u2 - 360 degree at the rose bowl (universal)
June 11, 2010
U2 have always put on a great show and are one of the few bands who have always been serious about creating truly unique experiences by using innovative sets at the time. You may recall in the early 90's, they were the band that toured a television station globally on their Zoo TV tour. That was followed by the Popmart Tour that saw them tour what was, at that time, the largest back screen at the time... and a giant lemon. Each tour seemed to get bigger, more extravagant and more complex. 360 isn't any exception with the band hauling a set globally that sits in the middle of the stadium, offering complete 360 degree views of the band and an amazing light and video show rig to match. So, we've established that the band LOOK good for this concert, the penultimate show from 2009 in support of their 'No Line On The Horizon' album but how do they sound?
I can recall when they streamed this show live in October last year - the first time any band had taken to streaming an entire show live on Youtube (again, another example of technology and innovation being used by the band) and thinking that the set list was... ok. On reflection, I was totally wrong - it's more than ok and if the show had come to Melbourne (rumour is early next year) then I think I would've walked away from that show completely satisfied. Apart from the usual expected staples ('Beautiful Day', 'Vertigo', 'Where The Streets Have No Name', 'One'), there are also some truly unexpected and very welcome surprises. Some seemed to be geared more towards the die hard fan, a great example being that 'Ultra Violet (Light My Way)' being included which, prior to this tour, was the only track from their classic 'Achtung Baby!' album never to be played live. We also see the return of the beautifully haunted, 'The Unforgettable Fire', indicating that this tour felt as much about celebrating the past as it was to promote the Grammy Award Nominated recent album.
The release comes in various formats. You can start from the single DVD format if you just want the show. From there, the 2DVD and Blu Ray both have additional content (and are very inexpensive when you compare them to similar releases from other artists - I got the Blu Ray for less than $26 at JB). Lastly, they are releasing a Super Deluxe Boxset that contains everything from unreleased tracks on coloured vinyl, postcards, tour plans, both DVD and Blu Ray formats and, of course, you own tour programme. For what looks like less than $200 in a presentation box, this would send most U2 fan/graphic designers into an absolute frenzy.
www.u2.com
