Product Details

• Actors: Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr., Gavin Friday
• Directors: Erica Forstadt, Hamish Hamilton
• Producers: Frank Garritano, Ned O'Hanlon, Paul McGuinness
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (DTS 5.1), English (PCM Stereo)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Interscope Records
• DVD Release Date: November 15, 2005
• Run Time: 139 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (190 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000BNXDE6
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #53,663 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "U2 - Vertigo 2005 - Live From Chicago" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

When he isn't rubbing shoulders with the likes of Kofi Annan and George W. Bush, the activist Bono has a side project he likes to call "U2." U2: Vertigo - Live From Chicago captures the band on two nights during their tour to support How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. Once known for taking the most technologically extravagant shows on the road, the boys from Dublin have settled into a comfortable role of rock elder statesmen, placing emphasis on the anthems and weepers of their considerable body of work rather than gigantic lemons that descend from the rafters. Always a band that reflects the zeitgeist, this concert film finds them at their earnest best, with comparatively stripped-down stage production and superbly recorded sound. To call U2's more rocking songs "anthems" borders on understatement, and it is their anthems that ring most exuberantly in Chicago's United Center. Bono understandably looks heavier and wearier than in days past, perhaps due to the weight of the world he has hoisted onto his shoulders. While the icon roams the circular stage around the Metallica-style "snakepit," The Edge, drummer Larry Mullen Jr., and bassist Adam Clayton pin the songs to the floorboards and take them to the heavens. How can these guys not play fantastically together? Standouts include hits both classic and newly minted, among them "Beautiful Day," "New Year's Day," "Pride (In the Name of Love)," and "Sunday Bloody Sunday." Late in the concert Bono makes his appeal to the leaders of the world to end extreme poverty, invoking the imagination of a country that put a man on the moon. Ingeniously, he asks the crowd to take out their cell phones and text-message an account that operates as a petition to end world hunger. With the stadium aglow in LED screens, the band smoothly glides into "One." Elsewhere, Bono invokes religion, donning a headband decorated with Islamic, Jewish, and Christian symbols, assuming the appearance of a grizzled No Nukes protester circa 1975. (Perhaps this is a new persona akin to The Fly?) Kidding aside, these may be days in which we need the uplift and passion of U2 more than the 1990s, when they dressed up as the Village People and occasionally performed at K-Mart. Not suitable for those who don't wish to save the world. --Ryan Boudinot

Product Description

"U2 Vertigo//2005" is without doubt the hottest tour of the year!! Ticket demand has been phenomenal and by the end of 2005 U2 will have played to 3.25 million people! "Vertigo//2005, U2 Live From Chicago" the DVD captures this unique experience.

The DVD features 23 electric performances, with songs drawn from across the bands entire career - from first album fan favorites such as "Electric Co," through U2 classics such as "Pride...," "New Years Day" and "Where the Streets Have No Name" and right up to date with "Vertigo" the smash hit that launched this years #1 studio album "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb."

Directed by Hamish Hamilton

DVD TRACK LISTING
1. City of Blinding Lights
2. Vertigo
3. Elevation
4. Cry/Electric Co.
5. An Cat Dubh/Into The Heart
6. Beautiful Day
7. New Year’s Day
8. Miracle Drug
9. Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own
10. Love and Peace or Else
11. Sunday Bloody Sunday
12. Bullet The Blue Sky
13. Running To Standstill
14. Pride In The Name Of Love
15. Where The Streets Have No Name
16. One
17. Zoo Station
18. The Fly
19. Mysterious Ways
20. All Because Of You
21. Original Of The Species
22. Yahweh
23. 40

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

226 of 241 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Review From u2tour.de November 7, 2005

By Patrick E.

Format:DVD

The standard DVD version comes with a "super jewel box", which is similar to a CD jewel case but in DVD format. The "Deluxe Edition" will probably come with the usual digipack cover which we are familiar with from the Boston and Slane Castle DVD.

The booklet contains 14 pages and is provided with live pictures of the band. The first two pages cover all Vertigo tour logos like a wallpaper: From the red "V" up to the atomic bomb which we all know from the merchandising items of the tour, it's all there. Page by page you will find words which, when put together, contain the message: "Don't become a monster in order to defeat a monster". The style of the booklet (with hand-drawn circles) and the cover paintings are similar to the "Deluxe Edition" of 'How to dismantle an atomic bomb'. Unfortunately the booklet does not live up to expectations and is scanty, containing 5 pictures and 10 words as well as some credits. We are curious to see whether the "Deluxe Edition" booklet provides the same. If so, that would be very disappointing.

The Content

The DVD is a mix of the Chicago concerts (dating 9th and 10th of May) from the Vertigo tour. The footage used comes primarily from the 10th of May (Bono's birthday), though there are some exceptions. The setlists of those two nights are almost identical with only the final song being different ('40' on the 9th and 'Vertigo' on the 10th; '40' was used for the DVD). The recording is almost complete with only 'Party Girl' missing on the DVD, which was played on both nights. The concert starts off with a very short 'Wake up' from Arcade Fire and segues into 'Everyone', which was used as the 1st leg intro....

On the bright side the DVD doesn't contain any copyright statements so you are able to start right away with the concert when putting it in a DVD player. Needless to say the DVD menu contains options for sound settings as well as a track selection. The duration of the DVD is 2 hours 19 minutes, which is unusually long for U2 standards.

The Concert

U2 are playing in one of their favorite towns and you can tell. The four boys from Ireland seem very relaxed and are on fire performance wise. Especially Bono is full of energy, something one or the other might have missed during the EU concerts. There's no doubt that the B-Man pulls off a great show on his birthday, interacting and joking often with the crowd. Adam is full of smiles (no suprises there) but even Larry is caught with a smirk here and there. The crowd seems to be into this one as well: Driven by the birthday boy the fans pull off a far better performance than one might be used to from the American crowd.

The concert seems unedited: Bono's (long) speeches are included, as are most of the snippets ('Wake up', 'Bullet with butterfly wings', 'No regrets', and 'When Johnny comes marching home')! Only downer: There's no 'Blackbird' at the end of 'Beautiful day' and 'I can see for miles' during 'The Electric Co.'. Both weren't snippeted on the 10th, which is probably the reason they're missing on the DVD. No doubt that U2's own songs are on this one though: 'Stories for boys', 'Cry' and the small 'Please' snippet from 'Bullet the blue sky' are all included.

Something that is far more noticeable than on previous U2 live-recordings is that flaws from the band aren't edited out (Choosing to film both nights was not for nothing). Therefore you'll hear Edge making mistakes at times ('Miracle Drug' solo, start of '40', and 'Mysterious Ways' solo) and Bono mixing up some lyrics ('Love and Peace or Else' and 'Yahweh'), which makes the whole thing more likable and authentic. That's probably what the people in charge were thinking and, for instance, decided to go with an 'Elevation' version on the DVD where Bono is clearly struggling with a "frog in the throat". All in all the right decision not to make the convulsive attempt to make a perfect live recording (e.g. Popmart, where some flaws where edited). Mistakes are part of it - keep it that way.

The Picture

Short summary: It is a typical Hamish Hamilton production. Whether that's a good or a bad thing is naturally a matter of opinion. Once again there are many fast cuts mixed with lots of spontaneous zooming in. Hamilton also suprises with some new camera angles, e.g. one camera which provides a bird's eye view over the main stage. This produces some nice close-ups on Edge's equipment and foot pedals. Larry (more precisely: Larry's cymbals) also gets lots of attention from the camera while shots of the whole main stage remain a rarity. People who didn't like the Boston DVD because of its stage-direction aren't gonna be great fans of this one neither, there are plenty of (often blurry) close-ups of hands, guitars and the drums.

Some of the shots were made on same height as the GA fans, which leads to many waving hands (including countless mobile telephones) being shown in the foreground. Some (light)-effects, which should add a certain creativity to the shooting, are rather disturbing at some points.

Besides all this it has to be said that the recording seems far more lively this time compared to Hamiltons Boston production.

Some dodgy cuts are again subject to criticism:

- There is almost no pause between 'Vertigo' and 'Elevation', with only 2 seconds elapsing between those tracks. You see Edge changing his guitar in one scene while the intro-riff is already starting; next thing you know Edge is standing in front of the microphone.

- During 'Elevation' you see (at least once clearly!) that picture and sound don't match! Min:sec 13:52 - 13:54 - You hear Bono singing the 'Elevation' intro, but not so in the cut.

The video format is 16:9.

The Sound

The DVD is again released in 3 different sound formats: PCM Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1. A detailled report to the sound quality will be available very soon.

The Extras

Unfortunately the double DVD isn't available yet. We will report about the extras as soon as we get it. You can see some screenshots of the menus. They are all animated and there is some sound in the background. Read more ›

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Despite what you might read here - a great DVD! November 25, 2005

By R. Long

Format:DVD

I was surprised when I first saw that the average rating for this DVD was at 3.5 stars. After reading some of the negative reviews I want to offer some alternative opinions before anyone decides not to get this DVD.

Some have described the show as a "comparatively stripped-down stage production". Vertigo was certainly not as elaborate as ZooTV or as over the top as Pop, but stripped-down it was not. The video curtains were amazing and especially effective during City of Blinding Lights and Streets. The lighting of the Vertigo ellipse was unique and the fact that U2 was able to tap into the video message boards around the United Center made the show even more visually interesting.

Some have complained about the quality of the sound. I must have gotten a different DVD than others. The sound is superb. Ironically, it is so good that you do lose a certain sense of "liveness". Thankfully, a few bad notes and scratchy vocals were left in to remind you that you are watching a live concert. One reviewer writes that Bono's voice was much better on the Boston Elevation DVD. His voice was horrible in Boston. Go back and watch the DVD again.

One reviewer commented that "Bono understandably looks heavier and wearier than in days past". I personally am glad to see that at least one rock star is willing to age. "Look honey, Bono has a gut just like me!"

I think the editing is well done. Very few jump cuts, interesting views from above, a few peeks at the Edge's gear and only a few songs marred by my least favorite shot - the view from the crowd. Sunday Bloody Sunday particularly suffers from the "snake pit" shot. I do agree with some that the audience seemed lifeless. I think that is an editing issue rather than a crowd problem.... I also think the arena could have been miced better to record the many sing-alongs. Whoever wrote that the video looked like a grainy handicam needs to invest in a new DVD player.

The setlist? There are always some folks who don't get to see the songs they wanted or don't like the treatment of certain songs. Me too. I was at one of the Garden shows and wish that they had flown Mary J. Blige to Chicago to include her amazing rendition of One which we enjoyed in New York. Bono's ability to sing Pavarotti's portions of Miss Sarajevo is amazing. Not included in the Chicago shows. But I did enjoy seeing the songs from Achtung Baby that I didn't see live - Zoo Station and The Fly in particular. U2 has a huge collection of great songs. They could never fit them all into the two shows filmed for this DVD. My favorite of all - "They not only deny (the) Pop Mart Tour (their most fantastic and successful ever), but also U2 deny the whole Pop era." Um, Pop was a horrible album compared to all of the others. That tour almost bankrupted the band due to it's enormous expense and dwindling ticket sales as word got out how uniquely horrible the show was. I'm as big a U2 fan as anyone, but I almost walked out of the stadium during that one.

I won't even comment on the complaints about Bono's speeches. Anyone who has followed U2 and has seem them live before should know to expect (and I think embrace) that part of the evening.

If you are a U2 fan, or someone who is just interested in great rock shows, this DVD belongs in your collection. Enjoy. Read more ›

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Review From u2tour.de November 7, 2005

By Patrick E.

Format:DVD

The standard DVD version comes with a "super jewel box", which is similar to a CD jewel case but in DVD format. The "Deluxe Edition" will probably come with the usual digipack cover which we are familiar with from the Boston and Slane Castle DVD.

The booklet contains 14 pages and is provided with live pictures of the band. The first two pages cover all Vertigo tour logos like a wallpaper: From the red "V" up to the atomic bomb which we all know from the merchandising items of the tour, it's all there. Page by page you will find words which, when put together, contain the message: "Don't become a monster in order to defeat a monster". The style of the booklet (with hand-drawn circles) and the cover paintings are similar to the "Deluxe Edition" of 'How to dismantle an atomic bomb'. Unfortunately the booklet does not live up to expectations and is scanty, containing 5 pictures and 10 words as well as some credits. We are curious to see whether the "Deluxe Edition" booklet provides the same. If so, that would be very disappointing.

The Content

The DVD is a mix of the Chicago concerts (dating 9th and 10th of May) from the Vertigo tour. The footage used comes primarily from the 10th of May (Bono's birthday), though there are some exceptions. The setlists of those two nights are almost identical with only the final song being different ('40' on the 9th and 'Vertigo' on the 10th; '40' was used for the DVD). The recording is almost complete with only 'Party Girl' missing on the DVD, which was played on both nights. The concert starts off with a very short 'Wake up' from Arcade Fire and segues into 'Everyone', which was used as the 1st leg intro....

On the bright side the DVD doesn't contain any copyright statements so you are able to start right away with the concert when putting it in a DVD player. Needless to say the DVD menu contains options for sound settings as well as a track selection. The duration of the DVD is 2 hours 19 minutes, which is unusually long for U2 standards.

The Concert

U2 are playing in one of their favorite towns and you can tell. The four boys from Ireland seem very relaxed and are on fire performance wise. Especially Bono is full of energy, something one or the other might have missed during the EU concerts. There's no doubt that the B-Man pulls off a great show on his birthday, interacting and joking often with the crowd. Adam is full of smiles (no suprises there) but even Larry is caught with a smirk here and there. The crowd seems to be into this one as well: Driven by the birthday boy the fans pull off a far better performance than one might be used to from the American crowd.

The concert seems unedited: Bono's (long) speeches are included, as are most of the snippets ('Wake up', 'Bullet with butterfly wings', 'No regrets', and 'When Johnny comes marching home')! Only downer: There's no 'Blackbird' at the end of 'Beautiful day' and 'I can see for miles' during 'The Electric Co.'. Both weren't snippeted on the 10th, which is probably the reason they're missing on the DVD. No doubt that U2's own songs are on this one though: 'Stories for boys', 'Cry' and the small 'Please' snippet from 'Bullet the blue sky' are all included.

Something that is far more noticeable than on previous U2 live-recordings is that flaws from the band aren't edited out (Choosing to film both nights was not for nothing). Therefore you'll hear Edge making mistakes at times ('Miracle Drug' solo, start of '40', and 'Mysterious Ways' solo) and Bono mixing up some lyrics ('Love and Peace or Else' and 'Yahweh'), which makes the whole thing more likable and authentic. That's probably what the people in charge were thinking and, for instance, decided to go with an 'Elevation' version on the DVD where Bono is clearly struggling with a "frog in the throat". All in all the right decision not to make the convulsive attempt to make a perfect live recording (e.g. Popmart, where some flaws where edited). Mistakes are part of it - keep it that way.

The Picture

Short summary: It is a typical Hamish Hamilton production. Whether that's a good or a bad thing is naturally a matter of opinion. Once again there are many fast cuts mixed with lots of spontaneous zooming in. Hamilton also suprises with some new camera angles, e.g. one camera which provides a bird's eye view over the main stage. This produces some nice close-ups on Edge's equipment and foot pedals. Larry (more precisely: Larry's cymbals) also gets lots of attention from the camera while shots of the whole main stage remain a rarity. People who didn't like the Boston DVD because of its stage-direction aren't gonna be great fans of this one neither, there are plenty of (often blurry) close-ups of hands, guitars and the drums. Some of the shots were made on same height as the GA fans, which leads to many waving hands (including countless mobile telephones) being shown in the foreground. Some (light)-effects, which should add a certain creativity to the shooting, are rather disturbing at some points.

Besides all this it has to be said that the recording seems far more lively this time compared to Hamiltons Boston production.

Some dodgy cuts are again subject to criticism:

- There is almost no pause between 'Vertigo' and 'Elevation', with only 2 seconds elapsing between those tracks. You see Edge changing his guitar in one scene while the intro-riff is already starting; next thing you know Edge is standing in front of the microphone.

- During 'Elevation' you see (at least once clearly!) that picture and sound don't match! Min:sec 13:52 - 13:54 - You hear Bono singing the 'Elevation' intro, but not so in the cut.

The video format is 16:9.

The Sound

The DVD is again released in 3 different sound formats: PCM Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1. A detailled report to the sound quality will be available very soon.

The Extras

Unfortunately the double DVD isn't available yet. We will report about the extras as soon as we get it. You can see some screenshots of the menus. They are all animated and there is some sound in the background. Read more ›