Customer Reviews

U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky [VHS]

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

It's hard to believe it's been over 20 years since "Blood Red Sky" was filmed. As a couple of other people have posted who were there, it was an amazing event. It felt historic even at the time.

Although the weather is exactly why it's so dramatic with the fog and steam, the entire show was very nearly cancelled because of the conditions. Like one guy mentioned, it was about 35 degrees out at Red Rocks that night, after a full day of cold drizzling rain.

I was the music editor of the local alt.weekly paper at the time, and had been in on some meetings announcing the filming. Barry Fey, the concert's promoter, had been a very early supporter of U2 and booked them into a small 1400-seat theater in Denver when they first toured the US for "Boy." So they liked Fey and wanted to work with him for this Red Rocks gig.

Unfortunately it got cold in the days before the concert. They actually did officially cancel it -- both The Alarm and U2 agreed to play a second, make-up concert the next day in a local arena (DU, I think, or maybe Regis University). But they decided to do the Red Rocks performance anyway because they'd invested so many thousands of dollars for the shoot -- the pyrotchnics (there are normally no fires atop the dramatic sandstone rocks around the stage!), the camera equipment, the technicians.

I'm sure if the filming hadn't been planned, the performance would have been cancelled in a second. I don't remember if the show as sold out (I kind of doubt it), but in the 9,000-seat amphitheater, only about 3,000 people showed up for the filming. The movie does a great job of making it seem like a full house.

It's to Bono and U2's credit that they came out roaring, and to all music fans' benefit that this performance was caught on camera.

I alternated between the 5th row in the middle and the 2nd row over to stage left, and was in awe of what was going on on the stage. U2 simply took it over and made it their own showcase gig, as if they were playing an audition for entrance into heaven. Everything was (I'm sure) unscripted, including the bit with the flag and bringing the girl on stage. It was all natural, just like the setting.

This was just at the point, as some writers have mentioned, where the band was evolving from cult status to superstardom, and they were just hitting their stride.

One thing, though: their performance was hot, but not hot enough to help you forget the cold -- I froze my butt off that night!

As for why no DVD, I wonder how much of it is because of licensing and ownership rights. I don't even know if TTS, the Denver-based production company that managed the shoot, exists anymore. So I wonder who owns the rights to the film.

Perhaps U2, and maybe they don't want it on DVD ultimately because of the made-for-TV audio and video quality.

I happened to stumble on this series of reviews and I'm glad I stopped to read everyone's comments. It brought back a lot of memories, and made me want to root around my basement for my promotional copy of the film from TTS!

You know, I was planning of walking to my local library later today to donate some old videotapes, including this one, for their collection, because I simply assumed that this would be available on DVD by now. BUT NOW I find out that is not the case! Why not, pray tell??? This is one of the greatest concert films ever made, second perhaps only to Talking Heads' "Stop Making Sense." The setting, Red Rocks ampitheater near Denver, is a spectacular geological setting, with wind, fog, gas torches producing gigantic gouts of flame high above the audience, and mountain air chilly enough to show clouds of vapor pouring off Bono's skin. As for U2's performance, well, this was at a time (1983) when they were just moving beyond cult status and into rock superstardom, yet were still retaining enough of their keening punk purity to drive an audience into rapture. And what a lucky audience this is! PLEASE get this onto DVD as soon as possible!

When I think of U2, I think of Under A Blood Red Sky-Live At Red Rocks. This is U2 at their finest. This is the epitome of U2. I just wish they would release it on DVD....

I attended this concert. It was 35 degrees F in bone-chilling fog and drizzle. But Bono and the band quickly made us forget our misery - I think they raised the temperature of the place by 40 or 50 degrees - and this video captures it well. This is the performance that launched the band to superstardom and it's a must-see for old and new U2 fans alike.

So, after 25 years, U2 finally releases Red Rocks on DVD. News comes that we'll even get the full performance and everyone gets excited. My copy comes in the mail on release day. I pop it in and as I'm reading the liner notes I see that I Fall Down is not included because of a "camera malfunction." OK, I can live with that.

I come to my favorite song in the show, Electric Co., and I am apalled that the song has been butchered during the "Send in the Clowns" portion. Long-time fans will remember that the original VHS release included the entire song as Bono climbs to the top of a building adjacent to the stage and crouches in the iconic image from the cover of the CD and sings a snippet of Send in the Clowns by Judy Collins. Subsequent VHS releases of Red Rocks edited this segment to remove the lyrical snippet to avoid paying royalties on it. The new DVD version ENTIRELY removes not only the snippet, but Bono's climb to the top of the side building, so the scene makes no sense when Bono is suddenly absent from the stage for an extended period.

U2, with all their money, chose not offer the complete original song to avoid paying royalties again?!?! After 25 years and remastering and the chance to finally release this classic on DVD for old and new fans, they butcher it. Totally and completely lame.

As for the previous review, there is grain on the DVD, but remember, this was shot on video, not film and it is 25 years old. I think in terms of image quality, the remastering is adequate. After all, this isn't high-def here. The colors are washed out, but I don't think any of us expected perfection with this release.

If you don't care that it is an incomplete show, not in widescreen format, and that the band chose to maim Electric Co., then this will probably satisfy you. However, the band should have done better by their long time fans.

My title says it all. I've been a U2 fan for almost 20 years, but sad to say I'd never seen the footage from this concert or this video. As many other reviewers have noticed, there are no special effects, etc. Just plenty of youthful energy and enthusiasm, as well as a lot of fantastic tunes - this was when U2's music really had something to say. It doesn't get any better than this...

OK, first of all, this was filmed waaaayyy back in 1983 - which means primitive picture quality (for us DVD freaks!!!) and goofy hair & clothes (heh, heh!!!) but hey, it was the 80's!!!. That said, what a concert!!! Being a diehard U2 fan - I have all of their CD's, 2 DVD's, and 2 videotapes..."Under A Blood Red Sky" on VHS...Bono and the lads connected that good with audiences!!! Like I said, despite the picture quality and goofy 80's hair & clothes (good for a few laughs, though!), WOW!!!

Here's a full track listing: Surrender, Seconds, Sunday Bloody Sunday, The Electric Co. (unlisted track), October, New Year's Day, I Threw A Brick Through A Window, A Day Without Me, Gloria, Party Girl, 11 O' Clock Tick Tock, I Will Follow, 40...

Despite their 'mega band' status, U2 was a little bit late in remastering and re-releasing their early albums. Nevertheless, UABRS 'Live at Red Rocks' gets a very nice treatment here and is well worth picking up again for a few reasons.

Fanatics may be well familiar not only with the original video (and bare bones DVD release), but with the entire concert through bootleg recordings. For everyone else, the band has finally released the entire show on DVD, or most of it. With the exception of I Fall Down, which was not captured on video due to equipment failure, this release features all of the songs, and in order. Only a few snippets of Electric Co and Two Hearts are snipped out due to rights issues with Bono singing parts of Send In The Clowns and Let's Twist, respectively. (They had the same issue with the album release, too).

Just to be clear, the original album on vinyl and CD has the same name (UABRS), but is only 'Live at Red Rocks' for two songs (Gloria, since he says 'This is Red Rocks during the breakdown, and Electric Co). This DVD is the full performance from June 5, 1983. The venue is impressive when seen from the air (a helicopter looms overhead to capture footage), and while the weather does not cooperate with rain and fog, the crowd is very into this show. This performance, and the subsequent album and video releases helped cement U2's reputation as a top live band, and they would go on to dominate arenas and stadiums...right through the next millenium.

The image is better than ever; folks may remember the muddier VHS look (the weather that day didn't help). The sound is excellent here, very clear and crisp. The band is enjoying this, and Bono does the now-famous white flag business during Sunday Bloody Sunday. There's a ton of energy here and the crowd, braving lousy weather, is fully with them (waving Irish flags and psyched to see this still-young band perform).

Of course, there is Bono's hair, that now-legendary mullet that looks worse for hair due to the humidity that evening and the rain. It's extra-poofy, sits on his head like some kind of woodland creature, and may occassionally distract from the proceedings. In fact, Bono is the most 'dated' of the four band memmers here with his concert attire and stage moves.

Highly recommended to fans. They've restored the rest of the concert, image and sound are fantastic and better than you've seen, and even the booklet is a nice little touch (with an essay and several photos). Silly question...but why did they never just release the entire show on vinyl/CD/mp3? No disrespect to the album version of UABRS, but it's not a complete show. Perhaps a 30th anniversary package will do that and will also include a snippet of that mullet.

This show dates from 1983, and was filmed at Red Rocks in the USA - a natural amphitheatre that provided a memorable backdrop for this, U2's first concert film. The best feature of the performance is the very strong connection U2 evidently makes with its audience. You can feel the energy and intensity in the band's playing, and the strident tone of their War album tracks like New Year's Day and Sunday Bloody Sunday is complemented by effective older tracks like I Will Follow, 11 O'Clock Tick Tock and The Electric Co. This music really did lift U2 to the top of the rock music world , and deservedly so. No one else in 1983 was making such strong guitar-based rock music, and U2 here were still young, charismatic, improving and developing an expanding fanbase. Highly Recommended.

Are you someone who would like to see some of U2's earlier concert work? Well here it is. You get moment after moment of Rock and Roll the way it was meant to be played... Live and Loud. This one was filmed at the famed Red Rocks, a sort of outdoor Arena.
What I admire most about this U2 concert, is their dedication to excellence. While fans wear jackets and coats, U2 performs in the freezing cold. Steam is clearly seen coming off their sweating bodies and from Bono's lips as he sings song after song.
Inspiring music, moving music with a beautiful Heavenly sound, and good hard hitting Rock-n-Roll, is the best way to describe what is on this video. Please note that this concert is from 1983. 12 songs are performed, including the mega hits Sunday Bloody Sunday(of which the clip was used on MTV back in the 80's), New Year's Day, and Gloria.
If you like unflinching Rock And Roll at its best, you can't do without this video. I own it, and it was well worth what I paid for it. Any music that brings a glorious tear to my eyes is worth what I pay for it.