksnektoouglyforporn3204]

True. But the Lions also NEVER forced people with iPhones to have their debacle AUTOMATICALLY DOWNLOADED to their phones, like U2 did with 'Songs of Innocence'.

[@ThatGreenGuy85]

"U2 gave arguably the greatest sports halftime show of all time" I almost rage quit the channel. U2 has fewer than 5 songs that are even "arguably" good.

[@matthewdaley746]

That was a horrible halftime show, in retrospect, considering what the Game itself led to, and, they have exactly two great albums, but, I see them as having a career, possibly, as long as, The, Rolling Stones, despite, their paucity of quality, because, Bono, apparently, has the stage presence that causes people to completely ignore this.

[@tommykeeran6776]

The reason it didn't sell out is because U2 sucks.

[@jeremydobbs5578]

It sounds like their passing game would have been better off using their practice time practicing throwing the ball into the ground

[@marcus813]

The place where the Lions had to practice was not even better than the real thing. This Lions team played the Buccaneers in the playoffs in Tampa Stadium's final game and lost.

[@danielhresko4900]

Interesting that you referred to "this man right here" twice as "U2". The singer goes by the nickname Bono, not U2.

[@strick8008]

"One of the greatest halftime shows in history"?!? 🤣😂😅

[@randytracy1742]

No wonder the lions 🦁 hated u2 ! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🏈🎵🕺👀😧🎸

[@mgb4692]

And here I thought the biggest bash on Bono was his incorrect lyric about the MLK assassination (it took place just after 6p local time, a little past "early morning")

[@auntiewewe972]

As far as the Patriots vs Dolphins game being postponed and not being able to play at Foxboro. Um.....you do realise Concerts and tours are scheduled long before they play right? I suppose the hurricane, that ( surprise 😂) hit Florida was U2 fault too?

[@aninja7628]

Love the Lions/ Hate the U2 weirdos, always been that way always will be

[@tarvisbickler3787]

U2 is Lame

[@matthewdaley746]

Give them twenty more years, they'll turn out exactly like, The, Rolling Stones, approximately two decades of legendary music, followed by a far longer period of forgettable, (at best), output, with the occasionally great song, with the vast majority of the population ignoring their enormous mediocrity due to their longevity, just sad.

[@mattp8997]

U2 sucks....why would an Irish rock band be used to tribute 9/11 victims at the SUPER BOWL.....

[@TheCrawdaddy029]

This doesnt make any sense. The lions had at the time an indoor practice feild not to far from the Palace. Pretty sure its still there today.

[@JaguarGator8]

The Lions were the only NFC Central team at the time to not have an indoor field for some reason

[@Jay-n262]

Can't stand Bono, don't need him at Ford field.

[@AdamJ617]

Less than 100 to go.

[@darkhobo]

Detroit vs everybody

[@CTubeMan]

Speaking of your segue, I B 52 now.

[@donaldpaluga]

No more Red Red Wine for you

[@CTubeMan]

@@donaldpaluga Does this mean UB 40?

[@CTubeMan]

@@donaldpaluga That means I can Roam if I want to.

[@jamesbowman8138]

Went to pop mart twice

[@barbaracaroll]

Bono rocks!

[@DolFan316]

FYI Pop was the last U2 album I bought. It was such trash I just had to quit them.

[@matthewdaley746]

I own exactly two albums from them, The, Joshua Tree, and, Achtung Baby, the rest are all, simply, totally, forgettable, no doubt.

[@rkn3045]

how do i get their album off my phone? the lions are terrible singers.

[@Mr.BooBoo26]

U2 sucks

[@Fury325Fan]

Have you heard their 80’s stuff? I could see where you’d think that if your only exposure to them was through their 2010’s garbage