How U2 ticket u-turn put diplomats in ‘embarrassing situation’ | EUROtoday

Irish officers thought they’d 5 instances as many free tickets for a U2 tour of the United States, with newly launched Government recordsdata revealing that diplomats have been left in an “embarrassing situation”.

Management for the Dublin rock band had engaged with the Department of Foreign Affairs forward of their 1987 Joshua Tree tour and supplied to incorporate “key people” on the visitor listing for a spread of exhibits.

In one letter from Dublin to the Irish Ambassador in Washington, it was defined that the band wished representatives from “semi-state bodies and the like”, with diplomats additionally hoping it was attainable to ask “colleague ambassadors, administration and other notables or their children”.

A listing of names was drawn up on the idea as much as 60 visitors for every live performance can be acceptable.

That perception is recorded in a notice of a February 1987 assembly with U2 supervisor Paul McGuinness, the place a “possible mutual cooperation towards the benefit of Ireland’s image abroad” was mentioned.

A Department official wrote that “U2 would gladly make available a certain number (perhaps 50-60) of backstage seats” for the Ambassador or consul in a selected metropolis on the tour.

This message was relayed to Ireland’s representatives in cities together with Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and Washington DC in March.

However, they have been instructed weeks the band wished to restrict the allocation to 10 tickets per night time.

The consul basic in Boston mentioned this “puts us in an embarrassing situation” as potential visitors had already been approached for his or her most popular dates.

The response from the headquarters of the Department of Foreign Affairs learn: “You will appreciate that there is little can be done about U-turn by band in this matter. Why not ask your contact if you could put a few more than the ten per night on your list if situation is embarrassing?”

The paperwork additionally state that U2 have been in consideration for enjoying a free live performance to 400,000 folks on the Eiffel Tower to mark its centenary – after an expression of curiosity by then Paris mayor Jacques Chirac.

The band didn’t carry out on the tower, with Johnny Hallyday and Stevie Wonder among the many primary acts on the day.

This article relies on recordsdata in a doc labelled 2025/124/461 on the National Archives of Ireland