a sort of homecoming. a sort of wonder.

dermottferry

I own many U2 DVD's. I own all of U2's albums. I have plenty of t-shirts, posters etc. If my house was burning down and I had to grab one of these U2 items, it would be this DVD (just edging out Achtung Baby).

The Elevation Tour was again a hugely successful tour for U2. Demand for the homecoming from fans resulted in Slane being played over two nights fpr the first time in its history.

Despite playing around the world, this gig stands out- for two reasons. One- the boys had come home, to play in front of 80,000 people. Two, this concert came closely after the death of Bono's father. So the emotion was high as the boys stepped onto the stage like Kings taking their place on their throne. Then its time to sit back in amazement as Bono, Larry, Adam and Edge do what they do better than anyone- play live.

Playing hits young and old, this is quite a show. Kicking off with the perfect start, 'Elevation', everyone in the audience screaming 'ooooooohhhhh',- not their best lyrically, but up there without a doubt with other great concert openers like Zoo Station.

U2 then move on to an unbelievable performance of 'Beautiful Day'. A personal live favorite of mine, 'Until the End of the World' comes next, and is followed by the fantastic 'New Years Day'. The first real touching moment comes during the bands first single 'Out of Control', where Bono pronounces the Slane crowd as 'our tribe' and thanks them all for their support over the years.

Other highlights of the show are 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' and the song 'Kite', which Bono dedicates to his late father Bob Hewson. But for me, the stand out performance is 'All I Want is You', leading into 'Where The Streets Have No Name.' Quite simply its magical.

They're magical.

This is a DVD that any U2 fan will probably have already. But if you don't- go get it right now!!

score 9/10

dermottferry 18 April 2008

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1859654/