Customer Reviews

U2: PopMart Live from Mexico City (Limited Edition)

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

There are so many reasons to recommend this--I can't believe it's finally on DVD!

The Pop Mart tour and album were incorrectly derided by some critics--and even the band apparently--as a failed experiment. Wrong. That album was some of their coolest music ever, and the tour, while it started rough, by the time of this show is just monster (no pun intended). This BTW was the largest video screen every constructed; after the tour it was sold off in pieces to sports stadiums and the like.

Granted, it you don't like the "ironic" U2 and songs like "Discotheque" you'll probably hate the "lemon" part which is totally Spinal Tap (although that was sort of the point). Too bad, because right after that song they do THE definitive version of "If You Wear That Velvet Dress," which far surpasses the recorded version.

The show opens with a seamless segue from "Pop Music" on the P.A. into "Mofo." "Mofo" was an interesting, if not fully realized, track from the album but here it absolutely kills in a different arrangement. Just like "Elevation" live blows away the recorded version, so it goes with "Mofo."

There's also a slightly altered version of "I Will Follow" (different guitar patch, Larry alters the drum pattern) and a great version of "Last Night on Earth." One of the better versions of "New Year's Day" appears on this disc. Interesting thing to note: all the people at the show cheer all the new tunes and apparently know the words (even to tunes like "Already Gone"). Americans tend to applaud only the singles and the well-known hits.

The sound's great, the band's tight, the crowd is absolutely bonkers. For videos I rank it up there with Live from Sydney (Zoo TV) as their best.

Sure by this point, after Zoo TV, U2 fans had pretty much had enough of the "irony" phase and thankfully they moved on. But it's a kick to see that huge video screen and the whole spectacle.

The "limited edition" of this DVD includes a second disc which includes videos, tour documentaries and addtional tracks, although the tracks on this seem taken from raw video feeds while taping the shows--not bad, but not as polished as the final versions on the concert proper.

Is very nice to have a video when you know you are one of the thousands of heads (or lighters) there, and live again the intensity of a fantastic band like U2; not to mention the great scenery and videos on the TV-Wall (I love the Lichtenstein secuence on "Bullet the blue sky"). Still is quite fun to hear Bono describing Mexico City in Spanish: "Muchos Huevos, Grandes Corazones, Mucho Tráfico" (Big balls, Great hearts, a lot of traffic), and trying to sing "La Bamba" at the end of the acoustic version of "Desire"; also singing "Arriba...México Now!" in a new arrangement at the end of "Where the streets have no name", etc. First I bought it 'cause I was there, now I appreciate it 'cause the quality of the video itself; it have great camera movements, framing and direction so you can enjoy a spectacular concert in a spectacular city of one of the best bands of the world. The only thing you will miss in this video is the fact that the night was really cold.

"POPMart Live From Mexico City" is a great video that avoids the mistakes of their previous concert video efforts.

Their first video, "Live At Red Rocks Under A Blood Red Sky" (1983) featured a very young U2 banging out the best of their first three albums, "Boy," "October" and "War." The video and sound quality is nowhere near spectacular, but you cannot fault the band for it as the video was shot on a very stingy budget, and in a sometimes driving rainstorm. However, their youthful energy more than makes up for the technical shortcomings.

1988's "Rattle And Hum" was a theatrically-released concert film. U2 was more confident on stage and in front of the camera, and it showed. My main qualm about "Rattle And Hum" is that it's a bit too somber and melodramatic at times, especially the concert footage. But, like "Live Under A Blood Red Sky," the energy of the band makes up for it. Bono, Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. matured greatly as musicians and entertainers between 1983 and 1988, and it's readily appearent in the film.

"Zoo TV" was a tad too theatrical, although the band never sounded better. It seems U2 was trying to make an artistic statement with the stage. Once again, the music drove the show, but the emphasis on technology detracted from it.

"POPMart Live From Mexico City" is nearly perfect! The stage, featuring a mammoth video screen and a giant arch added a lot without being in the way. With the exception of moments during "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me," Bono avoids his alter egos (The Fly, MacPhisto) of years past and is just Bono. One definite high point of the video is the Bono/Edge acoustic set. Bono forgetting a verse to "Desire" and breaking into "La Bamba" was funny. Edge get an all-too rare turn, singing "Sunday Bloody Sunday" before breaking ionto the best live version of "Bullet The Blue Sky" I've ever heard. Another great moment was their performance of "Pride."

SIMPLY AWESOME. A "must buy!"

This Concert could have been also called U2's Lastest (as of 1997) and Greatest Hits because they performed virtually all of their greatest hits (i.e. I Will Follow, New Year's Day, Pride, I Still Haven't Found..., Sunday Bloody Sunday, One, Where The Streets..., and With Or Without You) and their latest hits, Mofo, which really gets you going, Please, Discotheque (coming out of the giant lemon), and Staring At The Sun. I really don't see why people can't adjust to U2 using samples, synthisizers, and loops in their songs, They won't be making more "Joshua Tree"'s. The giant screen and the golden arch add a lot to the concert. So..let's stop griping about their change in music and enjoy it.
Here's the set list.
1. Pop Muzik
2. Mofo
3. I Will Follow
4. Gone
5. Even Better Than The Real Thing
6. Last Night On Earth
7. Until The End Of The World
8. New Year's Day
9. Pride (In The Name Of Love)
10. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
11. All I Want Is You
12. Desire
13. Staring At The Sun
14. Sunday Bloody Sunday
15. Bullet The Blue Sky
16. Please
17. Where The Streets Have No Name
18. Discotheque
19. If You Wear That Velvet Dress
20. With Or Without You
21. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
22. Mysterious Ways
23. One
24. Wake Up Dead Man

The music world is dull. The only thing that you usually hear happening at concerts is riots breaking out, but not here. When I bought Zoo TV Lve from Sydney, I thought that nothing could top that concert. Boy was I wrong! Upon the first time I watched the live performance from Mexico City, December 3, 1997, I was stunned by the ability of a band to put on a better and more entertaining performance than that of the one happening on the Big Screen. Popmart was the best tour of all time and U2 really put it together and came out on top. This is why they are the biggest, sort of boldest, baddest band in the land.

i can't remember how many times i've seen this concert, and it easily tops the charts as my favorite concert of all time. i have only one gripe with the video (for those of you who are fans of pop, you should know what i'm talkin about here). the last song of the night is "wake up dead man", it's one of my favorite songs of theirs and it deserves more respect than to have credits rolling as it is played. it always leaves a sour taste in my mouth. other than that, the concert is by far the best concert i have ever seen. it makes me feel so damn good. it makes fun of being "larger than life" while at the same time being that which it mocks. almost every song is presented with its own changes to the stage, the screen, etc... every song is brilliant, the energy is infectious, and the stage puts all others to shame. i rarely feel so good as when i watch this concert on a good system with friends who know what it's all about.

Great show live. Any U2 show live is a great one but don't miss this. This album and tour was amazing. Listen to PLEASE and it is hauntingly reminiscent of 9-11's tragic events. The songs are more serious than the production with a huge arch, mirrorball lemon, the tinyt nun that has since disappeared, towering screens, an olive....Hard to beleive this all took place 10 years ago. Nice to re-live a concert that truly rocked my world. No disappointments here.

I just had to "debate" the previous review (and I think a healthy debate is a good thing...everyone has a right to their opinion) but I had to share mine.

How can U2 ever be bad?

Maybe this vid was a different angle...
maybe it showed the band tired (I think sometimes
that they "may" be human) although their glow,
their lyrics and their passion almost seems
ethereal (which is what intrigues me anyhow)

IF... you are a U2 fan,
and you see that light in them...
you will appreciate Popmart.

I can't believe it's been nearly 10 years. I recorded the audio of this off of Showtime the night of the concert. (The first hour was simulcast on MTV.) When it came out, I got the vhs video - just in time to make a new set of cassettes, as the first ones I made had broken. And now, finally, the DVD.

I had been a fan of U2 before this night in December 1997 but this show made me a superfan. If this was an "off night", as some have said, I wouldn't have it any other way. I love this performance and I can hardly stand to hear the songs sung any other way. Either live or studio.

It took me a long time to like "Mofo", the long, strange techno dance song from the Pop album which opens the show. I used to skip over it and go directly to the more familiar "I Will Follow". Nowadays I look forward to hearing it.

You have to keep in mind, at this point in their careers, at least from my own vantage point, it looked like the band had something to prove. They'd been lambasted for years. First for being too dour and preachy, and then with Pop for being too silly and lightweight. Too "disco". Or whatever. Bono comes out with a crew cut which, to me, meant that he was starting from scratch. New growth. New beginnings.

The show really kicks in to gear, I feel, with "Gone" - which takes the album version to a new level. "Even Better Than the Real Thing" is next followed by the similarly themed "Last Night On Earth" and "Until the End of the World". Bono plays around with the lyrics here, turning "End of the World" into a confessional. He's the one at the party bringing everybody down, talking about doom and gloom - it makes more sense this way as he sees himself here, apparently, as trying to repent a little and loosen up.

Another classic, "New Years Day" - really hot version of this one, as we head over into the most excellent version of "Pride (In the Name of Love". Bono's voice is touching, more moving than usual here with this all time classic. Which leads us to "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" - again, even better than the album versions, especialy at the end with the audience singing. If I remember right, they were probably getting a cue from the MTV truck at this point, as the first hour was coming to a close. They riff around for a minute or two and it's literally spine tingling hearing Bono sing with this loud, worshipful crowd. They move into "All I Want is You", which I like live anyway because the original has all that needless movie orchestration. I could never appreciate this song until I heard it live.

A hot version of "Desire" follows, along with a haunting version of "Staring at the Sun". Bono leaves the stage as Edge takes a beautiful solo turn with the slower version of "Sunday, Bloody, Sunday".

If you had no other reason to consider buying this DVD, "Bullet the Blue Sky" on this disc is worth the 20 bucks all on its own. I out and out hated this song for some reason until I heard it here. Bono takes his time with the dramatic speaking bit and it works really well. There was something edited off the original broadcast here, as Bono started ad-libbing pieces of West Side Story. I guess they couldn't get the rights for distribution or something, but I still remember it from the original show.

"Please" is awesome here as Bono implores believers everywhere to stop worshipping for a while and "get up off your knees" and do something good in the world. Bono as modern day Old Testament prophet works for me. This segs very nicely into "Where the Streets Have No Name".

There's a short break and the band comes back with "Lemon". Still not one of my favorites but I give them props for trying to have some fun. "DIscoteque" is an appropriate followup here and "If You Wear That Velvet Dress" slows things down a little. Bono's dancing with a girl from the audience and she almost goes to sit down when the song ends but he keeps her for another one: "With or Without You". Bono's voice is breaking a little at this point in the show but it works really well with the tender lyrics. It might have been cheesy if his voice was in perfect shape.

Another short regrouping and we're back with the Batman song, which really rocks here. "Mysterious Ways" gets revamped a bit but it was so overplayed when it was new, I still can't listen to it much. Bono asks the crowd, "What do you want"? The obvious answer: "One" - which he dedicates to the late INXS singer,Michael Hutchence, who had just recently passed away, less than a month before this concert. As much as "One" was played out, it never gets old to me and this version of the song is so moving, it's irresistable.

The show closes quietly with "Wake Up, Dead Man", another in a series of quasi religious songs U2 had recorded for the underappreciated Pop album.

For me, U2 had never sounded this good and, really, though I am a self-professed superfan thanks to this special performance, I don't think they've managed to sound this good since then. I keep up with them and I buy everything they do - and some of it is pretty spectacular - but I wish they had the same level of energy and excitement they had here.

Some will no doubt disagree but I believe magic happened on this night back in 1997 and it may very well be the very best thing U2 has ever done or will ever do. When people ask me, "what's your favorite U2 album", I always say the recording from Mexico City. And coming in at a close second, "Achtung Baby".

I own every U2 concert DVD that has been made and even though they might have had better "concert" eras like the Joshua Tree tour or the early years when at Red Rocks, hands down this is the most innovative concert experience to date. This DVD captures the amazing stage show as well has the great performance by U2 extremely well...Considering ALL THE LIGHTS and Gigantic LED screen (If only HD was more available and used during the filming of this). As for the DVD itself speaking of the limited edition. I couldn't ask for better packaging. The casing just looks cool. As you open it up, you will see a booklet that comes with it as well as a pop out of The Edge. I was very happy to pay the extra money for the limited edition. Best packaging, best "extra" disc, best stage show and a great performance makes this concert DVD five stars.