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  1. Sorry everyone. I'm going to have to pull out this week. Got to do some painting so I'll be busy for most of the weekend. The concert was great so maybe I'll post Monday if I get a chance to write out the review.
  2. Originally posted by fendermanSorry everyone. I'm going to have to pull out this week. Got to do some painting so I'll be busy for most of the weekend. The concert was great so maybe I'll post Monday if I get a chance to write out the review.


    No bother. At least you got to listen to the show. Maybe I'll use ("the concert was great") as my summary!!!


  3. 1990-01-06 - Rotterdam, Netherlands - Sportpaleis Ahoy
    -----------------------------------

    The Recording: 4/5

    >> Positive…
    * The best recording of an audience I’ve heard. I don’t know if it’s because of this particular audience or because of the way it’s recorded. You get less of the band (Bono’s voice is well heard tho), but still you have this AWESOME audience you hear all the time, you can really enjoy their presence through the show, and specially during Streets, RTSS (They start singing “Still Running” before Bono does! ), etc.

    >> Negative…
    * As said above, you don’t get the entire band. Bono is heard well, but then Larry’s drums are kinda lost, and so is the bass (very much visible during God Part II). The piano on RTSS can hardly be heard in the beginning, etc.

    The Show: 5/5
    An amazing true-Lovetown show. The band’s in top form, the crowd are amazing, and together they deliver a top performance!
    Bono is doing a great job in this show, I really miss him! Great, powerful voice and that old powerful presence.
    There are also some great snippets on this show, Like A Hurricane for All Along The Watchtower. Rose Garden and Don't Worry, Be Happy for Bullet The Blue Sky, which made both songs even better! I think Bono even uses some new lyrics on All I Want Is You.
    Don’t forget about these:
    - ISHFWILF, totally amazing, Bono shows some voice-power in the end, which is great for a change!
    - Angel of Harlem, When Love Comes To Town. Clearly LT is THE tour for these two!
    - The Unforgettable Fire, last performance, and a good one.
    - WOWY, The crowd + Bono =

    Overall:
    I had not heard such a bootleg before. It’s because of the crowd themselves and also the recording that you get a really detailed audience, singing along and following the band. Bono says it himself:”Welcome to a rock & roll concert…where the crowd is louder than the band!”, and he’s right!
    This causes the show to be very special, a truly devoted crowd which does an amazing job at elevating the songs.
    The recording isn’t that bad; I gave it 4/5. You don’t get the bass and drums in full detail, but you get enough of Bono, Edge and that crowd.


    **Comments: Just a comment and a question…
    First of all, Bono does some nice falsetto bits, you can see that he’s getting good at it…he’ll later (as you all know) master it and use it a lot during ZooTV (and Lemon!), and become famous for using it!
    What’s the story behind this “screw up” Bono mentions in the beginning of Love Rescue Me?
  4. 1990-01-06 - Rotterdam, Netherlands - Sportpaleis Ahoy


    Notes...

    * Excellent sound. Probably right up there with Lovetown Dublin 1989-12-31
    * The crowd is going off at this show, much like some Rotterdam shows years later
    * I didn't know it was the last time The Unforgettable Fire was played, either
    * Only the second time I'd ever heard God Part II live - I like it loud!
    * The whole crowd is singing along to the songs like they're a support band
    * The B. B. King Orchestra does a great job as always - he really helped shape this tour
    * New Year's Day was to be played before Pride, but it's a no-show. I wonder why
    * The first and last time I ever bothered with Love Rescue Me - what a piss-poor effort


    Sound...

    Sound is excellent from a technical point (it could almost be a soundboard, and no empty air). But like Ali said a lot of instrumentals are lost here (probably through the analogue > digital transferring) - but for a 20 year audience recording, it is still an excellent recording.


    Overall rating: 10/10 - highly, highly recommended. Top three of the Lovetown shows. I'll keep it.
  5. Rotterdam 01-06-1990

    Sometimes I wonder why I was born in December 1988…one year before this lovely concert in Rotterdam. I was probably in my cradle as a 1-year old boy when Edge hit the first tabs of Where the Streets Have No Name in Ahoy Rotterdam on that special 6th of January 1990, 90 kilometres from my hometown.

    I often ask myself the question: what would it have been like to be part of the audience during a Lovetown-show. I fell in love with the Point Depot gigs in Ireland, and the Rotterdam-shows from early January were even better, some say. Lovetown…the name itself explains it, like BB King spells during ‘When Love Comes To Town’: L-O-V-E. Yes, I love rock, I love U2, but I especially love Lovetown. Don’t get me wrong, because I know the Joshua Tour was enormous and awesome. And Zoo TV was one big happening, followed by Popmart, whether you like it or not. Also Elevation gives me special feelings and was my favourite tour for a long time. But Lovetown is top-notch. The mix of songs between the Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum, performed in small places with BB King’s Orchestra makes Lovetown the best tour for me. I didn’t take long and U2 didn’t even cross the world with it. But the modesty of it does it for me. Like Bono says at a Point Depot show: “After all these big places, we wanted to play a small place”.

    Lovetown also marked the end of a decade in which U2 finally showed itself to the world in full glory. Live Aid in 1985 was a very important turning point, sealed by the release of The Joshua Tree. But U2 felt that every end had a start. U2 was looking for a new direction and needed time.

    The energy and commitment of U2 was awesome back then. Bono was at his prime. His voice was a mix between the Joshua Tour and the upcoming Zoo TV. And U2 really enjoyed what they were doing. Lovetown was not a show, it was no entertainment like Zoo TV or Popmart. It wasn’t a show with political context, like Vertigo. It was based on music, pure music…pure rock and roll. And you can feel the excitement and joy of U2 trough these shows. I guess they enjoyed every bit, like the audience.

    U2’s first European success was actually founded in Holland, where the single ‘I Will Follow’ became a giant hit. Bono mentions this during this Rotterdam show when they start ‘Love Rescue Me’, when he says: “And this is also a good place to end, because we more or less started here ten years ago. You’ve been very good for us, thank you!”. The crowd was ecstatic.

    Audience
    Before I kick-off with the setlist, I want to say that the audience was awesome. You can compare it with the enthusiastic Irish at Point Depot. They sing along with every song, pushing U2 to their best level. Because of this, U2 was in a very great mood this evening. They more or less felt they had an obligation to the fans, I think.
    Rate: 9.5/10

    Performance

    Where the Streets Have No Name
    - Great opener, although I prefer this song to be played somewhere half-way the setlist. But it’s the best opener ever, for me. This performance is great, not even really special but very strong.
    Rate: 8/10

    I Will Follow
    - Awesome performance, played in a small tempo, it seems. Larry is drumming as hell with Edge also on fire. Bono’s comment halfway the song about the roof is great. ‘Because we might blow it off’…they more or less did!
    Rate: 9/10

    I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
    - Great as always. Very well sung by Bono, especially at the end. No ‘Exodus’ this time, but even more beautiful.
    Rate: 9/10


    MLK
    - Shivers at the start when the crowd sings along with Bono. His voice is very strong and powerful when he sings this song about Martin Luther King. Nice version, one of the purest I heard.
    Rate: 8.5/10

    The Unforgettable Fire
    - What can I say? The last performance of this great, great, great song until this very day is also one of the best. Bono hits the high notes quite well and his chanting halfway the song when Edge gets on fire is just awesome. Just dreaming to hear this song being played live with me in the audience….
    Rate: 10/10

    God Part II
    - Not one of my favourites but a very good song nevertheless. Good performance with an edgy performance of The Edge.
    Rate: 8/10

    Desire
    - The transition between God Part II and Desire is lovely. It shows U2’s energy on this gig. Great performance once again, but not the best I’ve heard.
    Rate: 8.5/10

    All Along the Watchtower
    - Not a good start, with Edge and Larry messing up a bit. They recover well though. The snippet ‘Like a Hurricane’ is perfect.
    Rate: 8/10

    All I Want Is You
    - For me, the best ‘All I Want Is You’ was played on the 26th of December, 1989. This version though, is a good competitor. Very strong and oh so beautiful. The crowd is going nuts, especially when Edge repeats that lovely guitar work.
    Rate: 9/10

    Van Diemen’s Land
    - Nice song, great melody, but not a special one for me. Decent performance.
    Rate: 8/10

    Bullet the Blue Sky
    - Great as always. I adore the ‘Bullet the Blue Sky’ versions from the Joshua Tour and Lovetown, with the solo at the end. It’s just awesome.
    Rate: 8.5/10

    Running to Stand Still
    - I can’t really compare ‘Running to Stand Still’ with the Zoo TV performances, because these were very special in a different way. But I can say this one is the best I’ve heard from all Joshua and Lovetown gigs. The one played on the 31th of December 1989 also rocks, but this one has that lovely snippet at the end, with the crowd singing ‘Still Running’. Shivers….
    Rate: 9.5/10

    She’s A Mystery To Me
    - I don’t have any special feelings with this song, but the performance, considering they played it for the second time, was very good.
    Rate: 8.5/10

    Angel of Harlem
    - I expected more of this one. It can’t reach the level of ‘Angel of Harlem’ from the 12-26 Point Depot show. It’s not bad at all, but it could have been so much better.
    Rate: 7.5/10

    When Love Comes To Town
    - Gorgeous, I’d say. BB King on fire (as always) and awesome crowd singing. Also full of energy.
    Rate: 8/10

    Love Rescue Me
    - Lovely!! This song is so great when played live. The studio version quite sucks compared to this. Not the best I’ve heard, but very good nevertheless.
    Rate: 8.5/10

    With or Without You
    - Unfortunately not that long and not that brilliant. There were no snippets used, but still it rocks. But I expected more of it, having the 12-26 Point Depot performance in mind.
    Rate: 8/10

    Pride (In the Name of Love)
    - Classic song. More or less a surprise to be played on the last encore. Nice version, full of energy with a good exchange between Bono and the audience.
    Rate: 8.5/10

    40
    - One of U2’s best songs for me. This is the ultimate closer. This version is great, but not the best. It can’t top Dortmund 1984, Paris/Madrid 1987 or Point Depot, but it still is awesome. Unfortunately Edge and Larry mess it up again in the beginning. Luckily they recover well.
    Rate: 8.5/10

    Sound
    Rated here as 4-star audience, and it deserves it. Although some songs should deserve a 4.5 or even 5 star rating. You can hear Bono very well, but Larry’s drumming is sometimes distant.
    Rate: 8/10

    Summary
    - This show is awesome. It has reached a nice spot in my top ten favourites, I think. It’s equal to the Point Depot shows, with U2 really on fire. I missed ‘New Year’s’ Day and ‘Bad’, but I know U2 played 4 shows at Rotterdam. The ‘Bad’ from the 10th of January is one of the best there is.
    This show is quite memorable as ‘The Unforgettable Fire’ was played for the last time. I listened to this show trough my Sennheiser CX300 and my eyes shut. I transferred myself to Ahoy, Rotterdam, 18 years ago, being in the audience. I felt the energy, I experienced U2 in their best days….for one moment, I wasn’t lying in my cradle back then, I was part of the show….

    Overall rating: 8.7(based on sound, performance and audio)
    Rating of the show itself: 9.5/10

  6. A very nice and emotional review there Casper

    Originally posted by drewhiggins
    * The first and last time I ever bothered with Love Rescue Me - what a piss-poor effort



    Hmmm...I liked it. Actually, the song itself is one of my favorites because of the lyrics, I can connect to them, the studio version sucks, but live versions are pretty good and I liked it on this show!

    And now that we're on Lovetown, when listening to this I wondered why have I not seen any video of a Lovetown gig (I've only seen Streets from 31 Dec, Point Depot). I checked Spiral's place, does anyone have this, how is it?

    http://u2-thespiralstaircase.blogspot.com/2006/11/rotterdam-1990-01-05.html

    Are there no proshots of Lovetown? (Complete gig, or semi complete...I know about Sydney 9-27)


  7. that video from the fifth is excellent Ali. Only a one cam shot but it must be a tri-pod and the quality is out of this world for a video of that age and the audio is also bloody excellent. There are 2 incomplete Sydney pro-shots (only a few songs each) and a very decent 3 cam mix from Dortmund but the Rotterdam show you mentioned is by far the best visual of the tour for me, Get downloading.
  8. Originally posted by germcevoy[..]

    that video from the fifth is excellent Ali. Only a one cam shot but it must be a tri-pod and the quality is out of this world for a video of that age and the audio is also bloody excellent. There are 2 incomplete Sydney pro-shots (only a few songs each) and a very decent 3 cam mix from Dortmund but the Rotterdam show you mentioned is by far the best visual of the tour for me, Get downloading.


    Great!! Thanks Gerard!
  9. Originally posted by Ali709What’s the story behind this “screw up” Bono mentions in the beginning of Love Rescue Me?



    Bono was reffering to the voice problems he had suffered a month previous to the Rotterdam gigs. The tour was scheduled to end with the New Year's Eve show but because Bono's voice was so mangled several of the Amsterdam gigs were called off and rescheduled as these Rotterdam gigs. Thats why you hear him ask 'anyone here from Amsterdam'
  10. 1990-01-06 - Rotterdam

    Crowd

    Another dedicated mention for the crowd this week. All that I really need to say is that they are Dutch so they are bloody crazy concert goers. Listen to any Dutch bootleg from any tour and the crowd will be awesome. They put the Irish to shame sometimes. Well done boys and girls in attendance.

    Sound

    Solid, sound recording. Sounds pretty much identical to the other Rotterdam nights (same taper?). For an audience recording of almost 20 years it still sounds great. Very good feedback from Bono's vocals and the recording captures the crowd very very well. On a more negative note Larry's drums sound terrible. The echo and the lack of clarity is yuk but the crowd and the performance don't let this detract from the overall recording. Deserved of its 4 stars.

    Performance

    Lovetown astounds me. How the Christ was this only 2 years before ZooTV?? The band started writing Achtung Baby probably less than a year after this gig. What a fucking transformation. The fact that it's Lovetown (and late Lovetown at that) means that this is probably gonna automatically be better than pretty much everything else. Lovetown is thee best of all the U2 tours for sheer raw performance. Simple.

    Notable performances :

    #I Will Follow. it's not very often that i'd credit this song as it's so overplayed. Excellent here though.
    #I Still Haven't Found was gorgeous. That little closing verse was excellent Kudos to the crowd.
    #MLK/Unforgettable Fire. Bono's voice during MLK was awesome. I swear a tub of butter beside me melted when I turned it on. What a shame about UF. Not the performance, it's just crap that this has been the last performance to date.
    #'With a Red Guitar, that sometimes doesn't work'. Great diffusion of a technical hitch.
    #1969 OKAY!!. Great fecking snippet.
    #Running To Stand Still. Holy shit it's good. Slow start but what is the snippet? Ahh love it.
    #'With Or WithOOUUTTT YOUU!! I love finding performances when Bono does this part.

    After Running this show kinda hit a brick wall for me. It seemed to lose a bit of momentum.

    Not so notable :

    #I'm not so keen on LoveTown Streets performances. There is no depth to Edges guitar, no chime, it just sounds like one constant noise coming from his guitar. I originally put this down to the recordings but even during the Soundboard Point shows his guitar still sounds poor.
    #As I previously mentioned I think the show lost pace after the midway point.
    #She's a mystery would have been better without the singing ladies.
    #The BB King set sounded weaker than normal.

    Summary

    It's LoveTown, there is a dutch crowd, these details should gurantee greatness but unlike the other 3 Rotterdam shows I felt that this one fell short of the rest of the Rotterdam nights. Maybe the band where to relaxed, or Bono wasn't feeding off the crowd enough but I was left a little cold by this show (and that is the first time i've ever said that about a Lovetown gig)

    Overall - 7/10


    Next show please
  11. Review for: Sportpaleis Ahoy, Rotterdam, Netherlands (06/01/1990)

    Performance

    1) Where The Streets Have No Name - Very good opening song in my opinion. Musically, the introduction is faultless. The crowd are definitely in the mood for this one. Bono's vocals are also in good shape. Really does make you want to sing along.

    2) I Will follow - I've stated this before and I'll say it again, I don't like I Will Follow that much. But recently, it's grown on me, with help from this performance and last weeks in Madrid. I used see it in the setlist and just say no. But now, I'm open to the song. This is a pretty fine performance. Crowd are excellent, and Bono acknowledges this. The audience really are acting as the 5th member.

    3) I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - "Welcome to the rock 'n' roll concert, where the crowd is louder than the band - can you be noisy in tune?" - Of course they can (igoring the false start ). Superb. It really is.

    4) MLK - I don't see the point in commenting on this really to be honest. It's a short, simple song, that can't really go wrong. It's a nice little pre The Unforgettable Fire song. But I've never understood why it's so early in the setlist. It'd be better near the end in my opinion. Perhaps the last song of the main setlist, before the encore?

    5) The Unforgettable Fire - Last performance? How I wish I could've been in that crowd, even though they are a little bit ahead of themselves sometimes. Beautiful song. Bono does well on the falsetto in my opinion. And here comes the Edge orchestra comprising of one man and an ebow. How he uses that to such effect. Great.

    6) God Part II - First time I've heard this live. I love the studio version. And I have to say, it's great live.

    7) Desire - I've always loved this song. Great energy. Really short as well. Good performance.

    8) All Along The Watchtower - This is on the second time I've heard this around Rattle & Hum. The first being on Rattle & Hum. It's a very good cover. Certainly improved a lot since they started playing it during the Boy tour. Good song, again, it's got a lot of energy for the crowd.

    9) All I Want Is You - Really good performance. Audience is amazing.

    10) Van Dieman's Land - I think this is a really good song. This is a great performance. I love it. Edge's voice is great.

    11) Bullet The Blue Sky - This song is great live. I'm not really a huge fan of a song being played faster than it should be, but Bullet The Blue Sky is a great example of it working. For a quick start, it sure does last a long time. Which is no bad thing. It's a brilliant tune.

    12) Running To Stand Still - Crowd are great again here. Lovely song. Brilliant performance. The audience really make this a great, great performance. Possibly the best I've heard. Great snippet at the end too.

    13) She's A Mystery to Me - Pretty good I must say. The band do very well.

    14) Angel of Harlem - Angel of Harlem is always good live. One of my favourite tracks. This performance is mighty fine. I don't like it being backed by B.B. kings orchestra though. Just a point.

    15) When Love Comes To Town - Great song, great energy, excellent performance I think. Nothing more to say. Spectators still going strong I might add.

    16) Love Rescue Me - I like the studio version of this song. Never heard it live before though...until now. And it's perfect. Enhances the studio version a lot! Brill.

    Encore:

    17) With Or Without You - Bit early to be singing '40' is it not? Hehe. Good performance. I've heard better, but nonetheless, very good. no Shine Like stars which is disappointing.

    18) Pride (In The Name Of Love - Wow. How late? Typically good performance of such a brilliant song.

    19) "40" - Brilliant closing song. I love to hear the crowd singing the refrain to this. Brilliant.

    Overall
    ____________________________________________________________________________

    Performance: Very good. The energy the band has is great and Bono has some good interplay with the crowd throughout. Solid performance and not a bad song there for me.

    Crowd: Amazing throughout. Superb.

    Sound: Very good actually. I think it's a 4 star audio bootleg and it deserves 4 stars. Occasionally some things aren't quite clear, but overall, it's great.
    ____________________________________________________________________________

    I'll post up my choice for next weeks bootleg shortly.
  12. 1990-01-06 - Rotterdam, Netherlands - Sportpaleis Ahoy


    Sound

    Very good. Unlike others I didn't notice the lack of Larry. Heard all his bits fine. Maybe the extra boost of the in-car system helped?

    Audience - bloody hell. Bono's right to question whether they may lift the roof off!! Superb and they elevate both this recording and, more importantly, the gig.

    Performance

    Well, it's Lovetown, and I agree absolutely with Gerard - musically the best tour they've done (yet?!). So it was always going to be good - I love it when a Lovetown show is chosen.
    I loved this one. I didn't feel the drop-off Gerard mentions, although following up that RTSS was always going to be tricky.
    Loved ISHFWILF, MLK, UF, RTSS in particular. I would also like to know what that snippet is at the end of RTSS.

    Didn't like the audience talking during MLK and WOWY left me cold (except the high note, but it can't rescue a flat performance of the song for me - no snippet ). But that was it. Hardly major criticism.

    Overall

    Loved it. Staying on my iPod and in my top three Lovetown (after New Year and the 10th in Rotterdam). RTSS has gone into my Best LIve playlist it was that good.

    Looking forward to your choice Tim
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U2start is run by fans for fans. Help us reduce personal costs. Consider to make a donation to support us.
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