These guys sucked too.
U2 Boy Tour
Boy 4th leg: North America
1981-03-16: Woodstock - Anaheim, California, USA
« 1981-03-15 - Los Angeles | 1981-03-18 - San Jose »
Setlist:
not available
Comments: Widely printed reports that only a dozen people attended this concert are false.
Concert reviews: Submit your review
· Woodstock Concert Theater U2 - Direct from Ireland submitted by Mike Muckenthaler
I can't tell you how wierd it is after all these years to be writing this review. U2 at the Woodstock was the strangest concert I have ever been to, and one of the best. I was working with the Schultz family doing shows throughout the Southern California area ... and we were promoting all kinds of styles ... the Schultzs' owned the Woodstock,it was more or less a metalhead or mainstream rock club and they didn't have a big New Wave or Punk following back then. Bands like X-iter,WASP,Eden,A La Carte,Montrose,Great White, etc. were the big draws.
I had brought in Social Distruction to do a show earlier and there was a minor riot between our security and the band and their fans, so we were kind of giving New Wave and Punk a second try with U2. We seriously thought they were going to be a Flock of Seagulls type band. HA!
I even had to go home and get an iron, because they didn't have any clothes that weren't wrinkled. Can you imagine, ironing Bono's shirt and thinking, "I hope this is going to be worth it."
What can I say? We were blown away by what we heard that night. For us, it was like seeing The Doors at the Whiskey in the 60's, before they took off ... I felt like I was in a time warp, or a dream and I really didn't know how to react. It was great.
That night, U2 was a band no one could pigeon hole or define in any narrow terms and all of us there (probably less than 2 dozen)knew this was something special. Our bigest regret is that we didn't know enough to really promote them. Our Metal kids didn't come to the show and the Punks didn't know what U2 was all about either. Maybe that's why they're still around ... originality and creativity are something that inspires the soul. It did that night, it still does now. Mike Muckenthaler
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· Woodstock Anaheim Show submitted by LeRoy A. Lucian
There may have only been a dozen or so in attendance who came just for the band , but there were about 100 or so in the club that night. The majority were there because it was their club. There were the slam dancers near the stage, the black leather and mascara (guys) who mostly hung near the bar and a veritable cornucopia of strangely attired humanity filling the voids. From the obligatory tall mohawks to this one girl with a swirl of white hair dyed pink on top that looked like a lit stick match.
I entered with 3 friends dressed not to impress, we came for the music. There were others there as well. One young long haired guy was dancing away with an old tape recorder on his shoulder. I heard later that there was a bootleg recording of the show. The sound quality must have been pretty poor. At one point this young couple walked through the door looking like they came straight from a school dance. She was wearing a prom type dress and he was wearing a blazer with a crest on the pocket. They took two steps in and stayed by the door all night, but they stayed. The sights before them must have been quite a cultue shock.
One little fact that few people probably know is that before it's incarnation as the Woodstock Concert Theatre ( a punk club) the building had been known as Rocky's Pub, a beer on tap, pool and darts establishment. Just the kind of place that the boys might have dropped into for a pint.
The next time I saw the boys was the Unforgettable Fire tour at the Sports Arena. The roar of the crowd was louder than the band, and so it goes.
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· tick tock! submitted by Michael Marsh
I was working at Anaheim Tower Records and got a promo copy of Boy in January. Some friends heard about the gig, and we were expecting something special.
We showed up in the afternoon to see them arrive off the bus for the soundcheck. I still wonder how or why we did that...
The club was a dive, a big old pool table in the center of the room. $5.50 to get in. Too much for one friend who decided to pass. (Define "regret") We were 18 and 19 and couldn't get a beer. I don't remember if we drank before entering. A band "Second Wind" opened. Rock ballady in a Foreigner way.
There were actually about 100 or so in the audience. The band had barely enough songs for a set, and they played "11 o clock tick tock" a second time as an encore. It was the eve of St. Patrick's Day and they were totally on fire.
Everybody knows them now, but at the time, we seriously thought we'd seen the best band ever. They weren't pompous, corny or lame like so many of the bands of that time. They were uniquely optimistic and sincere.
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· We did the show ... we know ... submitted by Mike Muckenthaler
I got a kick out of reading the other reviews of this show. I actually made the flyer ... and was at the door later when the show went down ... and we seriously only had about a dozen 'paid' tickets sold for U2.
There were other people there of course ... for Second Wind and some 20/20 fans ... but they didn't pay, they were 'comped' or on the 'guest list'. Opening acts got 2 guests for each band member, and their 'roadies' (mostly friends of the bands) were all comped. NO WAY WERE THERE A HUNDRED PEOPLE THERE AT ANY TIME. In fact, a lot of people left after the opening acts, it was a 'work' night ... and only the most 'in' music fans had any idea of who U2 were.
I walked from the front door to the stage without bumping into anyone ... it was that empty.
The guy who wrote that The Woodstock was a "punk club" was soooo wrong it hurts. Back then it was the home of hard rock and metal acts ... groups like Metallica, Slayer, Great White, Dokken, WASP ect. ... the 'punk nights', (most of which I promoted, with groups like X, Social Distortion, etc,) were few and far between.
I think he's got his clubs confused ... it was The Cuckooo's Nest in Costa Mesa that was 'punk' ... Jerry Roach, (the Nest's owner) told me that he had been offered the U2 show, but had turned it down. He said, it was the only show he regretted NOT doing.)
Jerry also owned Casa Balanca (later to be called 'Radio City' the club next to The Woodstock, so maybe that writer is thinking of that club, although I think it had had a fire around that time, and was closed for repairs.)
I still have the original 'cut and paste' for the flyer ... if anyone's interested ...
... check out The Woodstock Concert Theatre - JA Schultz Productions on Myspace. You'll get a kick out of it.
Mike Muckenthaler
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· The Woodstock - a cowboy bar with pool tables and sawdust on the floor submitted by Riot Nrrrd™
I was at this show, along with my roommate at the time. We drove up from Newport Beach. We went to this show because it was a lot closer than the Reseda gig the night before. KROQ hadn't yet played "I Will Follow" to death (that happened immediately afterwards - note how they went from a small club to the Santa Monica Civic in 2 months' time).
I don't know how many people were there, but it was definitely more than a dozen and less than 100. I mostly remember the sawdust on the floor and the pool tables and tripping out that U2 was playing at a place like that. It was a Monday night so that probably did not help matters. I guess in a way this show was much like modern-day gigs at the Glass House in Pomona - they get announced after the "main" gig in Hollywood/LA proper (which often sell out) and you go to them and there's a lot less people there, but somehow they end up being more "special" that way.
I wish I could remember the gig proper but to be honest I just remember being pretty close to the stage and thinking this was a pretty darn good little Rock band. Little did we know what was in store for them in the future! I still have my ticket stub for this show; you can find it on Flickr. (Thanks to Mike Mergenthaler for his memories and posting the flyer for the gig!)
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· This was a great show submitted by eso
There were only about 100 people at this gig. U2 was not known and had received no significant press or airplay.
After a good raw set the band was brought back out for 2 encores... When the audience still asked for more they came out one last time and repeated 2 tunes from earlier in the night.
Apologetic, Bono told the audience that was all they could do: there wasn't any more material. They would be back through the area on a few months in Santa Monica...
I went to that show too, which was a real disappointment after the first one. They were worn out from touring and some equipment changes compromised their stage sound too.
Wild Bill responding to a
comment by newarkhouse
12.20.11 - 12:20 pm
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Ridazz Roulette!
I have 1 ticket for sale this friday night 12/16/11 at the santa monica civic for $35..It's what i paid for it. My friend can't make it to the show. email me if interested. barleye at hotmail.com