djerdap
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
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My Chicago DVD review
Very long. Contains some really big spoilers, so...
Got the 1DVD-version today (first I was kinda disappointed I could not get the deluxe edition, but according to U2tour.de and some other sources, the extras are not worth the extra money).
Well, my reaction is mostly very positive, as it is one of the best concert films I have ever seen. Couple of things that differentiates the Vertigo Chicago DVD from the other U2 concert films are these:
1. The concert is long 135 minutes. Not bad. For U2 standards amazing (Slane & Boston were about 105 minutes, for example).
2. Adam Clayton! The Jazz Man becoming the Showman. He is more mobile than The Edge on this one. Counted three circles on the ellipse.
3. This could bother some people - the show is extremely political. Basically the whole middle part from Love and Peace to One is full of Bono's remarks about Coexist and Africa (long speeches, the declaration of Human Rights). You can see on this video that Bono is really putting 100% in these noble causes, so I don't mind at all that it is taking quite a bit time on the DVD.
4. Bono's guitar - it can be heard very clearly in the mix. Running To Stand Still, One, The Fly. Most of it I find very good (Running, The Fly opening), but sometimes it can be irritating (during Edge's solo on The Fly, most of One).
5. The band makes mistakes. And they are not edited. The interesting thing is that they took more footage from the May 9th show than we thought they would. For example, during Elevation, Bono coughs into the mic after drinking some water, stating: "I have a frog in my throat" and missing the first line in the bridge. It's strange to me that they didn't just put the May 10th Elevation here. Edge fucks up here and there as well.
The one thing I love about the show is that it ROCKS. A lot. I can honestly say that this version of The Fly is my favorite song from any U2 concert film, both visually and musically. Essential rock and roll in these amazing 5 minutes - the band really rocks HARD. Watching Adam and Bono playing guitars back to back and all jumping and showing high rock attitude in the ending is delightful. Other highlights: The Electric Co. (Edge being a mean motherfucker; Bono is hilarious - I'll come to that later), Vertigo (with the Stories For Boys snippet), Love and Peace or Else (the best live song in years), Sunday Bloody Sunday (great version - I sincerely think the Vertigo versions are the best ones since 1987 at least), Zoo Station (love the direction on this track - visually probably the best song on the DVD) and Mysterious Ways (Edge's guitar sounds fantastic).
City of Blinding Lights is an amazing opener. Easily the best since Zoo Station. An Cat Dubh/Into the Heart is also very good and does not kill the flow at all. Although it is very interesting to see and hear the audience during the Boy songs - completely numb. New Year's Day is a great version - Bono's voice is very good at this stage and seeing Adam and Edge interact on the ellipse is really cool. Running To Stand Still is beautiful as always.
One of the unexpected pleasant surprises was Original of the Species, which sounds fantastic on this DVD. One of the highlights for sure. The 40 ending could not be more appropriate.
Other favorite moments:
1. Hilarious - during Electric Co., Bono gets behind Larry and slams one of his cymbals with his microphone. Larry, surprised and annoyed, shows Bono a "look".
2. Adam and Edge cooperating on An Cat Dubh/Into the Heart and shaking hands after they nailed it.
3. Adam and Bono at the tip of the ellipse on Where the Streets Have No Name. Simply epic.
4. The entire ZooTV encore is simply breathtaking.
Now for the nitpicks:
1. Bono's age is starting to show. He does seem really tired in some moments.
2. As a fan of the Vertigo Bullet versions, I'm disappointed by this lackluster version of the song.
3. Some very weird edits where music is not compatible with the footage (especially during Elevation - the whoo-hoo's are lip-synched, BTW).
4. Bono's voice really varies during the show. Sometimes it is weak, but sometimes (on Sometimes) it really shows how much his voice has progressed from Popmart and Elevation.
5. Larry's drums could be more turned up and more acoustic in the mix (don't know how to explain it - sometimes they seem a bit out of place for me).
6. The dedication of Running To Stand Still to the US troops. A song about Dublin heroin addicts... dedicated to the US military.
Anyway, there is room to enhance for the upcoming Milano DVD, but all in all, a very good DVD. There are North American Vertigo shows that would seem (performance and audience-wise) even better for a DVD shoot, but I'm definitely not disappointed. Worth the waiting for.
Very long. Contains some really big spoilers, so...
Got the 1DVD-version today (first I was kinda disappointed I could not get the deluxe edition, but according to U2tour.de and some other sources, the extras are not worth the extra money).
Well, my reaction is mostly very positive, as it is one of the best concert films I have ever seen. Couple of things that differentiates the Vertigo Chicago DVD from the other U2 concert films are these:
1. The concert is long 135 minutes. Not bad. For U2 standards amazing (Slane & Boston were about 105 minutes, for example).
2. Adam Clayton! The Jazz Man becoming the Showman. He is more mobile than The Edge on this one. Counted three circles on the ellipse.
3. This could bother some people - the show is extremely political. Basically the whole middle part from Love and Peace to One is full of Bono's remarks about Coexist and Africa (long speeches, the declaration of Human Rights). You can see on this video that Bono is really putting 100% in these noble causes, so I don't mind at all that it is taking quite a bit time on the DVD.
4. Bono's guitar - it can be heard very clearly in the mix. Running To Stand Still, One, The Fly. Most of it I find very good (Running, The Fly opening), but sometimes it can be irritating (during Edge's solo on The Fly, most of One).
5. The band makes mistakes. And they are not edited. The interesting thing is that they took more footage from the May 9th show than we thought they would. For example, during Elevation, Bono coughs into the mic after drinking some water, stating: "I have a frog in my throat" and missing the first line in the bridge. It's strange to me that they didn't just put the May 10th Elevation here. Edge fucks up here and there as well.
The one thing I love about the show is that it ROCKS. A lot. I can honestly say that this version of The Fly is my favorite song from any U2 concert film, both visually and musically. Essential rock and roll in these amazing 5 minutes - the band really rocks HARD. Watching Adam and Bono playing guitars back to back and all jumping and showing high rock attitude in the ending is delightful. Other highlights: The Electric Co. (Edge being a mean motherfucker; Bono is hilarious - I'll come to that later), Vertigo (with the Stories For Boys snippet), Love and Peace or Else (the best live song in years), Sunday Bloody Sunday (great version - I sincerely think the Vertigo versions are the best ones since 1987 at least), Zoo Station (love the direction on this track - visually probably the best song on the DVD) and Mysterious Ways (Edge's guitar sounds fantastic).
City of Blinding Lights is an amazing opener. Easily the best since Zoo Station. An Cat Dubh/Into the Heart is also very good and does not kill the flow at all. Although it is very interesting to see and hear the audience during the Boy songs - completely numb. New Year's Day is a great version - Bono's voice is very good at this stage and seeing Adam and Edge interact on the ellipse is really cool. Running To Stand Still is beautiful as always.
One of the unexpected pleasant surprises was Original of the Species, which sounds fantastic on this DVD. One of the highlights for sure. The 40 ending could not be more appropriate.
Other favorite moments:
1. Hilarious - during Electric Co., Bono gets behind Larry and slams one of his cymbals with his microphone. Larry, surprised and annoyed, shows Bono a "look".
2. Adam and Edge cooperating on An Cat Dubh/Into the Heart and shaking hands after they nailed it.
3. Adam and Bono at the tip of the ellipse on Where the Streets Have No Name. Simply epic.
4. The entire ZooTV encore is simply breathtaking.
Now for the nitpicks:
1. Bono's age is starting to show. He does seem really tired in some moments.
2. As a fan of the Vertigo Bullet versions, I'm disappointed by this lackluster version of the song.
3. Some very weird edits where music is not compatible with the footage (especially during Elevation - the whoo-hoo's are lip-synched, BTW).
4. Bono's voice really varies during the show. Sometimes it is weak, but sometimes (on Sometimes) it really shows how much his voice has progressed from Popmart and Elevation.
5. Larry's drums could be more turned up and more acoustic in the mix (don't know how to explain it - sometimes they seem a bit out of place for me).
6. The dedication of Running To Stand Still to the US troops. A song about Dublin heroin addicts... dedicated to the US military.
Anyway, there is room to enhance for the upcoming Milano DVD, but all in all, a very good DVD. There are North American Vertigo shows that would seem (performance and audience-wise) even better for a DVD shoot, but I'm definitely not disappointed. Worth the waiting for.