![]() It’s a shame that Under a Blood Red Sky didn’t get the same expanded treatment as Live at Red Rocks. ![]() The performance comes as a standalone DVD, or as a companion to the Deluxe Edition of the band’s live EP from the same time, Under a Blood Red Sky, with no real bonus features to speak of. It’s a perfect marriage of subject matter and visuals. At that moment, the band could be playing in the middle of an apocalyptic landscape, or war-torn streets. The band’s performance of “Sunday Bloody Sunday” even benefits from the happy coincidence of being played just as night falls and as large braziers of flame alight at the top of the Red Rocks structure. The band’s performance doesn’t flag for a moment, with many renditions easily outshining their studio counterparts. What’s included, though, is top-notch, even if the footage’s roots in video rather than film stock occasionally rears its head. ![]() Presumably, licensing issues kept that footage from being used, which is a shame. In the cut footage, he’s on the lip of a side stage, flag in his hands, silhouetted against the twilight as he sings to the crowd. In the case of “The Electric Co.”, however, we’re left with a long stretch of footage that shows the band playing with Bono nowhere to be seen (or heard). To be honest, Bono’s inclusion of “Let’s Twist Again” hardly elevated “Two Hearts Beat as One” to special heights. What will be more irritating to diehard fans, though, is the loss of two moments from the show: the “Let’s Twist Again” snippet in “Two Hearts Beat as One” and the “Send in the Clowns” portion of “The Electric Co.”. Anthony De Curtis’ informative liner notes reveal that “I Fall Down”, for example, suffered from a camera malfunction - it’s the only song missing. Adding five songs, it’s the complete show - for the most part. Even though it covers only their first three albums, Live at Red Rocks remains U2’s definitive live statement.Īvailable for years on VHS, the performance finally makes its way to DVD. Geographically/historically clueless American teens, many of whom had no idea what “Sunday, Bloody Sunday” was about (I even had a friend sniff, “Why don’t you just listen to ‘Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath’? It’s the same thing.”), but knew that it was different, and powerful, and cool. Before he claimed the Live Aid stage as his own before an international audience, Bono’s charisma was on full display in the Red Rocks videos, even if his stage mannerisms still needed some work. Apart from the occasional professionally shot video (such as the loose rebels-in-the-snow narrative of “New Year’s Day”), many fans’ first glimpse of U2 was the sight of Bono, with his breath pluming in the cold air, erecting a white flag at the lip of the Red Rocks stage and exhorting the crowd to yell, “No More!”. It didn’t hurt that MTV latched onto the band’s Red Rocks clips. It’s rare that a band can totally transform a scene - especially one with a stage show that boasts charisma as its only special effect - but it’s not hyperbole to say that U2 put on a dominating, flawless-despite-mistakes performance. But on the night of U2’s performance, as rain gave way to a mist that seemed like it was trucked in from an Irish heath, and as darkness fell, the venue certainly didn’t feel like the American Southwest. Nestled into a natural stone formation in Red Rocks Park, the amphitheatre is a stunning sight even when empty. A rabid crowd (which filled only about half the venue) witnessed a Red Rocks show which became not only a watershed moment in U2’s career, but also a piece of rock history. Instead, U2 booked a rain-check show in Boulder for the next evening (for the fans who didn’t want to brave the elements at Red Rocks), and proceeded with the Red Rocks show as planned. It was a performance that many bands, in the face of torrential downpours, would have cancelled before it even started (the show’s promoter was all for killing the show, but was stuck on a plane while that decision was made). Case in point: their Jperformance at Colorado’s open-air Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Years before they started dressing like dust bowl farmers for The Joshua Tree, they were actually seeing America, unlike many of their overseas peers who refused to commit to the slog of a US tour.Įven before they exhibited a talent for reinvention, they obviously knew how to seize a moment. Before the massive stage shows, the Fly persona, and meetings with world leaders, Bono and company were touring America, growing their fan base with electric live shows. Once upon a time, like any other band, U2 were young and hungry.
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