100 Concerts / Concert #14

Headline Act: U2
Touring Album: The Joshua Tree

Opening Act: Buckwheat Zydeco, Los Lobos

Date: December 5, 1987 
Venue: Tampa Stadium, Tampa, FL
Ticket price: $18.50

I went on my first date with U2 in '83. Things got a hot and heavy on our second date in '85.  By the time our third date rolled around in '87, it was time to consummate. We've been in a long-term relationship ever since.

For the third show in a row, I experienced a stadium concert. For the second consecutive occasion it was in Tampa Stadium. But was this just another concert? Hell no.

In 1988, the U2 film and album each called "Rattle And Hum" attempted to capture the band's breakout 1987 American tour in support of their landmark album, "The Joshua Tree". U2 made the difficult leap from up-and-comer to mega-stardom. Cover of "Time", anyone? "The Joshua Tree" yielded a smash single ("With Or Without You") and several more hits that cemented the band's standing as major-league rock stars. Beyond the radio hits, the album was deep in quality songs, one of my personal favorites is "Running To Stand Still". From "Where The Streets Have No Name" to "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" to "Bullet The Blue Sky", U2 stirred up spirituality, politics, and passion in a blend that put them in the company of The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and the like.

I road-tripped to Tampa with my friend and fraternity brother Mark (the same guy who helped me become a radio DJ). We arrived early, hung out his twin sisters' apartment on the USF campus, watched a little of the Army-Navy game, then headed over to Tampa Stadium for an incredible evening.

Patches O'Houlihan

Our tickets were General Admission, which gave us free reign of the tarp-covered football field. We arrived early and sat in a wide-open area, roughly 40 yards from the stage.  As the crowd filled in, the anxiousness and the alcohol began to influence the energy of the stadium. It's the only concert experience in my life where I had to escape an "Animal House" inspired food fight. People just needed to kill time, I guess.Cups of soda and beer flew through the air. Half-eaten hot dogs, open mustard packets, baskets of french fries, buckets of pop corn, they were all all fair game. Long before I knew of "Dodgeball" legend Patches O'Houlihan, we managed to dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge the flying food.

Buckwheat Zydeco. Where's Alfalfa?

Los Lobos: Hungry like the wolves.

The legendary Cajun band Buckwheat Zydeco opened the concert as the stadium filled and we were forced to stand. They were an unusual choice, but they helped create a party atmosphere. Next up was Los Lobos, at the time best known for their Richie Valens cover,"La Bamba", from the movie of the same name. They delivered a solid set and have gone on to have a very successful under-the-mainstream-radar career, releasing close to 20 albums from 1976-2010.

The anticipation for U2 was building. As the sun set, thousands of us on stadium floor were packed in like sardines, but not quite as oily. After an hour or so, U2 was ready to take the stage. The stadium lights went out. The crowd screamed as one. The opening notes of "Where The Streets Have No Name" filled the cold December air. And then, a moment I will never forget.

Thousands of fans on the stadium floor surged toward the stage in a chaotic, collective effort to get closer to the band. The power of the crowd's surge was so strong that my feet (and Mark's) left the ground. We were swept away with the tide of humanity. We were carried 10 to 15 yards toward the stage before being unceremoniously dropped back on to the tarp. Fortunately, there was no room to fall, we landed on our feet. It was a feeling of utter helplessness and to be honest, fear.  But there was no time to panic, it happened too quickly. As the excitement passed of U2 taking the stage, I soon thought of the tragic Cincinnati incident in 1979 when 11 fans were killed and dozens injured before a concert by The Who. The circumstances were different, but it was festival seating that led to the Cincinnati tragedy. I could now relate to the odd, frightening sensation of losing control of my body in the throngs of concertgoers. Scary stuff. The Who performed that night, unaware of the tragic events prior the show. When they learned the news after the concert, Pete Townshend and the band were devastated.

The fortunate part of this far-less-tragic moment was that we were now pretty close to the stage, at least for a stadium show.  Bono was decked out in a vest and a cowboy hat while The Edge donned a western-style brimmed hat. The Irishmen were soaking up America and we did the same with their music. The next couple hours were a blur, like an incredible night of passion.Afterward, you can't remember all the details but you just knew every moment felt exactly right.

One of the lasting, eery memories of this fantastic show was a combination of the crowd and the weather. It was an unusually cold Florida night, with temperatures in the low '40s.  Despite the near-frigid air, I saw steam rising off the heads of the fans at the front of the crowd.  The combined body heat of the crowd created a cloud of steam in the cool air. For those unfortunate folks in front of the stage, the force of the crowd pushed them into unmovable barricades with nowhere to go. The crowd's warmth and the push of the masses led to many of fans being pulled over the barricades by security people in order to get medical attention.  I was truly scared for those fans. My earlier feelings of fear and helplessness lasted only 10 to 15 seconds. These folks had to endure an hour or more of getting squished into a barricade with little relief. Front row seats aren't all they're cracked up to be.

If you've seen "Rattle And Hum", you can sense what it was like to see U2 on "The Joshua Tree" tour. But no recording or concert film can ever approach the intangible energy and experience of a U2 concert with 60,000 people. Their music is large enough to fill a cavernous football stadium, but Bono's charisma and stage presence transform a massive, chaotic concert to a collective experience that feels intimate, one that resonates long after the last note is played. Without question, this was one of the most memorable and satisfying concerts of my life. I think the Earth moved.

Not long after this concert, Mark was in a New York City art museum. By sheer luck, he spotted Bono walking around. Mark approached Bono and wanted to tell him how much he enjoyed the U2 concert in Tampa. Not wanting to draw attention from other folks, Bono put his index finger to his own mouth, "Shhh", he told Mark. "Please."

Bono walked away, walked away, walked away, walked away.

Mark did not follow.

Setlist: Where The Streets Have No Name, I Will Follow, Trip Through Your Wires, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looing For / Exodus (snippet), One Tree Hill, Gloria, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Exit / Riders On The Storm (snippet) / Gloria (Van Morrison snippet), In God's Country, People Get Ready, Bad / Ruby Tuesday (snippet) / Sympathy For The Devil (snippet), October, New Year's Day, Pride (In The Name Of Love) Encore: Bullet The Sky, Running To Stand Still, With Or Without You / Shine Like Stars (snippet) / Love Will Tear Us Apart (snippet), We'll Meet Again (snippet) / Spanish Eyes, 40 / Do They Know It's Christmas (snippet)