Customer Ratings & Reviews

It's finally part of my collection..the "Holy Grail" of U2 shows...the band on the cusp of greatness!

Great video showing U2 at its start. Shot at the best venue in the World.

This is the famous Red Rocks, Colorado, show for U2's 1983 War (third album) tour. The band had planned to film this show and air it on television around the world. In the U.S. it played on MTV. Many of you might recall that the moving Sunday Bloody Sunday video is from this show. But it poured that day in Colorado. Poured. There was trouble with the helicopter which was to shoot the aerial scenes. Only half the ticket holders showed up. The stage had to be squeegeed. But the band quickly realized that the fog and rain was a more fitting atmosphere than bright sun. Grey gloom was more “U2” and certainly more “Ireland” than sunny skies. I don’t think the concert, or this DVD, would have been as amazing had the weather cooperated. To see the band and the die-hard fans getting soaked shows the dedication of everyone there. I think the weather actually made this the iconic concert and DVD that it is. They were going to play their hearts out no matter what. When Bono sings, you can see his warm breath on the air. When Larry Mullen Jr. gets up from the drum kit at the end, you can see the steam coming off his back. You can’t create touches like that. At least not in 1983. The sound on this recently released DVD is quite good. Edge’s backing vocals are more clearly heard than on any CD or video version of this concert I’ve heard. This DVD has A LOT less 80’s cheese than the Police Synchronicity concert DVD. That’s a great Police show, but the directors mucked it up with goofy colored scribbles and too many audience shots. Live at Red Rocks is just pure U2; pure rock. Bono struts and stomps and works the audience like no one else can! There is a catwalk into the crowd that Bono makes extensive use of. It would have been nice to have a camera right at the end of the catwalk filming up at him as he sang. When he’s at the edge of the stage there are very few shots of his front (though you can see a cameraman down there, so why aren’t there shots from the front??) Instead, you get lots of side or back views when Bono’s at the tip of the stage. However, the back views do NOT disappoint. :) One thing I need to mention is that throughout the DVD there are faint, red stringy lines on the picture. I’ve talked to a number of people and they all have the same red lines on their copies. We think it has to do with the quality of video cameras in 1983 and that when the cameras were faced into a spotlight, it created the ghostly lines. They aren’t too distracting, especially because Bono is so mesmerizing. It’s not a crystal clear picture, but it’s closely shot for about 95% of the DVD and that helps eliminate any impression of fuzziness. This is a great vintage concert (Not a single person is holding up a camera or cell phone! Do you remember those days??) that shows U2 starting to really find and define the magic they create live. Simple stage, simple clothing, simple presentation = unbelievable emotion and connection with the music and the audience. There aren’t a lot of extras, but what do you expect for a concert that’s 25 years old! I did not listen to the director’s commentary, so maybe someone else will write a review of that. This is simple U2 at their best. Before the lemons, before the huge screens, before the heart-shaped stage. It’s them and nothing else to distract. And it works. It works well.