U2 – The Joshua Tree Tour – 1987

June 13th 1987 – Wembley Stadium

Only the second time I would have seen U2. Still very, very exciting. We had cars now and in those days it was relatively cheap to drive and park in London.

I think there was 4 of us went to this gig, seem to remember only one car load. It was a good line up. Lone Justice, The Pogues, Lou Reed and of course Bono and the boys.

Little bit gutted even then, that they ripped the tickets in half!! Rude. But I’ve lost some of my tickets over the years, so glad I have the memory of half of one still.

Lone Justice

Lone Justice was a little bit frustrating! These were the early years of Wembley gigs and they hadn’t really got to grips with the basics, like how to get people into the stadium before the music started!! We got to the stadium at around 2pm, so well in advance of the 4pm commencement time. We didn’t actually get into the stadium until about 4:30pm so missed quite a lot of Lone Justice, who I had been really looking forward to.

Maria McKee was the founding band member and an excellent singer who I had got to hear for the first time as she was on this line up. She had released two albums, “Lone Justice” and “Shelter” (the latter was my fave and still is), “Shelter” had the great single “I Found Love”.

Luckily they played this just as we were getting in, but it was sad to miss most of it…….I would get to see Maria McKee later in a few years time.

Lone Justice Set List

I’ve not found this and missed most of it, but pretty sure it included “I Found Love”, “Shelter” and “Wheels”

The Pogues

Shane MacGowan was just falling off the top of his game around this time. They had just released the phenomenal “If I Should Fall From Grace With God”, the follow up to “Rum, Sodomy and The Lash”, but Shane was struggling and a few band members had recently left.

Even so, I seem to remember it was a stunning performance of their great songs. Spider Stacy held things together and we can’t forget the band was a tight unit with or without Shane.

It was a lovely hot sunny day too, so the beers were flowing (for most, I was driving) and the jigs and strange dances were fantastic. My favourite song, “Sally MacLennane” was now their go to final track, but they fired out “The Irish Rover” first and they had the crowd immediately on their side. Non stop Irish fun. A fantastic warm up or headline band.

Pogues Set List

• The Irish Rover
• Streams of Whiskey
• Repeal of the Licensing Laws
• The Ballinalee
• The Body of an American
• If I Should Fall From Grace With God
• And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda
• South Australia
• Turkish Song of the Damned
• The Sick Bed of Cúchulainn
• The Broad Majestic Shannon
• Metropolis
• Dark Streets of London
• Dirty Old Town
• Sally MacLennane

Lou Reed

Of course, Lou is a God!!! Transformer was really the only album I’d got though, with the classics “Walk on the Wildside”, “Perfect Day” and “Satellite of Love”. Of those, he only played the encore of “Walk on the Wild Side”

As stadium music, it didn’t really work for me, the were a few Velvet Underground songs too and I’ve never quite got Lou Reed, but it is one to tick the box saying “I was there”.

I’d heard Bowie play “White Light/White Heat” on his Ziggy Stardust, The Motion Picture album (I think), so it was great to hear how the original writer did it.

Lou Reed Setlist

I Love You Suzanne
Sweet Jane (The Velvet Underground song)
New Sensations
The Last Shot
Street Hassle
No Money Down
The Original Wrapper
Video Violence
Rock & Roll (The Velvet Underground song)
White Light/White Heat (The Velvet Underground song)
Encore: Walk on the Wild Side

U2

The main event….now, even now (and I go to alot of outdoor gigs), I don’t really fully enjoy big outdoor gigs. The crowds don’t pay attention, you are too far a way, you don’t generally get a sweat on and the sound sways on the wind. But sometimes, it’s the only way to see a band, especially U2, who by now, were only playing stadiums anyway.

As such, I don’t remember a great deal of this gig, I know it was fantastic and we all had an immense time, but picking out particular moments is difficult. I was great, a sunny day and we all sang our hearts out and Bono is one of the greatest showman to live, but oh to see them in a small hall somewhere.

I gurss hearing live “Where The Streets Have No Name” and “Bullet The Blue Sky” were the highlights.

I wouldn’t see U2 again for a while, but I would still have to trade off seeing some of the bands I wanted to in large venues, but I know at the time, I was now desperate for some more smaller venue bands. Cheaper and more fun.

I will have a love, hate, hate relationship with large venues and festivals all the way through my music watching days.

U2 Set List

• Stand by Me (Ben E. King cover)
• Pride (In the Name of Love)
• I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
• MLK
• The Unforgettable Fire
• Sunday Bloody Sunday
• Exit (with ‘Riders on the Storm’ /… more )
• In God’s Country
• C’mon Everybody (Eddie Cochran cover)
• Help! (The Beatles cover)
• Bad (with ‘Walk on the Wild Side’ snippet)
• October
• New Year’s Day
• I Will Follow
• Gloria
• Encore: Where the Streets Have No Name
• Bullet the Blue Sky (with ‘The Battle Hymn of the Republic’ snippet),
• Running to Stand Still
• With or Without You (with ‘Shine Like Stars’ coda… more )
• Trash, Trampoline and the Party Girl
• 40