U2 Perform 'Red Hill Mining Town' Live For The First Time

(Radio.com) U2 kicked off their 30th anniversary The Joshua Tree Tour in Vancouver on Friday (May 12) and their performance entailed several songs the band has never performed live before including "Red Hill Mining Town."

The rockers recently released a new mix of The Joshua Tree track in celebration of the album's 30th anniversary. While in Vancouver, U2 performed the record in full at the tour kickoff, marking the first-ever live performance of "Red Hill Mining Town." As @U2 notes, Bono revealed why the band have yet to play the song live during an interview with BBC Radio 2.

"I used to write songs that I couldn't sing," Bono confessed. "And sometimes that was OK because the strains of the notes I couldn't reach was part of the drama, but occasionally they would really just wreck the next show. So I just left 'Red Hill Mining Town' off. But since then, I sing a bit better -- or at least I've learned how to sing."

In addition to performing "Red Hill Mining Town," the band played several songs for the first time since the late '80s including "Exit" and "Trip Through Your Wires." Other rarities featured throughout their set were "A Sort of Homecoming," "Running to Stand Still" and "MLK." Check out video here.

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