Earliest Known Recording of Live U2 Show Surfaces

In 1979, the members of U2 were still in their teens when they performed at the Dandelion Market in Dublin. The guitarist of the band that opened for them was so impressed with their talent that he recorded their show on cassette tapes, explains Rolling Stone. Lo and behold, those tapes have now surfaced as the earliest known live recording of U2, according to the encyclopedic band site ATU2. The tapes have not been released, but you can hear samples of two songs—"In Your Hand" and "Concentration Cramp."

“I am pleased that I recorded the show,” Pete McCluskey tells ATU2, “and hadn’t realized the significance of it and its place in history until quite recently.” For the record, his band was named The Stougers. "They were just 17, 18, and a couple of years younger than myself and my band colleagues," McCluskey recalls of U2. But his band had opened for them once before, and he made a point to bring his recorder to the next gig. The show catches U2 "at a pivotal point in their development," writes Andy Greene of Rolling Stone. Neither of two songs released in part have been heard before, though "Concentration Cramp" appears to have been a precursor to "Live My Life Tonight," released later. (Bono says he almost died while making U2 album.)