smileplease1974
The Fly
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2003
- Messages
- 30
I've finally (!!!) got to watch the Slane DVD (we're still catching up technology-wise here in the UK!) and I have to say, the DVD has left me with a rather empty feeling.
My problem with the concert is that it's distinctly average. there's nothing that stands out (yes Bono's daughter dances with him, yes the Dublin crowd goes nuts, yes the first two songs are amazing, but the rest seems like a dressed up Greatest Hits tour). It's not something I'd recommend to a casual fan over the Sydney and Mexico recordings.
The Elevation Tour was distinct because of it's indoor nature - the back to roots application to be the best band in the world. However, I think on the stadium dates it lost it's identity and power and this is reflected in the footage.
The Slane stage set up is bland with many of the visual and staging effects that were great indoors (lights going out halfway during Elevation, see-through curtains during New York, lyrics projected onto the backdrop and arena roof during Walk On etc) being lost and the set up looking dwarfed by it's outdoor surroundings.
Apart from the ATYCLB tunes and probably Out of Control, the rest of the songs seem mostly tired, particularly NYD, Pride, All I Want Is You and they certainly don't 'blend' together as well as they did on the ZooTV and PopMart tours (UTEOTW and New Year's Day don't fit together as well now, nothing compares to the Running/Streets combo and the concert intro isn't as memorable as the ZooTV and PopMart gigs). The usages of video screens is incomparable to the last two tours (obviously) and the actual performances aren't as memorable (who can forget the belly dancer, Bono's Vietnam-style Running performances, flicking through the channels, The Fly text, MacPhisto, the Lemon ball, the boxing-style PopMart intro, the massive screen etc?). What will you remember from the Slane gig?
I appreciate the arguments about the fact that the Elevation tour was about the music and not about the staging, and the Slane gigs were about the occassion and that moment in time, but as a result, I think the concert and resulting DVD lacks a certain magic.
Despite its critics, I believe the Boston video is a better record of the tour than Slane, which to be honest, could have been a one-off gig. After all, apart from three or four European gigs, Elevation was an indoor tour.
Ofcourse it's a good gig and I'm sure I'll watch it again and again. But for me, it lacks that extra something seen in the ZooTV Sydney and PopMart Mexico videos which I'm sure will help them stand the course of time better than the Slane DVD.
Sorry if I'm going over old ground, but hey, I only watched it for the first time last night (though I saw the TV edited version) and thought I'd get this off my chest.
My problem with the concert is that it's distinctly average. there's nothing that stands out (yes Bono's daughter dances with him, yes the Dublin crowd goes nuts, yes the first two songs are amazing, but the rest seems like a dressed up Greatest Hits tour). It's not something I'd recommend to a casual fan over the Sydney and Mexico recordings.
The Elevation Tour was distinct because of it's indoor nature - the back to roots application to be the best band in the world. However, I think on the stadium dates it lost it's identity and power and this is reflected in the footage.
The Slane stage set up is bland with many of the visual and staging effects that were great indoors (lights going out halfway during Elevation, see-through curtains during New York, lyrics projected onto the backdrop and arena roof during Walk On etc) being lost and the set up looking dwarfed by it's outdoor surroundings.
Apart from the ATYCLB tunes and probably Out of Control, the rest of the songs seem mostly tired, particularly NYD, Pride, All I Want Is You and they certainly don't 'blend' together as well as they did on the ZooTV and PopMart tours (UTEOTW and New Year's Day don't fit together as well now, nothing compares to the Running/Streets combo and the concert intro isn't as memorable as the ZooTV and PopMart gigs). The usages of video screens is incomparable to the last two tours (obviously) and the actual performances aren't as memorable (who can forget the belly dancer, Bono's Vietnam-style Running performances, flicking through the channels, The Fly text, MacPhisto, the Lemon ball, the boxing-style PopMart intro, the massive screen etc?). What will you remember from the Slane gig?
I appreciate the arguments about the fact that the Elevation tour was about the music and not about the staging, and the Slane gigs were about the occassion and that moment in time, but as a result, I think the concert and resulting DVD lacks a certain magic.
Despite its critics, I believe the Boston video is a better record of the tour than Slane, which to be honest, could have been a one-off gig. After all, apart from three or four European gigs, Elevation was an indoor tour.
Ofcourse it's a good gig and I'm sure I'll watch it again and again. But for me, it lacks that extra something seen in the ZooTV Sydney and PopMart Mexico videos which I'm sure will help them stand the course of time better than the Slane DVD.
Sorry if I'm going over old ground, but hey, I only watched it for the first time last night (though I saw the TV edited version) and thought I'd get this off my chest.
)
