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U2
Go Home: Live from Slane Castle
(Interscope)
First Appeared at The Music Box, February 2004, Volume 11, #2
Written by John Metzger
Concert videos, even more than concert albums, frequently fail to translate
from stage to home environments. It could be because film crews are too
distracting to a band. Or it could be because one scrutinizes a performance much
more closely when not caught up in the excitement of attending a show. Or it
could be that once a set list becomes familiar, it’s no longer as intriguing. No
matter the reason, these products tend to serve as nice, if forgettable,
souvenirs that are best utilized to relive an enjoyable experience rather than
to reach those with only a passing interest in a group.
That makes U2’s Go Home: Live from Slane Castle a rarity. Despite the
fact that the concert concluded the band’s Elevation tour — one which
found the band delivering a nearly identical set night after night — the show
was extraordinarily charged with energy. Indeed, it’s a spellbinding performance
that bristles with the intensity of raw, unbridled emotion. Given that it was
the group’s return to the venue that hosted its coming out party in 1981 as well
as the place where it recorded its video for Pride (in the Name of Love),
this undoubtedly would have been a fervent affair regardless of the
circumstances. However, in the week preceding the event, lead singer Bono’s
father passed away, and as a result, this performance took on an even greater
meaning, becoming his emphatic eulogy.
The transformation is an intriguing one. U2 had constructed its show to
mirror the overarching theme of its most recent studio outing All That You
Can’t Leave Behind. Consequently, there’s an emphasis on spiritual
fulfillment and the importance of love, family, and community over the
accumulation of material possessions. Some might find that to be a tad preachy —
though, to be fair, U2 typically delivered its songs with such immense passion
as to make each concert a wildly entertaining endeavor — but at the event
featured on Go Home: Live from Slane Castle, the proceedings assumed a
far more personal tone as Bono publicly grieved his dear, departed dad.
For much of the past decade, U2 had incorporated a myriad of bigger and
better special effects into its stage show, relying on gimmicks for support as
its members learned how to connect with audiences of increasingly massive
numbers. For its 2001 Elevation tour, the band had scaled back
considerably its eye candy to reveal a mature ensemble that ably captivated its
fans solely through its music. In the history of rock ’n‘ roll, few groups ever
have been able to hold a crowd in such rapt attention from the first note of a
concert to the last. The Rolling Stones was once capable; so was Bruce
Springsteen. But the torch clearly has been passed along. Just before embarking
on the Elevation tour, Bono boldly proclaimed that U2 was the greatest
rock ’n‘ roll band currently touring, and if there was any doubt, then, that his
statement was true, Go Home: Live from Slane Castle should immediately
dispel it. 
Go Home: Live from Slane Castle is available
from Amazon.com. To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
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For UK orders, please
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Go Home: Live from Slane Castle (Jewel Case) is available
from Amazon.com. To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
Click Here!
For UK orders, please
Click Here!
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2004
The Music Box
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