The
War Tour was a concert tour by the
IrishIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
rockRock music is a genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the 1960s. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, rhythm and blues, country music and also drew on folk music, jazz and classical music....
band
U2U2 are a rock band that formed in Dublin, Ireland. The band consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr...
, which took place in 1982 and 1983 in support of the group's album
WarWar is the third studio album by Irish rock band U2, released on . The album has come to be regarded as U2's first overtly political album, in part because of songs like "Sunday Bloody Sunday", "New Year's Day", as well as the title, which stems from the band's perception of the world at the time;...
. It was their first tour as full-time headlining acts.
The tour took place in
Western EuropeWestern Europe is the collection of countries in the westernmost region of Europe, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a cultural entity—the region lying west of Central Europe...
, the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, with new material from
War taking an increasing role as the tour progressed. Venues were mostly
hallIn architecture, several things are commonly known as Halls or halls. A hall is fundamentally a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age, a mead hall was such a simple building and was the residence of a lord and his retainers...
s, but some
arenaAn arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
s were introduced later on. U2's performances were very well received both critically and commercially, especially in the United States where U2 broke through to became a major act. Scenes of lead singer
BonoPaul David Hewson, KBE , most commonly known by his stage name Bono, is an Irish singer and musician, best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his future wife,...
waving a
white flagWhite flags have had different meanings throughout history and depending on the locale.-Flag of surrender or truce: The white flag is an internationally recognized protective sign of truce or ceasefire, and request for negotiation. It is also used to symbolize surrender, since it is often the...
during the song "
Sunday Bloody Sunday"Sunday Bloody Sunday" is the opening track from U2's 1983 album, War. The song was released as the album's third single in March 1983 in Germany and The Netherlands. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" is noted for its militaristic drumbeat, harsh guitar, and melodic harmonies...
" became an emblematic image of this phase of U2's career.
The live album
Under a Blood Red SkyUnder a Blood Red Sky is a live album by Irish rock band U2, produced by Jimmy Iovine and released in 1983. Along with its companion concert film, Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky, the release helped establish U2's reputation as a remarkable live band, making the band a popular live college...
and the concert film
Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red SkyLive at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky is a concert film by U2. It was the band's first video release, originally released in November 1984 on VHS and Betamax, and later on Video CD, Laserdisc, and DVD...
both originated from performances on the tour. The latter matched U2's concert fervour with the spectacular natural setting of the
Red Rocks AmphitheatreRed Rocks Amphitheatre is a rock structure in Red Rocks Park near Morrison, Colorado , where concerts are given in the open-air amphitheatre. There is a large, tilted, disc-shaped rock behind the stage, a huge vertical rock angled outwards from stage right, several large boulders angled outwards...
in the rain to produce a memorable document of the War Tour and to further increase the group's popularity; U2's filming of the Red Rocks show was later selected by
Rolling StoneRolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.The magazine was named after the 1948 Muddy Waters song of the same...
magazine as one of the "50 Moments that Changed Rock and Roll".
Itinerary
After
War had been recorded, but three months before it was released, U2 began playing the
Pre-War Tour: 20 shows, and a television appearance, in
hallIn architecture, several things are commonly known as Halls or halls. A hall is fundamentally a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age, a mead hall was such a simple building and was the residence of a lord and his retainers...
s in
Western EuropeWestern Europe is the collection of countries in the westernmost region of Europe, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a cultural entity—the region lying west of Central Europe...
, commencing on 1 December 1982 in
GlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and finishing in the band's home town,
DublinDublin is the largest city and capital of Ireland. It is officially known in Irish as Baile Átha Cliath or Áth Cliath ; the English name comes from the Irish Dubh Linn meaning "black pool". It is located near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the...
, on 24 December. These shows generally featured only three songs from the upcoming album - "
Sunday Bloody Sunday"Sunday Bloody Sunday" is the opening track from U2's 1983 album, War. The song was released as the album's third single in March 1983 in Germany and The Netherlands. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" is noted for its militaristic drumbeat, harsh guitar, and melodic harmonies...
", "
New Year's Day"New Year's Day" is a song by Irish rock band U2 and the third track from their 1983 album War. The song was released as the album's lead single in January 1983. Written about the Polish Solidarity movement, "New Year's Day" is driven by Adam Clayton's distinctive bassline and The Edge's keyboard...
", and "Surrender". The 20 December performance in
BelfastBelfast is the capital of and the largest city in Northern Ireland, a constituent country of the United Kingdom. It is the seat of devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly. It is the largest urban area in the province of Ulster, and the second largest city on the island of...
's Maysfield Leisure Center represented the first airing of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" in
Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and it is situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
; lead singer
BonoPaul David Hewson, KBE , most commonly known by his stage name Bono, is an Irish singer and musician, best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his future wife,...
told the crowd, "We're going to do a song for you now. If you don't like it, we'll never play it again. It's called 'Sunday Bloody Sunday'." The reception was positive, and the song stayed in. Subsequent introductions would explicitly clarify the song's purpose: "This song is not a rebel song, this song is 'Sunday Bloody Sunday'!"
On 26 February 1983 at Caird Hall in
DundeeDundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and, fully named as Dundee City, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. It lies on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea....
,
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, the War Tour proper began, with the album's release coming two days later. The band played 29 shows and three television appearances in Scotland,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
, ending on 3 April with a single continental show at the
Printemps de BourgesThe Printemps de Bourges is a music festival, started in 1977 by Jean Christophe Dechico , Alain Meilland and Daniel Colling...
in
BourgesBourges is a commune in central France on the Yèvre river. It is the capital of the department of Cher and also was the capital of the former province of Berry.-History:...
,
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
. Three or four additional songs from
War were added to these set lists, including "
Two Hearts Beat As One"Two Hearts Beat as One" is the seventh track on U2's 1983 album, War. It was released as the album's second single in the US, UK and Australia.-History:...
", and the band started their 1980's practice of ending shows with the
War song, "40".
The next leg went to
North AmericaNorth America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific...
for 48 shows and two radio appearances, beginning on 23 April in
Chapel HillChapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , the oldest state-supported university in the U.S...
,
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
and ending on 26 June at the
Hudson RiverThe Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. It rises at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains, flows past Albany, and finally forms the border between New York City and New Jersey at its mouth before emptying into...
Pier 84 facility in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
. The War Tour was U2's first as a full-time headlining act. Most of the venues were colleges and smaller auditoriums, but they played a few arena shows, such as at the
CentrumThe DCU Center, formerly known as The Centrum, Centrum in Worcester and Worcester's Centrum Centre, is an indoor arena and convention center complex located in downtown Worcester, Massachusetts. The facility hosts a variety of events including concerts, sporting events, family shows, conventions,...
in
Worcester, MassachusettsWorcester is a city in the state of Massachusetts in the United States of America. Having a population of 172,648 in the 2000 census, Worcester is ranked the second or third largest city in New England. It is the county seat of Worcester County....
and at the Los Angeles Sports Arena. Many of the shows featured the Welsh band
The AlarmThe Alarm are an alternative rock band that emerged from North Wales in the late 1970s. They started as a Mod band and stayed together for over ten years. Unusually for a rock band, they displayed marked influences from Welsh language and culture...
as the opening act.
During this tour, they appeared before one of the largest audiences in US music history: on
Memorial DayMemorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May . Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in the military service...
at the
US FestivalThe US Festivals were two early 1980s music and culture festivals sponsored by Steve Wozniak, formerly of Apple Computer. The first was held Labor Day weekend in September 1982 and the second was Memorial Day weekend in May 1983...
in
San Bernardino, CaliforniaSan Bernardino is a large city located in the Inland Empire Metropolitan Area of Southern California. San Bernardino is also the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. San Bernardino's estimated population, as of 2006, is 205,010. As of 2006, it was the 18th largest city...
, they appeared at noontime on the third day of the festival before a crowd of over 125,000. The festival was broadcast live on
MTVMTV is a cable television network based in New York City and launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs...
. The performance climaxed in a grand finale where Bono scaled the
prosceniumA Proscenium theatre is a theatre space whose primary feature is a large frame or arch , which is located at or near the front of the stage...
of the US festival's huge stage while singing the song "The Electric Co.", ending up about 100 feet above the ground.
A week later, their 5 June 1983 performance at
Red Rocks AmphitheatreRed Rocks Amphitheatre is a rock structure in Red Rocks Park near Morrison, Colorado , where concerts are given in the open-air amphitheatre. There is a large, tilted, disc-shaped rock behind the stage, a huge vertical rock angled outwards from stage right, several large boulders angled outwards...
(an outdoor venue near Denver in the foothills of the
Rocky MountainsThe Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in Canada, to New Mexico, in the United States. The range's highest peak is Mount Elbert in Colorado at above sea level...
that many travelling musicians consider the most spectacular outdoor venue in the United States) was recorded for what turned out to be a live album entitled
Under a Blood Red SkyUnder a Blood Red Sky is a live album by Irish rock band U2, produced by Jimmy Iovine and released in 1983. Along with its companion concert film, Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky, the release helped establish U2's reputation as a remarkable live band, making the band a popular live college...
and concert film entitled
Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red SkyLive at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky is a concert film by U2. It was the band's first video release, originally released in November 1984 on VHS and Betamax, and later on Video CD, Laserdisc, and DVD...
. A steady rain and the surreal, torch-lit natural beauty of the surroundings combined to present U2's performance in the most dramatic of contexts. Frequently shown on
MTVMTV is a cable television network based in New York City and launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs...
, the video helped to further expand the band's American audience and rewarded the large financial risk the show had represented. The album used performances culled from the Red Rocks show as well as a 6 May show in
BostonBoston is the capital and largest city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is considered the economic and cultural center of the region and is sometimes regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England"...
's Orpheum Theatre and a 20 August show in St. Goarshausen,
West GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
at the Lorelei Amphitheatre. The Orpheum Theatre performance was also recorded and broadcast on the
King Biscuit Flower HourThe King Biscuit Flower Hour was a syndicated radio show presented by the D.I.R. Radio Network that featured concert performances by various rock ‘n’ roll artists.-History:...
syndicated radio program.
U2 then played at 5 outdoor summer festivals in Western Europe in July and August.
After a nearly three-month interlude, U2 played a show in Honolulu, Hawaii, before their first tour of Japan for six shows, with the tour ending on 30 November 1983 at the Sun Plaza Hall in
Tokyo, officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and is located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, cover the area that was once the city of Tokyo in the eastern part of the prefecture, totaling over 8 million people....
. While in Japan, U2 made two television appearances, one of which featured a performance of "New Year's Day" in which Edge performed almost entirely on piano due to a guitar failure.
Shows and reception
In both UK and US publicity for the tour, the group emphasized that it opposed "wallpaper music" from artists who spent more time on their hairdos than anything else. In the US, advertisements for the tour read "U2 Declare War" and talked about "The War on Boring Music", especially in the context of breaking up conservative
radio formatA radio format or programming format describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. Radio formats are frequently employed as a marketing tool, and constantly evolve...
s. National identification also played a role; Bono said to US audiences variants of: "We're not just another English fashion band passing through. We're an Irish band and we're here to say."
Wars music, its
music videoA music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music/song. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. Although the origins of music videos go back much further, they came into their own in the...
s, and the War Tour separated U2 from the mass of
new waveNew Wave is a genre of rock and pop music that emerged in in the middle to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, and...
or
college rockCollege rock was a term used in the United States to describe 1980s alternative rock before the term "alternative" came into common usage. So named because it was primarily played on campus radio stations, these bands combined the experimentation of post-punk and New Wave with a more melodic pop...
acts and into mainstream rock visibility. Shows were typically 90 minutes long. Bono was emotional and very theatrical during shows; during songs he would climb lighting rigs, plunge into the audience, or walk out onto side balconies. As the tour progressed, band members and others became concerned that Bono's antics – while making for good press copy and having an electric effect on some fans – were detracting from the music and might end in a disaster (an assessment Bono later agreed with). "New Year's Day" became a hit single, and in concert performances full of vitality,
The EdgeDavid Howell Evans , more widely known by his nickname and stage name The Edge , is an Irish musician known best as the guitarist, keyboardist, and main backing vocalist for the Irish rock band U2...
would rapidly switch back and forth between piano and electric guitar. Older songs such as "
Gloria"Gloria" is the opening track and second single from U2's 1981 album, October. It features a chorus in Latin, from the liturgical "Gloria in Excelsis Deo." It was one of their lowest-charting singles, peaking at #55 on the UK singles chart.-Composition:...
" and "
11 O'Clock Tick Tock"11 O'Clock Tick Tock" was U2's third single, released 23 May 1980. It followed debut EP/single "Out of Control" and "Another Day," and was released prior to their debut album, Boy.-History:...
" were kept in the
set listA set list, or setlist, is a document that lists the songs that a band or musical artist intends to play during a specific concert performance...
. "40"'s show-closing, thoughtful presence – wherein Edge and bassist
Adam ClaytonAdam Charles Clayton is the bassist of the Irish rock band U2. Clayton has resided in County Dublin since the time his family moved to Malahide when he was five years old in 1965. Clayton is well-known for his bass playing on songs such as "New Year's Day", "With or Without You", "Get on Your...
swapped instruments, then three band members left one by one leaving only drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. – grew into an audience participation ritual that would continue even after the band had left the stage. At one show at Dublin's
Phoenix Park RacecoursePhoenix Park Racecourse is a former horse racing venue in Ireland. It was located in the north-west corner of Dublin on the northern edge of Phoenix Park. The course was founded by J. H. H. Peard, and racing began there in 1902....
, the fans' singing of the refrain How long, to sing this song
went on for 15 minutes after the concert's end.
Initial British critical reaction to the first leg of the War Tour was favorable but with some reservations. The group was already well known there, and while War
debuted at the top of the UK albums chartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website ; the full Top 200 is published exclusively in ChartsPlus.To qualify for the UK albums...
, it had encountered some early backlash, with NMEThe New Musical Express is a popular music magazine in the United Kingdom which has been published weekly since March 1952. It was the first British paper to include a singles chart, which first appeared in the 14 November 1952 edition. The magazine's commercial heyday was during the 1970s when it...
saying "the great personal fury" of U2's early work had been replaced by "literal but sincere sloganeering". SoundsSounds was a British music paper, published weekly from October 10, 1970 – April 6, 1991. It was well known initially for giving away posters in the centre of the paper and later for covering Heavy Metal and Oi! music in its late 1970s-early 1980s heyday...
magazine said a
BirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands county of England. Birmingham is the second-most populous British city, with a population of 1,006,500 ....
show had pacing and thematic problems due to "newer numbers clumsily breaking the mood that had earlier been created" but praised many other elements of the show, saying that "their skill at breaking down barriers between band and audience has never been better."
U2's exciting concerts earned critical praise during the American leg, where the band had not been as well-known previously.
The New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded in 1851 and published in New York City. The largest metropolitan newspaper in the United States, "The Gray Lady"—named for its staid appearance and style—is regarded as a national newspaper of record...
' John RockwellJohn Rockwell is a music critic, editor, and dance critic. He studied at Phillips Academy, Harvard, the University of Munich, and the University of California, Berkeley, earning a Ph.D. in German culture....
wrote that: "This is a great live band. Bono is a riveting public personality, leaping and crawling all over the stage and above it into the scaffolding." The Boston GlobeThe Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993. Its chief print rival is the Boston Herald....
wrote that the group's performance "reached a rare, wondrous zone – where rock 'n' roll transcended the ordinary and took the audience on a lift that was equal parts spiritual and sensual." It said that Bono's "vocals sound like pleas and prayers, the lyrics failure and hope," and described The Edge's guitar playing as embodying "clear, ringing lines that were both atmospheric and jarring." The OregonianThe Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. West Coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850...
wrote that it was "the best concert of 1983 so far: solid music played rhythmically and well, a positive stage attitude that recognized audience input, excellent sound and lights." The Village VoiceThe Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper in New York City, United States featuring investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts reviews and events listings for New York City...
wrote that U2 in concert evoked an "undeniable righteousness" about which "U2 was thrilled [and] their audience was thrilled". Contemporary Christian MusicCCM Magazine was a monthly magazine published by Salem Publishing, a division of Salem Communications. It was first published in July 1978, and it has always been a Christian music magazine. On January 16, 2008, Salem announced that the April 2008 issue would be the final printed issue of the...
magazine said that the show avoided typical juvenile stage patter clichés and that from a Christian perspective, "It is true that U2 doesn't preach, but that does not mean a message is not communicated." Many of the War Tour shows sold out on the American leg. The tour helped War stay in or near the
US albums chartThe Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling new music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
Top 20 for the duration of the American leg, which represented by far their best commercial performance so far in the United States.
Themes and legacy
The War Tour was the first U2 tour on which the lighting and stage design was done by
Willie WilliamsWillie Williams is a video director, stage and lighting designer for concerts, theatre, & multimedia projects. He is best known for his groundbreaking work with the rock band U2, and is recognized as one of the leading artists in this field...
, who would continue to perform that role in all of U2's subsequent tours. While originally hired for just lighting, Williams quickly became involved in all aspects of the group's visual presentation. Starting with the Pre-War Tour, the minimalist stage design featured a red carpet-covered riser on which the drums and keyboards stood. Three large
white flagWhite flags have had different meanings throughout history and depending on the locale.-Flag of surrender or truce: The white flag is an internationally recognized protective sign of truce or ceasefire, and request for negotiation. It is also used to symbolize surrender, since it is often the...
s were placed at the back of the stage, representing the notion of "surrender"; electric fans set the flags flying at designated moments in the show.
Stage fogTheatrical smoke and fog, also known as special effect smoke, fog or haze, is a category of atmospheric effects used in the entertainment industry. The use of fog can be found throughout motion picture and television productions, live theatre, concerts, at nightclubs and raves, amusement and theme...
was also used in places. One newspaper review said that "Lighting was starkly beautiful for this concert, in tune with the occasional ominous tone of some of the songs."
During "Sunday Bloody Sunday" Bono would march waving a white flag around to illustrate his
anti-warThe term anti-war usually refers to the opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term can also refer to pacifism, which is the opposition to all use of military force during conflicts. Many activists...
and
anti-nationalistAnti-nationalism is the idea that nationalism is undesirable or even dangerous in one form or another, and sometimes, though less often, the idea that all nationalism is dangerous and unfavourable in all cases...
stances and spur audiences to shout, "No more! No war!" The white flags were also sometimes handed off the stage, where they would be passed around amongst the the audience. Bono said that his "limited voice" compelled him to search for other ways to express a song's meaning, and here this was the "idea of a flag drained of all colour, the idea of surrender." This became the focal image of the tour, with Rolling Stone saying of the Red Rocks performance, "The sight of Bono singing the anti-violence anthem 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' while waving a white flag through crimson mist (created by a combination of wet weather, hot lights and the illumination of those crags) became the defining image of U2's warrior-rock spirit." So strong was the image that the group became somewhat ambivalent about it; years later, bassist
Adam ClaytonAdam Charles Clayton is the bassist of the Irish rock band U2. Clayton has resided in County Dublin since the time his family moved to Malahide when he was five years old in 1965. Clayton is well-known for his bass playing on songs such as "New Year's Day", "With or Without You", "Get on Your...
would say, "If you had to reduce U2 down to the waving of the white flag, which is a moment from the War Tour, that would be the worst thing. At the time, I think it was in the spirit of the performance. But we weren't very ironic people back then. We were pretty serious people, and we didn't see that we could have been a little more subtle about things like that. But hey, as mistakes go, that's probably not a bad one."
The move upward from clubs to halls to arenas that the War Tour spanned did not faze the group. This had been their plan, and Bono said, "If we stay in small clubs, we'll develop small minds, and then we'll start making small music." And early on, Bono had told Williams that someday the group would do "Pink Floyd-size shows." But the medium-sized venues of the War Tour were enough at the time; two decades later, the video recording of U2 at Red Rocks (captured by Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky
) was selected in Rolling StoneRolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.The magazine was named after the 1948 Muddy Waters song of the same...
's list of the "50 Moments that Changed Rock and Roll".
External links