Fans of U2 are undoubtedly feeling pretty good right now, with news that the earliest-known live recording of the band has been found.
It might sound hard to believe, but this year marks the 43rd anniversary of Irish rock icons U2. First forming back in 1976, the group changed names a few times over the years, going from Feedback to The Hype, before settling on their now-iconic name back in 1978.
During this time, the band were gigging extensively, playing live as much as possible and delivering sets that featured a larger amount of covers than fans would be used to.
As you’d expect, live recordings of the band in this era are pretty rare, and for the longest time, the earliest recordings known to fans were from an audience recording from 1980, and a radio broadcast from October of 1979.
Now, a new recording has been uncovered that pre-dates both of these, offering fans a chance to hear U2 as they sounded live back in 1979.
Check out a sample of U2’s ‘Concentration Cramp’:
According to the U2 fan-site ATU2, the band performed at the Dandelion Market in Dublin, Ireland on August 11th, just weeks before they released their debut EP, Three.
As it turns out, the guitarist of the support band – The Strougers’ Pete McCluskey – had the remarkable foresight to bring a tape recorder along to the show, committing it to tape and capturing a bit of history in the process.
“I am pleased that I recorded the show,” McCluskey explained, “And hadn’t realized the significance of it and its place in history until quite recently.
As it turns out, this show was indeed rather significant. In addition to covers of the Ramones’ ‘Glad To See You Go’ and Led Zeppelin’s ‘Black Dog’, the set consisted of a few songs that never made it out of the live sets of the late ’70s.
Sure, songs like ‘Another Time, Another Place’, ‘Shadows And Tall Trees’, and ‘Stories For Boys’ would eventually appear on their debut album, Boy, songs such as ‘Concentration Cramp’ and ‘In Your Hand’ may only now exist in this unearthed recording.
At this stage, it’s unclear when the general public might get a chance to give this live recording a listen, but fans are undoubtedly hoping that it might find its way into the band’s hands, so that some sort of archival release might take place in the future.
In related news, U2 are set to make their long-awaited return to Australia later this year when they bring their The Joshua Tree tour to our shores. No word yet as to whether some of these early tracks might make a reappearance, but we wouldn’t count on it.
Check out a snippet of ‘In Your Hand’ by U2:
U2 @ Dandelion Market, Dublin, Ireland 11/8/79 Setlist
‘Out Of Control’
‘Speed Of Light’
‘In Your Hand’
‘The Fool’
‘Concentration Cramp’
‘Another Time Another Place’
‘Stories For Boys’
‘Shadows And Tall Trees’
‘Cartoon World’
‘Alone In The Light’
‘Street Mission’
‘Black Dog’ (Led Zeppelin cover)
‘Life On A Distant Planet’
‘Twilight’
‘Boy-Girl’
Encore:
‘Out Of Control’
‘Glad To See You Go’ (Ramones cover)
U2 The Joshua Tree Australian Tour
With Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
Tuesday, November 12th
Brisbane, Suncorp Stadium, QLD
Friday, November 15th
Melbourne, Marvel Stadium, VIC
Tuesday, November 19th
Adelaide, Adelaide Oval, SA
Friday, November 22nd (Sold Out)Sydney, Sydney Cricket Ground, NSW
Saturday, November 23rd (New Show)
Sydney, Sydney Cricket Ground, NSW
Wednesday, November 27th
Perth, Optus Stadium, WA
Tickets on sale now via Live Nation
