U2: U2 360° At The Rose Bowl
U2: U2 360° At The Rose Bowl
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Thursday, 03, Jun 2010 01:28
Mercury Records, out now.
What's it all about?
A collection of classic hits old and new alongside a healthy offering of recent releases from one of the world's most iconic bands. The DVD features U2's two-hour performance at the Rose Bowl Stadium in California on their current U2 360° tour. The show in question took place in 2009, although the Irish group will continue to perform the concert until 2011. Included are 23 tracks of various types, from rock anthems to melodic tunes. As well as the 97,000 people in attendance, the gig was broadcast across seven continents on YouTube.
Who's it by?
Ireland's most famous export to the world - U2. Led by Bono and backed up by popular guitarist The Edge, U2 have enjoyed a 34-year career to date spanning five decades, 12 studio albums, 22 Grammy Awards and seven UK number ones. U2 360° At The Rose Bowl offers fans an opportunity to see the group belt out hits from their entire spell at the top, including those from the recent chart-topping album No Line On The Horizon. It also shows them performing classic singles such as With Or Without You and I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking for, that helped them become the global phenomenon they are today.
As an example.
"See the world in green and blue/See China right in front of you/See the canyons broken by cloud/See the tuna fleets clearing the sea out/See the Bedouin fires at night/See the oil fields at first light/And see the bird with a leaf in her mouth/After the flood all the colours came out/It was a beautiful day/Don't let it get away." - Beautiful Day
What the others say
"Stadium concerts usually tend to feel puffed up and bombastic, but this was downright strange - and wonderfully so." - Greg Kot, Chicago Tribune
"This was one of the band's strongest ever live outings." - Irish Times
"Without giving too much away, the show itself is truly gargantuan, with guitarist The Edge proving yet again just how inspirational he can be." - Music Radar
So is it any good?
What cannot be denied is that this performance has something in it for U2 fans of all ages and eras. While the band may not have the dominant and powerful vocals of their 1980s heyday, they make up for it with a revolutionary stage, top-rate musical ability and plethora of instantly recognisable tracks. The sprinkling of timeless hits, such as Beautiful Day and One, is guaranteed to have everyone singing along at home. But that is not to underestimate some of U2's more recent work. For example, highlights include Vertigo and City Of Blinding Lights - both taken from the 2004 album How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb.
At times it perhaps struggles to get going as once U2 would certainly have, but this is arguably the result of the group's move towards slower tunes as the years have passed as it is the inevitable effects of time. And, most importantly for any live concert, they leave the best until last, ending with a stunning rendition of Moment Of Surrender that is surely the highlight of the performance.
No band with the number of genial songs and moments that U2 have to call on will ever fail to deliver a quality show. However, those who expect to see the band as though they have stepped straight out of the 1980s are best advised to stay away. Those who wish to enjoy a band that has reinvented itself constantly to keep up with the pace of modern music and offers a catalogue of classic tracks should consider this a must-buy.
8/10
Tom Witham