. . . or click on the link here for Audio Player – U2 – Live At Hammersmith Odeon, London – October 1982 – BBC Radio 1
I haven’t run any U2 on this site in a few years. So when I ran across this concert from 1982, I thought I would run it to remind myself what U2 was sounding like prior to the release of their landmark album Joshua Tree in 1987; five years after this concert.
And how times have changed. In the early 80s U2 were scrounging and touring and putting in endless days on the road. In short; the slog. They were gaining a reputation as a live band, but their albums weren’t clicking yet with an international audience. It’s interesting to consider it’s been 38 years since they first got together and formed a band.
Further evidence there’s no such thing as an overnight sensation. But U2 had all the earmarks of a band destined to go places. Even early on, Bono was charismatic and connected with his audience. They still do.
So as a reminder of what bands go through as they work through their formative stages, and as a reminder that U2 were never just an ordinary band, here is their concert, recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon in October of 1982 by the venerable BBC Radio 1.
Play loud.
