I caved and braved zootopia:
From Stateless:
Thanks to U2, and a reminder to check my spam folder, I was one of the lucky chosen to hear How to Reassemble and Atomic Bomb at a fully equipped Dolby room in NYC. Yes, the mix and sound were un-freaking-believable! Mindblowing! At times like being in the studio with them, or maybe the next room listening to the mix. You could hear every whisper, breath, creak, string scratch, etc. So crisp and clear. At the same time it was like literally being IN the sound, enveloped in 360 degrees by it. Larry and Adam holding you up and setting boundaries around while Edge's guitar swirled all around and Bono right there in your face. I came away with a much better impression of this shadow album hearing it in that setting vs my tinny little computer speakers. The music came to life. Treason was a hit, getting applause at the end. The note I scribbled in the dark, and barely legible, just says "BANGER" with an attempt, I think, at drawing an exploding head. During Happiness (which didn't grab me online), I similarly scratched out something like, "Edge directly in my f*****g veins!". So very happy to have gotten this opportunity!
Only downside, as I've seen mentioned elsewhere, was the baffling lack of any sort of atmosphere or festivity. There were no signs outside or inside the venue indicating the event, and no announcement or something from a rep welcoming us and telling us what to expect. Just lights down, a short Dolby ad, then the promo image of the band on screen while the album played. Not even a giveaway as simple as a sticker or art card, or even a tote bag for us to take away. Some opportunity to take photos to post to social media. Hey, it's what us kids like these days!
Oh, and my banner image of the countdown truck? That was a purely accidental discovery as I was heading home. It was parked about 3 blocks from the venue. Bit of a head scratcher. But at least I got to see it IRL.
Anyway, here I am nearly 24hrs later and still can't get those amazing sounds out of my head. Can't wait to get the cds in my hands, though I will never have a sound system that will ever do the kind of justice Dolby did.
