I assume that for most people this has gone under the radar, but not for me. It has come to my attention that we are in the midst of a secret war on the Irish band U2 by Washington, D.C. The relationship between the city and U2 goes back to 1980 and appears to have been a love fest. However, over time it appears that the District has decided to send the lads a message. My own theory is that it began when they played at University of Maryland in College Park, but then when did Maryland start to collaborate?!? Let’s take a look at the conspiracy.
On December 6, 1980, U2 performed their first gig in the United States in support of their new album Boy. The next day they arrived at the Bayou in Washington, DC for what became a legendary performance. That night they made a big impression on the locals and would begin the metro area’s love affair with the band. They returned three months later on March 3, 1981 to play two shows in one night! Again, all reports were that they were amazing (you can listen for yourself here). One reporter even compared them to the Police and the Clash. They would continue to make routine stops in the DC metro area for the next 28 years (last seen in 2009). So what went wrong?
This is where the conspiracy theory begins. The Bayou, found at Wisconsin and K in Georgetown (under the Whitehurst Freeway) closed it’s door after the 1998 New Years Eve show. They hosted U2’s first three DC shows, all of which left a large impression on the local punk and rock communities. However, the rough and tumble Bayou bouncers were replaced by an oh-so-chic movie theater catering to the white collar residents of Georgetown. Where did it all go wrong? I think I might know, but indulge me for a moment.
Almost a year after they first stormed into Washington, D.C., U2 returned for the fourth show in four months. December 11, 1981 at the Ontario Theatre in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of the District (go here for a listen). This time they were popular enough that Bow Wow Wow was opening for them (U2 had been the opener a year earlier).
I think this is where the war began. You see, it was about this time that the local punks were falling in love with the Boy and October albums. In fact, according to Micheal Azerrad’s book “Our Band Could Be Your Life“, it was these albums that led to the breakup of DC punk legends Minor Threat in 1983. Apparently this was something the District could not abide. The Ontario Theatre was demolished in October of 2013 to make way for some “upscale” condos.
Is it a coincidence that the next area show was held in College Park, Maryland at the University of Maryland’s Ritchie Coliseum? I would like to think we are not naive. This was the third date of their American Tour promoting the album War which would eventually be documented on Under a Blood Red Sky. U2 would blow up in the near future. The Ritchie Coliseum has not yet been blown up, but it was replaced in 2002 by the Comcast Center. I think we all know why. Could it be a coincidence that the site of U2’s first five area performances have all been shut down?
In 1984, U2 had really broken through. The Unforgettable Fire produced the hit single “Pride (In The Name of Love)” and apparently that made DC want them back. The Unforgettable Fire Tour saw U2 perform at Constitution Hall on December 5th, 1984. When they returned on April 8th, 1985 however, they were back in Prince George’s County, MD at the Capital Center. This is the point where I think this could have become a Bad Brains vs. Minor Threat thing. U2 kills Minor Threat and over the next 35 years the legacy of Bad Brains begins to eclipse them. Was U2 colluding with Prince George’s County to make PG’s Bad Brains more famous than DC’s Minor Threat? What happened to Constitution Hall? What happened to the Cap Center? Constitutional Hall dodged a bullet by being named at National landmark in 1985. Otherwise, the punishment would have been obvious. The poor Cap Center wasn’t as lucky. You can see for yourself what happened on Dec. 15, 2002.
With the release of The Joshua Tree, U2 became the biggest band in the world. This was all that DC could take. On September 20, 1987 U2 played at RFK Stadium (DC’s largest venue). I’m sure the boys in the band thought all must have been forgiven, but just as they were about to play the most epic songs of the set Bono slipped and dislocated his shoulder. Biggest band in the world, eh?
U2 didn’t climb out of working class Dublin by letting people push them around though. Once they completed the innovative Achtung Baby, they returned to RFK to show off the new sound for two shows (August 15th & 16th). Reports were all positive and I’m sure U2 thought it all was forgiven at this point.
One of the early stops on their amazing Pop Mart Tour was once again RFK Stadium. It had been almost five years since we had seen them and I think many of us had forgotten all about Bono’s fall in 1987. The show was great, the new songs were integrated well (even though the Pop album had only been out a couple of weeks). Before we had even reached our car to leave, I was excited to see them the next time they played at RFK! However, it looks like RFK is about to be eliminated as well. Any day now, RFK’s last tenant will relocate to a different part of the city and they are already discussing the demolition of RFK Stadium.
For the next few years, U2 scaled back the magnitude of the stage shows and returned to arenas. On the Elevation Tour (promoting the album All That You Can’t Leave Behind), they stopped in at the MCI Center for two nights (June 14th and 15th, 2001). They were really impressive on this tour, probably better than on the Pop Mart Tour. Tickets sold like hotcakes, and everyone had a blast! Is the feud over???
On the Vertigo Tour (promoting How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb) it was U2 who fired the shot at DC. You see, the original American tour had skipped DC and we had driven to Philly to see them. It was great, but were they really going to skip DC? I thought everyone had put this behind them! Six months later, U2 caved in and came to DC. October 19th and 20th saw the return of U2 to the District of Columbia. They were wonderful! Below is the show I went to… They responded with two good shows, but what message had U2 been trying to send here?
U2’s last visit to the DC area was once again in Prince George’s County, MD at FedEx Field (built on the former site of the Capital Center!!). The show was amazing, the set list included songs from War all the way through to (unfortunately) No Line on the Horizon. They brought the house down (as did opening act Muse) and sent everyone home feeling great (with the possible exception of the District of Columbia).
As you can hear below, this place still loves U2.
So how does U2 respond? By touring North America in 2015, playing multiple nights in Boston, Toronto, Montreal and New York but not a single day anywhere near DC. Ouch. Is the end? Was the magic at the MCI Center just to taunt the District before showing them a wonderful night in Maryland and then never returning again? Is this all in my head? Is Prince George’s County involved? Who’s side are they on anyway? How many more buildings must be destroyed?
The causality list of this war:
The Bayou (site of all 3 shows on the Boy Tour) – demolished
The Ontario Theatre (host for the October Tour) – demolished
Ritchie Coliseum (The War Tour) – not used for much of anything anymore
Constitution Hall (Unforgettable Fire Tour) – Declared a National Landmark thus saved
The Capital Center (Unforgettable Fire Tour) – demolished
RFK Stadium (Joshua Tree, Zoo TV and Pop Mart Tours) – in preliminary plans for destruction
MCI Center (Elevation and Vertigo Tours) – Safe as of now
Fed Ex Field (360 Tour) – site of old Cap Center and being considered for destruction
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