I was 14 and went to this show with no adult supervision…
A cousin of mine introduced me to U2 sometime in 1984, and I instantly fell in love with the band. While they were gaining recognition at the time, their popularity was still growing—they hadn’t yet become ubiquitous. With my exposure to pop culture still very mainstream back then, discovering a band like U2 felt like stumbling upon a hidden secret. It gave me the sense that I was part of an exclusive club.
The Unforgettable Fire tour marked their final step before the global fame that The Joshua Tree would eventually bring. So, while there were probably over 15,000 of us at the Forum, it felt like we were part of something intimate, as though the band loved us all for being in on it.
I remember being captivated by the show and the entire experience of attending a live concert and the spectacle of it all. But the most special moment came at the end, when the whole audience was singing the closing lines of “40.” Even after the band left the stage, we continued singing for what felt like half an hour (although it was probably only two minutes).
Setlist: 11 O’Clock Tick Tock → I Will Follow → Seconds → Two Hearts Beat As One → MLK → The Unforgettable Fire→ Wire → Sunday Bloody Sunday→ The Cry → The Electric Co. / Amazing Grace (snippet) → A Sort Of Homecoming → Bad (I’m Waiting For The Man / Ruby Tuesday / Sympathy For The Devil snippets) → October → New Year’s Day → Pride (In The Name Of Love)
Encore: Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door → Gloria → 40 ( Do They Know It’s Christmas snippet)
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