Why don't you own/listen to bootlegs?

[corianderstem]

yea, the U2bloodredskyhub! i remember using that and another ftp with lots of good U2 shit quite a lot.

That site was what finally spurred me to upgrade from a dial-up modem to cable internet, back in .... whatever year that was. '02 or '03. There was no way I would have lasted long with that slow connection!

 

[mikal]

for all the naysayers of unofficial bootlegs, ppl complaining abt crappy audience recordings which have drunks singing along & ppl screaming & what not (all very valid arguments I agree), plz go download and listen to the Zoo TV Milan recording! becuz if u haven't heard that, u'r REALLY missing out! it exemplifies to perfection just how brilliant audience recordings can be

i would agree. some of my favorite boots are audience recordings....like Chicago '84 and '87, Popmart Vegas, and many Elevation and Vertigo shows!

 

[corianderstem]

That Chicago '87 show (I'm assuming we're talking about the same ones) is the best audience recording - I almost can't believe it's audience and not soundboard, but I've heard repeatedly over the years that is indeed audience.

 

[mikal]

That Chicago '87 show (I'm assuming we're talking about the same ones) is the best audience recording - I almost can't believe it's audience and not soundboard, but I've heard repeatedly over the years that is indeed audience.

heck yeah. the "stop whistling" part is one of my favorite U2 moments ever.

 

[youarenotimmune]

That Chicago '87 show (I'm assuming we're talking about the same ones) is the best audience recording - I almost can't believe it's audience and not soundboard, but I've heard repeatedly over the years that is indeed audience.

exactly! I actually thought for years this was a soundboard recording, it's THAT good (i'm assuming that you guys are talkin abt "rock's hottest ticket")

and it's not just a high quality recording, it's a brilliant bootleg. one of my favourties as well without doubt

 

[youarenotimmune]

heck yeah. the "stop whistling" part is one of my favorite U2 moments ever.

stop whistling cuz i'm not in the beatles ok, it's U2 here

the funny thing is, I used to think Bono used to be really intense and into his performances during concerts up until the Lovetown Tour, which made him go off on occasions such as this. I figured his occasional fanbashing at concerts was a thing of the 80s, since afterwards he apparently loosened up a lot more during shows. But that was all before I saw that uber fanbashing video on youtube, where he bulldozes some poor guy who's presumably on the fone during sunday bloody sunday at some vertigo show lol

 

[mikal]

stop whistling cuz i'm not in the beatles ok, it's U2 here

the funny thing is, I used to think Bono used to be really intense and into his performances during concerts up until the Lovetown Tour, which made him go off on occasions such as this. I figured his occasional fanbashing at concerts was a thing of the 80s, since afterwards he apparently loosened up a lot more during shows. But that was all before I saw that uber fanbashing video on youtube, where he bulldozes some poor guy who's presumably on the fone during sunday bloody sunday at some vertigo show lol

yes, that was hilarious, though i feel bad for the guy. i'm glad Bono apologized to him, lol!

 

[youarenotimmune]

he did? to the phone guy???

 

[mikal]

he did? to the phone guy???

yeah, i remember hearing later on in the bootleg, right before "One", Bono apologized to the fan, and then ironically told everyone to take their cell phones out.

 

[youarenotimmune]

haahahaa!! well i'm glad he did....i can't imagine what kind of therapy i would have needed had Bono yelled at me like that at a concert!

 

[alanah]

gotta get the right stuff.

 

[AndrewCowley]

heck yeah. the "stop whistling" part is one of my favorite U2 moments ever.

I find that moment very cringe worthy. No wonder some people think Bono is pompous.

 

[CTU2fan]

The best Joshua Tree recordings are all audience...the April Chicago show mentioned, the April San Francisco shows, May Hartford shows, the first September NYC show (featuring the New Voices of Freedom), the first October Chicago show, all fantastic. Another great audience recording is Stockholm 1992...and of course the Gothenburg and Hartford Vertigo recordings.

 

[digitize]

The best Joshua Tree recordings are all audience...the April Chicago show mentioned, the April San Francisco shows, May Hartford shows, the first September NYC show (featuring the New Voices of Freedom), the first October Chicago show, all fantastic. Another great audience recording is Stockholm 1992...and of course the Gothenburg and Hartford Vertigo recordings.

Stockholm '92 is a television broadcast, no?

Actually, now that I think about it, my bootleg is a television/audience matrix, and it sounds very good. The show is amazing.

 

[U2girl]

I didn't until I read about them on this site. My brother used to have Zoo TV Dublin but I thought it was an official live recording (great sound, nice looking covers back and front and the back side of the CD had the tracklist).

I have the best known ones, about 20.

 

[edurban]

If you are talking about physical CDs of bootlegs then I agree but thanks to torrents and file sharing, bootlegs of concerts in mp3 form (or whatever) are way easier to obtain then ever before if you ask me...

Absolutely, I remember roaming little shops for bootlegs, or having to buy them off the Italian fan club in the '90. It was a pain.

 

[AndrewCowley]

Stockholm '92 is a television broadcast, no?

Not sure it was actually broadcast on TV. There is however a pro-shot video available and the audio of course is stunning soundboard. It's a great concert. Again more reasons why people who are anti non-official releases need to get into such things.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Back in the days of the Elevation tour I got to know someone here who was nice enough to make me some. I treasure those because of her kindness. I listened to them then but I don't now. Loss of the kind of interest I used to have in U2 is the most likely reason. It's not something I'd be spending time doing myself, unless there was one specific song I'd want to hear- something like that. I haven't listened to NLOTH in quite a while

 

[CTU2fan]

There's a few sources around for Stockholm '92. There's a soundboard that's a rip of the famous VHS proshot video, I don't think it was a TV broadcast but John the contest winner got a copy, there's a fantastic audience recording that's been pressed by various labels and with various names, the most well-known being "Dancing ZooTV", and there's a matrix of of the audience and soundboard recordings. The audience tape is one of the handful of U2 audience tapes that get mis-labeled as soundboards, that's how good it is.

 

[zuropa_fit]

I may own a show or two of those that I have attended, but for the most part I don't see the point.

I would rather listen to studio recordings when listening to music in my home or car...

But I do like live DVDs, certain bands that I follow I will buy their live DVDs.

To me if I spent a lot of time searching for the best live recording of Bad or Streets then I would spend all my time with just one band and miss out on a lot of other music...

this

 

[gman]

I think another reason why i dont bother with bootlegs now is...i dont see the point in having a quality music system and play tat on it. wasnt so bad back in the day, when i just had a cheapo hi-fi.
Am very particular about quality the older i get.

 

[nathan1977]

What BVS said.

I have all the live DVDs (Blood Red Sky, JT Live from Paris, Zoo TV in Sydney, PopMart from South America, Elevation from Boston and Slane, PopMart from Chicago and Milan) and at least one really good bootleg of every show -- used to buy them back in the 90s so I have "U2 New Horizon" (a pressing of April Chicago 87), "Zoomerang Down Under", and "The Promise Kept (Live in Sarajevo)", as well as "Jesus Was a Cool Guy" and "Zoocoustic." Thanks to the Internet I have "Rogue's Island" (Elevation 10/30, which I was at), the Lovetown 89 show from iTunes as well as a few select/rare cuts from that tour, PopMart Tel Aviv/Las Vegas/Leeds, Vertigo Anaheim/Dublin as well as rare cuts from other shows (Chicago), the Boston broadcast from the War tour, and Zoo TV Washington and Dublin (Zoo Europa). That's 23 shows, so I guess I have an okay collection of U2 live, but I just don't have the time to collect or listen to much else.

With U2start out there, there's just too many to explore, and since U2 doesn't generally subscribe to the dynamic playlist rule, there's not really a reason to collect/listen to everything, so I go after shows with an emotional connection or that are really special.