U2 caused unforgettable furor with free 1987 concert, graffiti
The U2 free show at Justin Herman Plaza in 1987 was, in most ways, everything that was great about the band, promoter Bill Graham and San Francisco.
On less than 24 hours’ notice from conception to execution, the Irish rockers played an energetic 45-minute lunchtime set, as kids cutting class mixed with business workers in suits in the audience. The logistical achievement alone was amazing. The biggest problem related to the crowd: Firefighters had to rescue a few fans who got caught up on street signs and trees seeking a better view.
But the Nov. 11 event is perhaps best remembered for overblown controversy, after Bono spray-painted “Rock and Roll, Stop the Traffic” on the Vaillancourt Fountain.
The San Francisco Police Department started an investigation, while politicians grandstanded to a public that became polarized on the alleged misdemeanor. (The debate even dominated sports talk radio.)
And the lead singer of U2 became a bit of an egomaniac — even by rock god standards.
“Have you ever picked on the wrong band. We’re U2,” he said the next week on stage at the Oakland Coliseum show. “We’re the Batman and Robin of rock ’n’ roll. Somebody should explain to Mayor Feinstein there is a big difference between
graffiti art and an act of vandalism.”
The free show itself, on a Wednesday before the band’s weekend Day on the Green appearance, was all positive. The Chronicle’s Joel Selvin reported that Graham had made the event happen less than a day earlier — sealing the deal just 10 minutes after meeting Embarcadero Center officials. The concert was announced on radio stations two hours before the show began.
“Seeing that the business sector has been having such big problems, we decided to have a ‘Save the Yuppies’ concert,” Bono told the crowd of more than 20,000.
U2 had a documentary crew at the site, recording their 1988 movie, “Rattle and Hum.” The band played a set of mostly covers, including “Helter Skelter,” “All Along the Watchtower” (that performance ended up in the film) and “People Get Ready.”
Were you at the U2 concert at Justin Herman Plaza?
The Chronicle is looking for anyone who took photos or video, got stuck in a tree, skipped school, worked as a cop or has a great story for a future multimedia project involving the 1987 concert. Email your memories to Peter Hartlaub at phartlaub@sfchronicle. com. Write “Stop the Traffic” in the subject line.
“Speaking of God, here’s a song he co-wrote with Curtis Mayfield,” Bono exclaimed when introducing the last song.
The writing on the sculpture, with a red can of spray paint, wasn’t a huge deal in the moment. Selvin didn’t mention the action until the 10th paragraph of his coverage, noting that “not one of the plainclothes cops on hand made a move to arrest him.”
But it became a flash point in the days that followed. After city officials including Mayor Dianne Feinstein expressed disappointment, SFPD Inspector Joe Toomey investigated, and the singer was cited for malicious mischief. With the district attorney still contemplating charges, the band played its scheduled concerts — bringing sculptor Armand Vaillancourt to one of the Oakland Coliseum shows. Vaillancourt seemed uncomfortable onstage but defended the band.
Selvin, who had written positively about previous U2 shows, wrote a blistering review (“After all this, it will be difficult to see the firebrand rocker as little more than another spoiled brat”) that fanned the controversy again, bringing a page full of Chronicle letters to the editor both pro and con.
The uproar ended quietly a few days later, on Nov. 20, 1987, when San Francisco District Attorney Arlo Smith declined to pursue charges. Bono released a nonapology apology that read: “I am sincerely sorry if my actions caused any inconvenience …” He even admitted spraying the sculpture was a mistake.
Chronicle columnist Herb Caen, predictably, provided the coda to the tale a few days later, revealing that Bono had given an autograph to the investigating Officer Toomey’s three sons, Joe, Ed and Bill.
“Good luck and God bless! Bono. P.S. Even the cops in San Francisco are cool!”