U2 Live 05/15/81 California

[@andyfeldman2590]

This is footage arranged by Bill Graham (USA) for the purpose of creating a live video of “I Will Follow”. You can hear at the end of the first play of “I Will Follow” that Bono says “good, good”, indicating to management and the video crew that the band performed a version he deemed good enough for a video. Eventually that performance made its way to MTV and was played over and over in 1981-83, albeit with a slightly different camera edit. There is also “rehearsal” footage from the afternoon in existence that shows the band running through “I Will Follow” more than several times, so the camera crew could get used to the song for positioning etc., and perhaps for “fill in shots” if needed. It’s all available on a fairly popular bootleg. Thanks Bill Graham.

[@nadegebastian517]

Merci ma sœur t tu ast demain sur messegere ou pas 🧡😽💋😂

[@bgierat]

I love early U2. Such raw energy, that sound was so new and fresh for 1981!

[@jude999]

The Cure at this time too.

[@greg6602]

Edge's distinctive, chiming style and nearly flawless playing already established and get this: he's only 19 in this footage. He would turn 20 later that summer. Larry would turn 20 in the fall. They are so tight as a band here with songs that are melodic, pulsating and rhythmic and not just unrestrained power chord energy and poorly mixed vocals as-is the fault of so many young bands, especially around this time. Five years prior U2 was simply an idea (if that even) while forming and unable to play their instruments. Except Larry. Their creative ascension these years was something to behold.

[@billhoward497]

0:00 The Ocean 1:40 11 O’clock Tick Tock 6:20 I Will Follow 10:00 I Fall Down 13:20 An Cat Dubh/Into the Heart 21:00 Touch 24:10 Another Time Another Place 28:30 Cry/Electric Co 33:21 Things to Make and Do 35:35 Stories for Boys 39:02 Boy/Girl 43:02 Out of Control 48:20 Twilight (lighting goes out) 54:40 I Will Follow #2 59:55 A Day Without Me 1:02:55 11 O’clock Tick Tock #2 1:07:40 The Ocean #2

[@zachb7374]

❤FILMED...!!@#@ WTF I've waited over 30 yrs for this.. Ocean/ I Fall/ Touch/ Another time/ Things to Make/ Stories/ Boy Girl/ A Day Without... Thanks for sharing xo

[@aimsterg3208]

Thank you so much for this. I worked at Wherehouse Records when "Boy" came out and I used to blast it through the store. Bono is just a first class person. I love Edge's musicianship too! Rock on!

[@U2HL]

U2 in the 80's🔝great performance, so much energy! Bono being funny "i'm gonna drink that stuff anyway...love it!sounds good! thanks for the upload! 💞🎶🎸🥁

[@SnixGXT]

avez-vous de l'instragram ?

[@davidrose1847]

Awesome, thanx for sharing, I'd have Happily bought DVD in HMV

[@ericlebrun1640]

bono was only 21!!!!! Still already a great band.....

[@christophersanders5007]

I was at this concert. This was a small place called "The Hall". This was the first time I had seen U2. Many of the people at this show where only somewhat familiar with U2"s music. When I saw U2 at this show I was not sure if U2 where going to blow up big, or just blow up. I had seen many bands by then that where great, but just fell apart shortly after for some reason. I had also seen U2's nemeses "Killing Joke" a short while before this show. They where also really good like U2 was when I saw them.

[@lauraallen55]

What city is "the hall' located in?

[@christophersanders5007]

@@lauraallen55 Somewhere in Los Angeles. I cannot remember it was so long ago. I had to drive in all the way from South Orange County to see the show. That place may not even exist anymore.

[@lauraallen55]

@@christophersanders5007 Okay, thanks!

[@giovannimilan]

Lucky you! To see Killing Joke as well in 1981 was a great fortune! I could see U2 for the first time in 1985 when they played for the first time in my country, Italy, very first Italian show (Milan). I saw Killing Joke more or less by the same time for the first time.

[@kevbob]

@@christophersanders5007 this was in San Francisco actually, California Hall. They stopped concerts here a couple years after this. It would definitely have been a long drive from Orange County, but it was definitely not in LA.

[@marvin7950]

This is Gold

[@cw9817]

It's interesting that we hear about the genesis of "I Fall Down" here from Bono: It was written while the band was touring America, sometime between March and May 1981. Also, Bono calls it "When I Fall Down" here (evidently the original title), and the lyrics are substantially different here from the recorded version. So the lyrics must have been revised sometime between this time (mid-May 1981) and October, when the album October was released that year.

[@felicialefay]

Wow, what a find! Thank you for posting this. Adorable U2, when they were so young 😍

[@jimhager3891]

THANKS for this! I've been looking for this ever since I saw it on MTV in the 80's

[@melissar6365]

Such an awesome find and amazing quality!!! The BEST!!! Love these lads!! This was some of my very favorites from them. ☘️ 🇮🇪

[@JamesTheEdge14]

Never seen this before, quality is superb, thanks!

[@hadrian3487]

The Edge in those days only had 2 guitars one Stratocaster and one Gibson Explorer and one amp called a vox which he still uses today. Today he uses 19 different guitars for a concert a wall of electronics massive pedal board and a sound check guy Dallas.

[@andrew6978]

His old '64 Vox got retired, he uses about 6 of them now along with Fenders.

[@ericlebrun1640]

And 2 deluxe memory man pedals behing him on a box...

[@UlulatingBanshee777]

Does he really need all that tech, and a devoted tech dude to push the buttons? I prefer his amazing sounds here!

[@ausis6214]

@@UlulatingBanshee777 He expanded his sound. Also Dallas doesn't push buttons, a guitar tech does any repairs, tunings, etc. to make sure they're ready for the show.

[@Mushy72]

A epically unique masterpiece 🍀

[@175archie]

thank you for the upload

[@joseoscaralejandrogarciadu6632]

Lo máximo esos años de U2

[@gemagonzalez153]

Gracias por subir este concierto .es toda una 💎💎

[@keithlast1487]

Nice to know that they aren't traveling in a bus anymore as Bono mentioned that they were at this show.

[@maryolmstead3183]

Priceless

[@talldarkandahandfull5781]

Sounds like the song called,The ocean to start the show until 1:37,then 11 o'clock tick tock from the under a blood red sky album,then Fall down from the October album,then the beginning of Into the heart from Boy,then the non album track Touch,then The electric company from boy,then, a instrumental track,then stories for boys,then the non album track called Boy/Girl,then Out of control,then Twilight,then at the one hour mark its a great version of,A day without you from the Boy album,

[@andyfeldman2590]

The instrumental is called “Things To Make And Do” and the studio version was a B-side.

[@djdonnag]

11 O' Clock Tick Tock my fave U2 song!

[@cw9817]

"11 O'Clock Tick Tock" was a Spring 1980 single for them; it just didn't make it onto an album until the live version found on Under a Blood Red Sky (1983).

[@donnicholas7552]

COOL!!

[@veraluciapintorios5740]

Sensacional ❤

[@markanthony2873]

Si , claro!

[@MonikaJilg-taadou]

Yes IT IS 😊

[@groovemarina]

Wowza!!!!!

[@steven871]

Larry's Hair! Any idea where this was filmed?! Excellent vintage clip! Thanks

[@victordavila2030]

I need a ticket to Vegas

[@eweb4949]

YES! I'm going in early October 2023 to the Sphere!! A retirement gift to myself.

[@louisplante5199]

Boys way in Cali

[@janineford7816]

Was there 1983

[@vp1000mph]

Did Bono open a bottle of champagne every night of this tour?

[@forasec]

why were these words different then I Fall Down?

[@greg6602]

October was released six months later, that fall. They were still composing the tracks that would make up that album and didn't enter the studio until July of that year.

[@chrisknowlton9460]

WHERE in California?

[@shonalewis6479]

U2 Boy Tour Boy 4th leg: North America 1981-05-15 California Hall San Francisco, California Support Acts: B-Team, Romeo Void Setlist: The Ocean 11 O'Clock Tick Tock I Will Follow I Fall Down An Cat Dubh / Into the Heart It’s a Long Way to Tipperary (snippet) / Touch Another Time, Another Place The Cry / The Electric Co. / Send in the Clowns (snippet) Things To Make And Do Stories for Boys Boy-Girl / Let's Twist Again (snippet) Out of Control encore(s): Twilight I Will Follow A Day Without Me 11 O'Clock Tick Tock The Ocean

[@ressikkareke]

Yhtä nuori kun mie,aika entinen ei palaa,😬