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U2
Live: Under a Blood Red Sky / Live at Red Rocks
(Island/Universal)
First Appeared in The Music Box, October 2008, Volume 15, #10
Written by John Metzger
Thu October 2, 2008, 06:30 AM CDT
Manager Paul McGinness certainly believed in U2, even if the world outside
Britain and Ireland had yet to discover the reason why it should care. McGinness
also knew that if the group was ever to become an international sensation, it
needed to find its focus, refine its approach, and clearly demonstrate its full
potential. Featuring a streamlined message, U2’s triumphant 1983 album War
set the wheels in motion, erasing the youthful missteps that had marred
October and Boy and setting the stage for the better things to come.
The second step toward propelling U2 forward was accomplished when McGinness’
longstanding vision to shoot a concert film at Denver’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre
was brought to fruition on June 5, 1983.
Of course, McGinness’ proposal wasn’t without risk. After all, most outfits
have a tendency to become lost within the horrible acoustics and wide-open
expanses of outdoor sheds and amphitheaters. Although Red Rocks is smaller and
more intimate than most of its counterparts across the U.S., it still poses
problems for groups who haven’t yet learned how to connect with the rowdy,
oversized crowds that tend to assemble. Everything about the Denver shoot was
further complicated, too, by the rain and fog that had settled upon Red Rocks
over the course of the day, threatening to cancel the proceedings entirely.
From this undesirable outlook, U2’s career improbably took flight. Only its
most devoted followers were willing to persevere in the hope that the concert
actually would take place. With its spirit bolstered by the adoring audience, U2
was determined to make the show work to its advantage, if only for its faithful
fans. Unwilling to submit to the less than ideal weather conditions and refusing
to be dwarfed by the towering rock formations that surrounded the stage, U2
turned its confidence into conviction. Plucking highlights from each of its
first three studio efforts, the band never faltered for a moment as it stormed
through the thrashing funk of Two Hearts Beat as One, the militaristic
theatrics of Sunday Bloody Sunday, the full-throttled roar of Gloria,
and the stampeding forcefulness of I Will Follow. Overall, the collective
acted as if it owned the venue, and at least for one night, it did.
At this stage of its career, U2 was just beginning to find its collective
voice. Although it was fueled primarily by its love of the Rolling Stones and
The Clash — for proof, one needs to look no further than the interplay between
Larry Mullen, Jr. and Adam Clayton or how Bono appropriated Mick Jagger’s strut
— U2 simultaneously was struggling to create its own niche within the new wave
scene that also had spawned The Cure. War provided U2 with room to
maneuver, while its subsequent tour — and the show at Red Rocks in particular —
charted its rapidly developing maturity.
Although the underlying message that U2 was trying to convey wasn’t nearly as
well defined as it would be on the outfit’s later sojourns — the group, of
course, had considerably less material with which to work — there is no way to
mistake how much of its template was defined by its forays in 1983. The concepts
of love, war, and spirituality ultimately became the forces that drove the
band’s recordings as well as its set lists, and ever since, it has spent its
time exploring these ideas from a variety of perspectives. In the end, what U2’s
concert at Red Rocks lacked in lyrical cohesion was countered by the raw
edginess and unwavering urgency of its performance.
U2 didn’t drastically alter its material from night to night — or even from
studio to stage. This allowed McGinness and producer Jimmy Iovine to hedge their
bets slightly by combining material from Red Rocks with songs from a concert in
Germany for the Live: "Under a Blood Red Sky" EP. Nevertheless, they
ought not to have worried. The album combined with the video Live at Red
Rocks: "Under a Blood Red Sky" successfully fostered U2’s reputation as a
band that thrived in a concert setting. The rest, of course, is history. 
Of Further Interest...
The Clash - The Clash Live: Revolution Rock
The Cure - The Head on the Door: Deluxe Edition
U2 - Go Home: Live from Slane Castle
Live: Under a Blood Red Sky [Deluxe Edition CD/DVD Set] is
available from Amazon. To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
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Live at Red Rocks [DVD Only] is available
from Amazon. To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
Click Here!
For UK orders, please
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Live: Under a Blood Red Sky [CD Only] is available
from Amazon. To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
Click Here!
For UK orders, please
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2008 The Music Box
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