Review: U2 360 at the Rose Bowl
@U2, June 01, 2010
By: Matt McGee / @mattmcgee
U2's decision to release U2 360 at the Rose Bowl this week was, no doubt, intended to help promote the summer tour of North America that was due to begin Thursday ... the same day the DVD will hit store shelves here. But with Bono's unexpected back surgery forcing a postponement of the entire North American tour (until some time in 2011), the DVD becomes more of a memento than a promotional release. After watching the Blu-Ray version of the DVD today, I'm happy to report that it's a fine memento of last year's tour, and possibly the best concert DVD U2 has put out.
Most of the press coverage and attention of last year's tour focused on U2's massive "Claw" stage -- a one-of-a-kind structure that let the band play in-the-round in a stadium while serving as the lighting system, video center, and sound rig all at once. And the stage certainly looks beautiful on the DVD, but let's be clear: It's Bono, not the Claw, who steals the show.
Bono shines throughout the concert. His voice sounds better than I remember at the four other U2 360 shows I saw last year; he has a few scratchy moments here and there, but the DVD really confirms that what sounded to some fans like a lack of interest is actually just very delicate, purposeful phrasing in some songs. He's in almost constant motion throughout the show: hopping, whispering, moaning and grunting, playing air guitar, sprinting around the stage, dancing, swinging on the hanging microphone, boxing the closest camera. This is his show and he's in full command of what he wants the audience to experience.
The stage, in fact, almost seems de-emphasized through the first half of the DVD. There are glimpses during some of the early songs, but I found myself thinking, "Show the stage. Now!" Instead, the focus stays on the band and the songs in the beginning of the show, and then the band and stage share our attention in the latter half.
The versions of "Beautiful Day" and "Until the End of the World" are terrific, and "Where the Streets Have No Name" is shot and edited with all the majesty it deserves, especially the transition from "Amazing Grace," which may remind you of the performance of "Streets" from the Slane Castle video shot back in 2001. For me, other chill-inducing moments included a shot at the end of "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight," "MLK," and the ending of "Moment of Surrender."
Fans will be glad to know that there are only two to three songs with the overly fast-paced, abrupt edits that have plagued some of U2's previous video releases. The vast majority of song edits have a quick pace, but not to the point of distraction. If you saw U2 3D, this DVD will look and feel familiar; Tom Krueger handled cinematography on U2 3D and directs this U2 360 release.
More good news: As far as I can tell, all of Bono's snippets are included in the DVD; there are no awkward edits that disrupt the flow of the show. In fact, that extends beyond just snippets: They left in the funny/cute chat that Bono and Edge have early in the show about Robert Hilburn, the former Los Angeles Times pop critic who was in the audience. They also left in Bono's mention of YouTube. Scenes like those always seemed to end up on the cutting room floor on past video releases. (Think of Bono's NBA reference during the Elevation Live from Boston video.)
Of course, when it comes to editing the show, there's an elephant in the room that has to be addressed: "Breathe," the opening song of the concert, was edited out and placed in the Bonus Material section. I was as dumbfounded and disappointed as anyone when that news first came out a few months ago, but after watching "Breathe" today (after I watched the full concert), I'm actually glad they removed it. The camera work and editing aren't up the standard of the rest of the show and, to be frank, U2's performance of that song also seems lackluster in comparison. I still long for U2 to release a full, unedited concert ... but I think I understand why they didn't this time.
As much as I love this DVD, it's not perfect. There's a noticeable edit in "Mysterious Ways" where the audio and video don't match; Bono is singing, yet, on screen, the mic is not near his mouth. I also think some opportunities were missed to bring up the crowd volume, especially during the sing-a-long portions of "Unknown Caller." But those are minor quibbles to be sure. Slightly more than "minor" is this complaint: Aside from the new documentary, Squaring the Circle, the bonus material is pretty lame. The "BD Live" section has downloadable tour clips, but the same clips also seem to be available in the Bonus Material section; it also has tour photos that many fans will have already seen on Edge's Twitter account. The promise of new BD Live tour content this summer is now a moot point because of the postponement. Much of the other bonus material is stuff many fans will have already seen on U2.com or elsewhere online.
That said, Squaring the Circle is quite good. The documentary contains new video interviews with all four band members that appear to have been recorded within the last couple months -- after the tour ended. It has considerable contributions from Mark Fisher and Willie Williams, both of whom show photos and videos of the stage development that I'd never seen before. And there are a couple clips from a private meeting that included the whole band, plus Paul McGuinness, Fisher, Williams, Gavin Friday, Catherine Owens, and a few others -- a meeting that seems to be when Williams and Fisher first showed the band photos of the stage being built in Belgium. Oh, to have access to the raw footage of that meeting!
I should've mentioned this earlier: I've never heard a better-sounding U2 video. I'm no audiophile and couldn't explain why it sounds so good, but wow. We don't even own a tricked-out sound system or anything, but the audio quality was just stunning. The Blu-Ray video also looks terrific, but unlike some other Blu-Ray discs, it's not too perfect. The concert still maintains an almost gritty, live feel throughout.
If you loved the U2 360 tour, you'll love this video. I don't know if the Rose Bowl was U2's best performance of the tour, but this is one of the best concert videos U2 has released. I suspect that, after I watch it one or two more times this week, I'll want to remove "one of" from that previous sentence.
Originally posted by LikeASong:
After just hearing it (which it all is about, the music), I don't think that the performance was that good. Bono was tired and his voice was not perfectly ok.
Originally posted by haytrain:So you did listen???
Originally posted by wangmaster:btw, the UK Sky special is still on Sky Anytime for anyone who missed it.
Originally posted by JohnnyVOXX:Dears!!!
I need some help here....
I have the chance of someone who will travel to MIAMI later this month, around June 11th.
Is the Super Deluxe Edition available on regular stores at the US?????
or is ti delayed as stated on a number of places for June 22nd????
thanks!
Johnny.
Originally posted by LikeASong:Hysterical.
After just hearing it (which it all is about, the music), I don't think that the performance was that good. Bono was tired and his voice was not perfectly ok. Anyway, everyone is entitled to have his own opinion, and if this guy wants to think that Pasadena was a better show/DVD than Sydney, Mexico, Slane and Red Rocks, go on
Originally posted by EyesWithPrideB3:[..]
I don't think his voice was terribly tired at all. I agree that this may not be a better DVD than some of their past ones, but I couldn't be happier with this release. I mean, could there always have been a better show to film? Yes. For every tour. But from that performance, I mean...I hated it at the time, but looking back now, what a show. What a tour. And Bono's voice? Loads better than the Vertigo Tour. I know this has already been established, but the difference is just incredible to my ears.