OCTOBER 3: Bono´s words at Salford University / a mistake: only 3 dates in Canada in 1987 / "Desire" / baby Jordan on stage at the 1st time / Bono about hurricane Andrew / U2 producer Lillywhite lands Columbia Records gig / 69th 'VERTIGO' show: "Mama...sexy mama'-John Kerry and Tom Brady were there-'Miracle Drug' to AIDS specialists (Paul Farmer and Joia Mukherjee)-Edge likes the Pats (Bono with Red Sox shirt)-Larry and Red Sox shirt, too!!

"Boy" tour - october 3, 1980. U2 perform in Retford, England at the Porterhouse.

"October" tour - october 3, 1981. U2 perform in Salford, England, at Salford University. There's nothing really that captures this concert better than Bono's words: "The gentleman selling beer downstairs says the tiles are falling off downstairs, and asks if you're gonna jump, if you can take off your shoes." Support is "Wall of Voodoo". That same night BBC airs it's "In Concert" special on U2, recorded August 23, 1981.

"The Joshua Tree" tour - october 3, 1987. U2 perform in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at the Canadian National Exhibition Stadium. The weather in Toronto is extremely chilly, and U2 perform in the sixth stadium show of the tour in front of approximately 63,000 fans. Bono reminices about playing in Toronto, "I remember thinking that El Mocambo was too big for U2. I used to think that the Massey Hall was too big...You think this place is too big for U2?" The crowd scream "No!" in reply. "You people must be cold out there, are you cold?" Bono asks and again the crowd reply "No!". Bono adds, "We made a big mistake playing only three dates in Canada...Thanks for coming out here to see us play." Support is Little Steven & The Disciples of Soul and "Los Lobos".

"Desire tops the UK charts" - october 3, 1988. The "Desire" single hits #1 in the UK, becoming the band's first UK #1 single.

"LoveTown" tour - october 3, 1989. U2 perform in Brisbane, Australia at the Entertainment Centre. On this night, during "Love Rescue Me," Bono brings his baby daughter, Jordan onto the stage: "This is the first time she's ever seen U2 play," Bono explains, "Her name is Jordan, she's four months old, by the way." That night four fans are involved in a car accident on the way home from the concert when their vehicle is struck by another at a red light. Support is "Weddings Parties Anything" and B.B. King.

"ZOOTV" tour - october 3, 1992. U2 perform in Miami, Florida at Joe Robbie Stadium. Lack of security around the B-stage allows many fans to rush the stage. One stage crasher asks Bono if he can play guitar during "Angel of Harlem". The guy struggles through the song, and Bono takes the guitar back. Another fan climbs up during "With Or Without You", and picks Bono up and carries him in his arms. Bono responds by putting his mirrored Cowboy hat on the fan's head. "I thought Dublin got hit hard by the weather," Bono addresses the crowd about Hurricane Andrew, "but nothing like this." Support is B.P. Fallon, "Big Audio Dynamite II" and "Public Enemy".

U2 producer Lillywhite lands Columbia Records gig - October 2, 1005 - LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Noted producer Steve Lillywhite, who has worked with such acts as U2, Peter Gabriel and the Rolling Stones, has joined the executive ranks at Columbia Records as a talent scout. Lillywhite has come aboard the Sony BMG Music-owned label as New York-based senior vp A&R (artists and Repertoire). In addition to signing talent for the label, Lillywhite will provide a range of in-house production services, from hands-on producing, mixing and engineering to an advisory role as creative consultant. "Steve Lillywhite has worked on a lot of the most important records of the past 30 years and has produced some of the best records of all time," Columbia Records Group chairman Will Botwin said. "His adventurous musical spirit, his consistently high aesthetic standards and his broad creative abilities have produced an unbroken string of artistic and commercial successes, from the earliest days of punk rock to this year's hottest pop albums." Lillywhite began his career in 1972 as a tape operator at PolyGram in the U.K. He first came to prominence as Ultravox's producer and worked with such punk and new wave acts as Johnny Thunders, Siouxsie & the Banshees, the Psychedelic Furs, XTC and Eddie & the Hot Rods. He hit his commercial stride in the '80s, producing Peter Gabriel's third album and either producing or mixing U2's breakthrough albums "Boy," "October," "War" and "The Joshua Tree." He moved on to helm projects by Simple Minds, Big Country, Talking Heads and the Stones. During the '90s, he made his mark with albums by Morrissey, the Pogues, Travis, Phish and several sets by Dave Matthews Band. Following a staff role as managing director of Mercury Records in London, he produced U2's "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" and Jason Mraz's recent "Mr. A-Z." Lillywhite collected consecutive Grammy Awards for record of the year with U2's "Beautiful Day" and "Walk On."


69th 'VERTIGO' show - october 3, 2005 - Boston, MA - Venue: TD Banknorth Garden - Opening Act(s): Keane. 'Mama...sexy mama' / John Kerry and Tom Brady were there / 'Miracle Drug' to AIDS specialists (Paul Farmer and Joia Mukherjee) / Edge likes the Pats (Bono with Red Sox shirt) / Larry and Red Sox shirt, too! City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo, Elevation, The Electric Co. - Bullet with Butterfly Wings, The Ocean, I Still Haven't Found, Beautiful Day - Many Rivers to Cross, Miracle Drug, Sometimes You Can't Make it On Your Own, Love and Peace or Else, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Bullet the Blue Sky, Miss Sarajevo, Pride, Where the Streets Have No Name, One. Encore(s): The First Time, Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, With or Without You, All Because of You, Yahweh, 40. A snippet of MLK appears at the end of One during tonights concert. Bono brings a pregnant woman on stage to dance with him during Elevation, and another girl on stage for With or Without You. Bono has some difficulties with his voice during Pride after a strong performance of Miss Sarajevo. John Kerry is mentioned as being present in the crowd as is Tom Brady. For Yahweh Bono appears dressed in a Red Sox jersey, and leaves it on the microphone stand as he leaves the stage at the end. At the end of "40" Larry puts on the jersey before leaving. **** 'This baby in my belly...': Some sexy mama's and funky papa's in Boston last night as U2 got dizzy with Vertigo again....Someone had a smart idea to attract the singer's attention too: 'This baby in my belly wants to dance with Bono' read a sign held by one young woman. She was on stage and dancing with the man in seconds. 'This is the kind of thing that happens around here 'Mama...sexy mama.' Adam is in a very cool new shirt tonight, seems to be sparkling, and Larry and Edge are also on fire....Cry/Electric Co climaxes with a snatch of 'Rat in a Cage' and soon Still Haven't Found, always a rafter-raiser, is underway. 'We want to thank the beautiful mecurial melodies of Keane that are accompanying us here in Boston,' says Bono, before thanking everyone for 'hanging around for us...and giving us a great life.'...John Kerry gets a namecheck in Beautiful Day and Bono is 'thinking about America' as he breaks into 'Many Rivers To Cross'. And in a city of learning, Miracle Drug is dedicated to two doctors - 'huge inspirations' - who have come to the show tonight: Paul Farmer and Joia Mukherjee who are AIDS specialists and activists with Partners in Health. (Interesting aside: there is a brilliant book by the Pullitzer Prize winning author Tracy Kidder all about Paul Farmer. It's called Mountains Beyond Mountains.)...cellphones to 'turn this place into a milky way' for One and it reminds the singer of an extraordinary man, Tom Brady, who has just signed up as a supporter with the ONE Campaign - the two millionth person to sign up. 'I also want to salute someone (else).. without him we would not see the AIDS emergency taken seriously in Washington DC - John Kerry!'...There was no doubt that With or Without You was going to be in - surely the volume never goes higher at a U2 show, so many singing along with such passion. Also time for another step into the spotlight for a lucky lady in the audience: ' Where are You? Where are you?' asks Bono, scanning the audience. 'Where's my girl ?' All Because of You fairly races by and as Yahweh begins, Bono wants to set the record straight about the aforementioned Tom Brady and a hitherto obscure conversation with Edge about Superbowl allegiances. Clearly some shocking misunderstanding had taken place: 'Edge has asked me to finally set the record straight - and if Tom Brady doesn't believe it he will meet him at dawn at a place of his choosing. And I tell you - because I have personal experience of this - do not pick a fight with a man who makes a living from hand to eye co-ordination.' Before you know it Larry is introducing '40' and there's no disagreement on the allegiances in this one. A ancient psalm closes a very modern night. **** Emotions reach dizzying heights for U2, fans: The second leg of U2's ''Vertigo" tour hit Boston last night with a full-on bang. The sold-out crowd featured celebrities such as Tom Brady and John Kerry, but also thousands of U2 diehards who sang along so loudly that any decibel meter would have been smashed. This was like one of U2's classic concerts at the Orpheum when the band was making its move toward superstardom in the '80s. The crowd interaction was breathtaking -- from a pregnant mother who jumped up early to dance with Bono, to hearty, sing-along support when Bono briefly lost his voice during the Martin Luther King tribute, ''Pride (In the Name of Love)." He literally jumped back from the microphone and couldn't continue for a minute -- maybe he swallowed something that went down the wrong way or was just overcome by the moment -- but he raised his arms and beckoned the fans to fill in the verses, which they readily did like eager acolytes. This unexpected glitch turned out to have a huge payback once Bono again found his voice. It cemented the bond with listeners, so when U2 then wailed into the spiritual ''Where the Streets Have No Name," the audience rose majestically and created a cathedral-like choir whose volume stunned even Bono. ''Wow, thank you very much," he said at the end of the song. You could tell it came from the bottom of his heart and wasn't just a goading tactic. The show's set list was similar to U2's three Garden dates earlier this year -- with a fast-clipped triumvirate of ''City of Blinding Lights," ''Vertigo," and ''Elevation" opening the way. But creative wrinkles were heard when Bono added snatches of Smashing Pumpkins' ''Bullet With Butterfly Wings" (the verse ''despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage") to ''Elevation"; and bits of the Beatles' ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and Jimmy Cliff's ''Many Rivers to Cross" to the euphoric ''Beautiful Day." A few major changes, however, were to come, starting with a heartfelt plea for unity, ''Miss Sarajevo," which U2 had done on its ''Zoo TV" tour. The band put it back in the set this summer right after the London subway bombings. Bono told the crowd that many Muslims and Christians could get along in Sarajevo and it was ''a symbol of coexistence and that's why evil men wanted to destroy it." The song, especially its operatic coda, drew another round of deafening applause, heightening the night's emotion even more if that was possible. The main set ended with the familiar ballad ''One" with Bono noting that the ''One" campaign (designed to eradicate poverty) had signed up 2 million members, including Patriots quarterback Brady earlier in the evening. And the first two encores were pleasant surprises: the ballad ''The First Time" (with just the Edge playing acoustic guitar while Bono sang and urged the crowd to shout ''love love") and the gently uplifting ''Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses," which was more manna from heaven for the diehards...bostonglobe **** Edge driving...through the bill buckner turnpike... **** Larry and Red Sox shirt...Larry end the drums of "40", walk to the front of the stage, take a Red Sox shirt off the mic stand and put it on as he walked off stage....**** Some photos on: Interference * U2tours * U2tours * U2tours