So I just (in the last day or so) watched Live At Red Rocks, and now I'm working through the video portion of The Unforgettable Fire deluxe version (it's got the Conspiracy of Hope show from '86 and Live Aid from '85 on it).
It's so fascinating to go back 20, 30, 40 years and watch artists - especially artists that are still creating - knowing what we know now.
Bono is obviously the focal point of the band, and it's interesting to see the evolution of his performances. He was a better singer then, no doubt, but, IMO, a much better front man today. So much of what he did then was just charisma and youth and energy, a young man trying desperately to find a voice that fits him (and his band) compared to later, when he HAD the voice, and was trying desperately for it to say something new and important.
It's also fascinating to see how BANDS evolve and change, and how so many bands change in so many different ways. U2 at Red Rocks, the music is almost (not quite, but almost) incidental to the experience, the environment (the rain, the sparse crowd, the cold) and the energy that the band put forth to connect with that crowd. U2 at Live Aid, the music is almost (moreso) incidental to the experience, the community that was formed, not one of exclusion but inclusion, and the way Bono bridged that gap between band and audience (essentially the message of the entire event). Then you have Zoo TV, where the music is almost (less so) incidental to the experience, which is almost the opposite; it's colder, it's more reserved (with the personas taking over for the band members themselves), it's more exclusionary (you're either in on the joke or you're not).
Oh, and the "Patrick Swayze jump into the audience" move in the Pride video never gets old (though Swayze stole it from Bono, not the other way around).
Topic: U2 thread (Read 50129 times)
