U2 1982 Tour

Upon finishing the Pretenders gig Eric and I boarded a jet to New Orleans to start touring with an unknown Irish rock band named U2, which gets its name from a US spy plane. We were amped about working together with Rick not in the mix. Neither one of us knew much about the band considering how new they were to the US music scene. Eric and I met U2 as we were all checking in at the same Holiday Inn. My first intro to Bono was when he jumped out of the shot gun seat of the nine passenger station wagon he and the band were driving for most of the tour. Out steps Bono with a bible in his hand, I'm thinking, this  dude with a mullet and bible is the lead singer? Instantly, Eric and Adam, the bass player, struck up a friendship. I remember one time Adam asking Eric how he scored so many women and his reply was "I just turn on the charm!" With Eric having so much freedom on that tour, and me being in charge with his watchful eye guiding me, he got laid every night. Eric was a bitch magnet and looking like Steve Stunning didn't hurt either! I have to tell you, I was amazed to see a rock star in awe of one of the road crew, the first and only time!

 So, as I was saying, Bono was not the Bono of today, he was a young buck who'd not to long ago joined the ranks of a another up in coming rock & roll outfit touring the USA. Watching him holding that bible I kept thinking, he's not going to get laid that way! While we were meeting the band, the road crew pulled up in another station wagon and after five minutes of hellos it was crystal clear they were as straight as the band. No card games on this tour or drinking wildly into the night or womanizing. They were the most sober bunch and were here to do one thing, which was, their job! Merchandise sales were horrible and a lot of shows were not sold out. We played a bunch of club dates and the shows were one right after another, this was my first taste of a grueling tour which keeps you in constant motion day after day. Sick as it sounds, for me it was the perfect environment for learning the ropes and becoming a proficient concert merchandiser. Some nights when U2 played college gigs we'd party with some campus girls which was always great fun! On the last part of the tour we opened for the J Giels Band and from day one they treated all of us like less than zero. The merchandisers made both Eric and I feel invisible. I believe the band and road crew picked up the same vibe from the Giels band and crew. As I mentioned, in my book, U2 kicked the living shit out of the J Giels Band musically every single night and I loved how hard and from the heart U2 played. But, all the audiences were interested in was the J Giels Band. People didn't know what to think of U2, they weren't booed or anything but, people didn't really respond.

Again, U2 was the most sober straight rock outfit I ever worked for and looking back, the greatest part of that tour was watching Bono grow in leaps and bounds under the guidance of the band's manager Paul McGuiness. Instantly, just looking at McGuiness you could see the band's future was bright, the dude knew his shit! On the other hand, looking at the band, no one could have predicted how huge they would become. They didn't reek of super star, and all I saw were four young struggling Irish lads hoping to make a dent in the US rock scene. A couple weeks into the tour Bono got the look in his eye, which was STRAIGHT TO THE TOP!!! He started looking and feeling real comfy on stage and skillfully learned his trade of being a brilliant front man. Other than that, the tour was low budget compared to traveling on the Pretenders Tour. When we got word that our next gig was with the band The Police and we were going to be playing nothing but arenas I couldn't wait to bolt. Don't get me wrong, I loved U2, but the fun factor was nowhere to be found and in my eyes touring's all about having fun while doing your job! I was looking forward to hooking up with Larue who was already working The Police gig and back to hard partying! So, after a couple of months on the road with U2 we both said our goodbyes to all and Eric and I drove the van to Dallas, Texas to join The Police tour. A week or so earlier, I'd been talking to Larue on the phone and he gave me the skinny about the engagement and said "O'clock you're going to have the time of your life, see you when you arrive! Dear lord, Larue was so right!

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Next installment on the road with The Police.

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