A buddy at the Y told me Monday about some book – he didn’t mention the title – that conveyed this story: A young woman went to J.B. Scott’s in Albany, NY and saw U2. The next time, the young woman brought her mother, who decided she wanted to marry Bono. That reminded me that, in fact U2 played in Albany four times in 1981, once at the SUNY Albanyfest on May 7, twice during the “Boy” tour (March 5, May 23) at J.B. Scott’s, and the opening of the North American part of the “October” tour, also at J.B. Scott’s, on November 13. Here’s the set list for the latter show:
Gloria, Another Time, Another Place, I Threw A Brick Through A Window, An Cat Dubh, Into The Heart, Rejoice, The Cry, The Electric Co. / Send In The Clowns (snippet), I Fall Down, October, Stories For Boys, I Will Follow, Twilight, Out Of Control
encores: Fire, 11 O’Clock Tick Tock, The Ocean
The link here pretty well describes J.B. Scott’s as a dingy place, but with great acts.
So this begs the question: Why didn’t I see U2 when they were at J.B. Scott’s? I used to go to that venue. I liked the band, based on what I heard on the Q-104 radio station. I was single and unencumbered. Ah well.
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I watched the American Idol’s Idol Gives Back this weekend; yes, it aired a couple weeks ago. I hadn’t seen Idol all season, so I had managed to miss the Sanjaya sensation, though he was in the audience. In any case, I wanted to see Bono, who shows up in the last five minutes of the two-hour results show. I was reminded why I avoid watching the results show – they drag out who’s going home, and then decide to send no one home, after putting the contestants, especially the last ones declared “safe”, through the emotional wringer.
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Oh, yeah, Bono’s 47th birtday is today.
ROG
I was at the SUNY Albany show it was actually called the Mayfest. What a show!