THE TOUR BEGINS
Disc 1:
1. Where the Streets Have No Name
2. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
3. Gloria
4. I Will Follow
5. Bullet the Blue Sky
6. Running To Stand Still
7. Exit
8. In God's Country
9. A Sort of Homecoming
10. Sunday Bloody Sunday
11. Maggie's Farm
Disc 2:
1. Bad
2. October
3. New Year's Day
4. Pride (In the Name of Love)
5. People Get Ready
6. "40"
Source:
April 2, 1987. Tempe, AZ. Arizona State University Activity Center.
Sound Quality:
Good audience.
Comments:
Fittingly, the tour starts in a city that lies as an oasis in the
desert of Arizona, where Joshua Trees flourish. U2's stay in Tempe
is not without its problems. While rehearsing 'Bullet The Blue Sky'
two days before opening night, Bono fell backwards off the stage
and smacked himself in the face with the big spotlight that he uses
to shine on the edge for the song. Bono finished the song, then
was taken to the hospital to get his chin stitched up. After going
through the entire show several times, the extensive rehearsals and
the hot, dry, desert air affect Bono's vocal cords. At the tour
premiere, with 12,500 fans and the world press eagerly awaiting,
Bono is unable to sing.
As the house lights dim, the backdrop lights up in red and while the intro
of 'Where The Streets Have No Name' elicits screams from the crowd, the band
come on one by one. "Hello! We Missed You," Bono croaks out, and forces
his way though the song with a voice that suggests he is at the end of a
nine-year tour instead of at the start of a nine-month tour. Before
starting 'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For' Bono pleads, "It
looks like you have to help me with some singing tonight. It looks like
for once, I'm stuck for words..." The audience sing along fervently
throughout the show, filling in when Bono's voice cracks.
Though Bono's defective voice didn't result in the tour premiere everyone
had expected, the press react positively to the show. The Phoneix
Gazette: 'Flying in the face of defeat is precisely what this band is about,
and Bono and company showed a determination and spirit that would have
convinced any unbeliever.'