The Rathskeller, on the University of Florida campus ....anyone remember??
On the University of Florida campus in the early 1980's was a bar known as The Rathskeller. Does anyone out there remembers this place?? It has since burned to the ground, unfortunately, but many memories were made there during my several years as a student there.
My most found memory was on 05/02/81, when U2 played there for approximately $4/head. during their first world itour for their first album, Boy. The small bar was packed, but not packed enough that I wasn't able to pat each of the band members, yes including Bono, on their backs as they walked into and through the audience to get on stage. If you had ever been in The Rathskeller, you know exactly what I'm talking about. It was a very small bar on the campus of the University of Florida, right off of West University Boulevard, in Gainesville, Florida. There was nothing fancy about it. And the stage was makeshift, no major lighting effects, etc. "Backstage" was actually downstairs in the basement near the bathrooms.
Back to Bono, I remember, even tho' I wasn't really sure about their music yet, I loved the way Bono danced barefoot on the stage as he sang. I can still see it in my mind. All of the punk rockers of Gainesville who I hung out with said they were "a really cool band" from Ireland. I thought Bono was really cute.
Through the years, I followed their music and long career. On 04/10/85, my sister and I were on the Unforgettable Fire tour at the Hampton Collesium, in Hampton, Virginia, next door to Virginia Beach. Bono's version of Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" was fantastic! I can still hear him singing now. As far as I know, it is not recorded anywhere, but it was beautiful the way Bono sang it, with his usual high level of passion and drama. He had beautiful, sweaty medium long hair back then that he would continuously flip down and then back in a seductive way.
On 12/05/87, I was there at the Tampa Stadium, during their Joshua Tree tour. Later, on 11/12/97, in Jacksonville, Florida, I was a patron on the PopMart tour.
My most found memory was on 05/02/81, when U2 played there for approximately $4/head. during their first world itour for their first album, Boy. The small bar was packed, but not packed enough that I wasn't able to pat each of the band members, yes including Bono, on their backs as they walked into and through the audience to get on stage. If you had ever been in The Rathskeller, you know exactly what I'm talking about. It was a very small bar on the campus of the University of Florida, right off of West University Boulevard, in Gainesville, Florida. There was nothing fancy about it. And the stage was makeshift, no major lighting effects, etc. "Backstage" was actually downstairs in the basement near the bathrooms.
Back to Bono, I remember, even tho' I wasn't really sure about their music yet, I loved the way Bono danced barefoot on the stage as he sang. I can still see it in my mind. All of the punk rockers of Gainesville who I hung out with said they were "a really cool band" from Ireland. I thought Bono was really cute.
Through the years, I followed their music and long career. On 04/10/85, my sister and I were on the Unforgettable Fire tour at the Hampton Collesium, in Hampton, Virginia, next door to Virginia Beach. Bono's version of Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" was fantastic! I can still hear him singing now. As far as I know, it is not recorded anywhere, but it was beautiful the way Bono sang it, with his usual high level of passion and drama. He had beautiful, sweaty medium long hair back then that he would continuously flip down and then back in a seductive way.
On 12/05/87, I was there at the Tampa Stadium, during their Joshua Tree tour. Later, on 11/12/97, in Jacksonville, Florida, I was a patron on the PopMart tour.
posted by Melted Marbles | 5:19 PM
12 Comments:
Is this the Virginia concert that you are talking about?
http://www.u2start.com/bootlegs/1985-04-10/Hampton,%20Virginia%20-%20Hampton%20Coliseum/
Thanks for that info! That's a cool site. Unfortunately I had no luck in downloading anything :( But there's some good info.
It was a pub (would be a sporty bar now) in Gainesville Fl on the UF campus.
IT5 DID NOT BURN DOWN. It was closed and replaced by the "Orange and Brew".
PS, it closed in the 70's.
AH the good old days. Beer was cheaper than soda and drinking age was 18. The old dorm I lived in is still in use today.
The week (Sunday thru Saturday) was study (or go tubing on the Ichetucknee River), class, party, class, party, class, PARTAAAY.
Class of '76. I think.
I know these comments are old, but I can’t let the misinformation here go unanswered. The Rat certainly was still open for concerts in the 80s, including that U2 concert mentioned. It certainly DID burn down along with the rest of Johnson Hall in December 1987. And it certainly was NOT replaced by Orange and Brew. They were two completely different venues and were in operation simultaneously.
Yeah, the Rat and Orange and Brew (Reitz Union) both existed in the late 70s/early 80s. There was a reggae band in the Rat often around 1979. They would smoke huge spliffs, and I remember a kinda nervous guy always trying to get the musicians to put them out. The drummer would just smile and puff smoke in the dude's face.
Peli Peli was the band I think. The Rathskeller was near Murphree, Buckman & Thomas Hall.
The Rathskeller was in the old student
union building before they built the new one on Radio Road/ Museum Road. When they built the new union they located the Rates Keller on the main floor, across the breezeway from the main building, where it stayed for years before they closed it. The original one was a dark, coffeehouse sort of place,lots of folk singers, the replacement was also dark, a bit bigger, and probably sold a lot more beer than coffee. Lots of acts went through there before they made it big. The bigger acts were in the old basketball gym, Gator Alley (I saw The Supremes there on their farewell tour). Later those act would be at the O'Connell Center or in the Stadium.
I was at that show at the Rat. I recall it being crowded but not as full as I'd seen it for other shows. Four of us went and a friend was able to interview Bono and the band for a now, long out of print paper from Orlando called "Dog Food" I didn't take my camera because he had his and said he'd share the images he made. Unfortunately, the photo shop blew the processing and we never got to see the backstage images he made. I recall him saying Bono begged his pack of cigarettes because their per diem was so small he couldn't afford to eat and smoke on the same days...I also saw them on the '85 tour you mentioned; I was at the Jacksonville show.
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