I'm a long-time fan since 9th grade (1983 when "War" was released).
I've always believed that rock and roll is best experienced in smaller bars, clubs and theaters. But when "Achtung Baby" came out, I got tickets anyway to the Zoo TV tour in 1992 at Madison Square Garden. While I enjoyed that (the roar of the crowd, the excitement of your fellow fans, and the manic energy of the band) I was all the way up in the nosebleed seats and felt a little removed. And frankly the sound wasn't the best (boomy, kinda got lost up in the ceiling). Sure, they had the jumbotrons to broadcast big images of the band, but it's just not the same as being at the front of the stage in a club.
"U23D" brings the best of both worlds together: you see the immense scale of the stadium audience, but you also get to see the band up close and personal on stage. The filmmakers did a great job capturing the energy and enthusiasm of the South American stadium crowds and the unique bond this band has with its fans.
What struck me about the particular performances captured for this film were "Bullet the Blue Sky" and "Sunday Bloody Sunday": Bono has this tendency to editorialize during some songs and it can come across as preachy at best and forced at worst. Here though, he works in a custom version of "When Johnny Comes Home" to great effect during "Bullet" that really moved me ("Doesn't matter what he's seen or where he's been as long as Johnny comes home").
During "Sunday Bloody Sundy" Bono points to a "Coexist" head band someone in the crowd gave him and points to it and says "Muslims, Jews, Christiansit's all truewe're all children of Abraham. Abraham, speak to your sons." It made me sad because somehow I don't think there will ever be peace in the Middle East. And the superiority that some Evangelicals here in the U.S. have over other religions will probably never go away either. How long must we sing this song, indeed.
Sonically, I wish it had been a little louder, but it still sounded very good. My wife, while she enjoyed it, found herself feeling like she was still observing a lot of other people having fun at a concert. But I felt like I was there.
If you're a U2 fan, you gotta see this before it leaves the IMAX theater near you. It's definitely worth every penny. I'll probably see it one more time before it goes....
I've always believed that rock and roll is best experienced in smaller bars, clubs and theaters. But when "Achtung Baby" came out, I got tickets anyway to the Zoo TV tour in 1992 at Madison Square Garden. While I enjoyed that (the roar of the crowd, the excitement of your fellow fans, and the manic energy of the band) I was all the way up in the nosebleed seats and felt a little removed. And frankly the sound wasn't the best (boomy, kinda got lost up in the ceiling). Sure, they had the jumbotrons to broadcast big images of the band, but it's just not the same as being at the front of the stage in a club.
"U23D" brings the best of both worlds together: you see the immense scale of the stadium audience, but you also get to see the band up close and personal on stage. The filmmakers did a great job capturing the energy and enthusiasm of the South American stadium crowds and the unique bond this band has with its fans.
What struck me about the particular performances captured for this film were "Bullet the Blue Sky" and "Sunday Bloody Sunday": Bono has this tendency to editorialize during some songs and it can come across as preachy at best and forced at worst. Here though, he works in a custom version of "When Johnny Comes Home" to great effect during "Bullet" that really moved me ("Doesn't matter what he's seen or where he's been as long as Johnny comes home").
During "Sunday Bloody Sundy" Bono points to a "Coexist" head band someone in the crowd gave him and points to it and says "Muslims, Jews, Christiansit's all truewe're all children of Abraham. Abraham, speak to your sons." It made me sad because somehow I don't think there will ever be peace in the Middle East. And the superiority that some Evangelicals here in the U.S. have over other religions will probably never go away either. How long must we sing this song, indeed.
Sonically, I wish it had been a little louder, but it still sounded very good. My wife, while she enjoyed it, found herself feeling like she was still observing a lot of other people having fun at a concert. But I felt like I was there.
If you're a U2 fan, you gotta see this before it leaves the IMAX theater near you. It's definitely worth every penny. I'll probably see it one more time before it goes....