Even Bono, the messiah, is powerless over the weather. The leader of U2 isn’t terribly worried, though. In the stands of Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre, as the rain batters the poor sods huddled behind polythene blankets, he thinks backstage, “If the sun was shining we’d look just like any other band.” And it would never do to look like any other band.
U2 doesn’t look like any other band this evening. They don’t sound like any other band either. For the record, they also don’t haul Salman Rushdie out of hiding, dress like the Village People, clamber into a gigantic lemon, or preach against apartheid. Though these tricks will appear sooner rather than later, on June 5, 1983, U2 was just a really terrific rock & roll band.
Instead of using technology, U2 exudes unadulterated magnetism on the Red Rocks stage. The band members are not particularly attractive, with the exception of drummer Larry Mullen Jr.; bassist Adam Clayton is an adult Milky Bar kid, and The Edge appears to be practicing waltzers. Nevertheless, there is a palpable connection amongst the four that is evident from the first song, Out Of Control.
They appear to be a group of youngsters high on ecstasy; they are technically faultless, joyful as puppy dogs, and still giddy from the excitement of performing in outdoor spaces. Watching it is thrilling, which is enhanced by the intricate camerawork and crisp audio.
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