When it comes to rock tours, U2 is perhaps the most interesting and infamous group in the world today. No other band has ever attempted any kind of tour as complex, colossal, or extravagant as U2's Zoo TV tour from the early-mid 90's, and 1997's PopMart tour was one of the biggest productions of all time, as well as one of the most commercially successful. Indeed, it seems that the lads from Dublin are arguably the kings of arena rock.
Anyone who has even a mild interest in U2's music has no doubt heard by now that the band's 2001 Elevation Tour was a "back to the basics," stripped down endeavor that was simply about the music, and not about the image that went hand in hand with Zoo TV and PopMart. Or at least that's what I heard- unfortunately, I never got a chance to catch any of the Elevation concerts. Never, that is, until the Elevation DVD was released.
A few cynical fans will no doubt claim that the release of the live concert DVD was just a shrewd marketing strategy, the band's record label wanting to milk the successful tour for all it was worth. And that's true, I suppose, but personally, I'm overjoyed that the band agreed to film their Boston show and release it to the masses. Finally, I got a chance to see and hear what I had been missing.
Honestly, the show was not quite what I expected. I had heard that Elevation was stripped down and simple, but I still envisioned the concert being a grand spectacle, bent on making a political point of some sort. To my surprise, U2 really did keep the show focused on the music- there were no fancy stage tricks or sarcastic commentaries on our society, like PopMart, and the lighting effects were not as prominent as one might think. In fact, the band- lead singer Bono, guitarist The Edge, bassist Adam Clayton, and drummer Larry Mullen- strolled onto the stage with all of the lights still on, and did not dim the arena until the end of their first song, "Elevation."
This simple gesture gave the entire concert an atmosphere that is not unlike that found on U2's latest CD, All That You Can't Leave Behind. There were a few moments of darkness, but, overall, the mood was bright and the band was confident. After 20+ years together and ten full-length albums, most of which garnered critical and fan acclaim, the men of U2 don't need to try to impress anyone anymore.
Bono and The Edge are both in their forties now, but they showed few signs of their age during Elevation. During "The Fly," Bono jumped around, on the stage and even into the audience, and he pulled up a girl from the crowd to sing to during "With or Without You." He and The Edge tried to knock each other off the stage during "Until the End of the World," and the guitarist even got to sing some lead vocals every now and then, such as on "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of." The whole band was fairly energetic, but Bono and Edge were especially spirited.
For the most part, I can't complain about the song selection of the show. Sure, some true U2 classics ("One," "Pride," "New Years Day") were omitted from the disc, as well as some personal favorites ("Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me," "Acrobat," "When I Look at the World"), but it would be impossible for the band to impress everyone with just one concert. Elevation boasts eighteen full-length U2 songs, as well as abbreviated versions of "40" and "Wake Up Dead Man." The second disc in the set also includes three bonus songs, filmed at different locations. The band did an excellent job of mixing old favorites, such as "I Will Follow" and a spiritually-charged, joyful suite including "Bad," "40," and "Where the Streets Have No Name" with newer hits, such as a stripped down, emotional rendition of "In A Little While" and the resounding concert closer "Walk On." I give the band bonus points for being willing to include plenty of songs from All That You Can't Leave Behind, one of my favorite records from U2.
When it comes to the quality of the discs themselves, Elevation is absolutely amazing. The three bonus tracks on Disc 2 are grainy and of rather poor quality, but Disc 1 has one of the most vivid, clear pictures I've ever seen on my TV. Elevation's audio and video quality puts most of the actual movies in my DVD collection to shame. There are also a few good extra featurettes on the two discs, including a fairly fascinating behind-the-scenes look and brief clips from Zoo TV and PopMart.
If you aren't a fan of U2, then you won't get much out of Elevation. U2 junkies, however, will almost certainly love this 2-disc set, especially if you missed the tour itself. I've already watched Elevation more than most of the other DVD's in my small collection, and I'm sure that this concert video will be more than enough to hold me over until U2's next album hits the shelves.
Josh's Score: 4.5/5
