US stadiums ‘terrif ied’ young U2
U2 bassist Adam Clayton has told how the band was terrified when they first played gigantic US stadiums after the success of album Joshua Tree in 1987.
In a new BBC Four documentary, Hits, Hype & Hustle: An Insider’s Guide to the Music Business, the Dubliner says: ‘I think it was the most terrifying transition you could imagine.
‘We were 27. When you get into one of these American football stadiums which is 45,000 to 50,000 people it is a very different place of conflict.
‘It was very, very tough, particularly tough on Bono, to hold an audience for two hours with very little props.’
Meanwhile, he also reveals he was driving the four band members to the car ferry in Dublin – ahead of their first big UK gig in a rock pup in London in 1980 – when he crashed and the Edge went through the windscreen. Recalling the gig, Adam said: ‘Edge had his arm in a sling. Very tough for a guitar player.’ The documentary is on BBC Four on January 26, 9pm.