Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky
Encyclopedia
U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky (also known simply as U2 Live at Red Rocks or Under a Blood Red Sky) is a concert film
by Irish rock
band U2
. It was recorded on 5 June 1983 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre
in Colorado
, United States on the group's War Tour
. Originally released in 1984 on videocassette, U2 Live at Red Rocks was the band's first video release. It accompanied a 1983 live album entitled Under a Blood Red Sky
, on which two tracks from the film appear. The video was directed by Gavin Taylor and produced by Rick Wurpel and Doug Stewart.
The film was arranged by U2 management to showcase the band's live act and promote them to American audiences. It depicts the band's performance at Red Rocks on a rain-soaked evening. The weather threatened to cancel the concert, but the band had invested in the filming with Island Records
and concert promoter Barry Fey
and wished to proceed with the gig. The rain and the torch-lit natural beauty of the surroundings combined to dramatise U2's performance. Segments of U2 Live at Red Rocks were shown in regular rotation on MTV
, in addition to broadcasts on other television networks.
Critics praised the concert and the video, and it subsequently became a best-seller. The video, along with Under a Blood Red Sky, helped establish U2's reputation as remarkable live performers, and it boosted Red Rocks' stature as a live venue in the US. A remaster
ed edition of U2 Live at Red Rocks was released on DVD
in September 2008, featuring previously unreleased tracks. This coincided with a remastered edition of Under a Blood Red Sky. Rolling Stone
selected the film's performance of "Sunday Bloody Sunday
" as one of the "50 Moments that Changed the History of Rock and Roll".
were on their Boy Tour
promoting their debut album, Boy
. Following their 11 May concert at Rainbow Music Hall in Denver, concert promoter Chuck Morris took the band to Red Rocks Amphitheatre
, a natural amphitheatre
located between sandstone
cliffs in the Rocky Mountains
. Bassist Adam Clayton
recalled, "From the moment we saw it, we were thinking, 'Some day we will play here'. It was very photogenic." U2 manager Paul McGuinness
had long wanted to film the group for a concert video to highlight their success as a live act, and to promote them to American audiences still unfamiliar with them. Concert promoter Barry Fey
, who presented U2's shows in the Southwestern United States, successfully lobbied for Red Rocks as the filming location.
In early 1983, McGuinness contacted Malcolm Gerrie, producer of the British TV series The Tube
, about shooting a video of U2 at Red Rocks, and possibly featuring it on an episode of The Tube. Gerrie initially assumed McGuinness was interested in creating a video of a single song; however, McGuinness was hoping to create an hour-long special. Because The Tube was not a "one-band show", Gerrie said he would have to sell the idea to Channel 4
, but McGuinness insisted on giving Gerrie the rights to the video and letting Channel 4 broadcast the video for free.
By mid-1983, as U2 toured the United States on their War Tour
, the group had filled venues of similar capacity to Red Rocks. A concert, sponsored by Coca-Cola
, KWGN-TV
, and radio station KAZY, was scheduled at Red Rocks for 5 June 1983; tickets were sold for US$9.50. Filming costs were estimated at $250,000, which included the illumination of the cliffs, a mobile sound recording unit, and a helicopter to film aerial footage. U2 invested $30,000 in the project, with additional investments made by Fey and Island Records
. A joint production company called "U2 at Red Rocks Associates" was subsequently established to fund the project, with the three parties splitting costs and sharing profits from television rights and video sales. The radio rights were sold to American radio network NBC
for inclusion in their concert series The Source
.
Sound mixing
was managed by Steve Lillywhite
, who produced U2's first three studio albums. Randy Ezratty's portable 24-track recording system, Effanel Music, was used because a conventional mobile recording studio could not be moved close enough to the stage. Fey's corporation, Feyline Productions, coordinated with their production company, TTS, to manage the videotaping. Director Gavin Taylor and producer Gerrie of The Tube were selected as director and production associate, respectively. At the time, Taylor had never travelled to the United States, nor had he filmed a major outdoor rock concert. Local producers Rick Wurpel and Doug Stewart were also on the staff. Taylor's and McGuinness' original plans were to feature the video on The Tube, but union
s objected to their limited representation on the concert crew. A compromise was reached that allowed 15 minutes of the concert to be broadcast on The Tube.
warnings were issued. The weather made it difficult for the crew members to transport the band's gear and video equipment through the mountains to the amphitheater. The conditions also posed many technical problems for the filming and concert crews, which hampered stage construction and endangered the safety of those setting up lighting and sound equipment. Crew members used squeegee
s to keep rain away from the wires. The fans that attended had to hike through the Rocky Mountains in the rain. Approximately 15–20 fans were already camped out in the venue's front rows early in the morning, and lead vocalist Bono
accommodated them by serving coffee and tea. The Alarm
and Divinyls
cancelled their opening sets
for safety reasons, and many fans thought the entire concert had been cancelled. The show was scheduled for 6 pm, and the band had until 1 pm to decide whether to move the concert elsewhere or risk the weather worsening, which could necessitate a cancellation.
U2, their crew, and McGuinness thought that too much money had been invested to abort, and sympathised with the fans that had travelled to the venue in the poor weather; they decided to proceed with the concert as planned. Bono informed the fans waiting outside the venue that the show would be general admission, and told everyone to get as close to the stage as possible, regardless of the seating assignment on their ticket. Fey wanted to cancel the show but was flying from California when the decision was made to continue. After arriving in Denver, Fey called the amphitheatre to ask to where the concert was being moved, unaware that the band had decided to proceed with the show. Guitarist The Edge
recalls that when Fey learned of the group's decision, he "could not believe it. I don't think he'd ever heard anything quite so crazy in his life, going on with an outdoor show in the worst kind of weather, rain and wind in the mountains. He thought we'd lost our minds completely." Bono went on the radio that day to confirm the Red Rocks concert was continuing, and to promote a second concert that the band planned for the following night at the CU Events Center to make up for fans who were unable to attend the Red Rocks show. Clayton recalls the band doing radio interviews, saying, "We know it's raining now but we're sure it won't be when the show starts, so please come." Two hours before the concert, the downpour subsided and settled into a misty drizzle
. Although the 9,000-person venue had sold out, only about 4,400 fans attended due to the inclement weather.
Taylor had a crew of six camera operators, with aerial camera shots being provided by a helicopter. Three of the six camera operators were chosen from local Denver area cinematographers, with the remaining three brought in by Taylor. Due to the thick fog and heavy rain on the night of the filming, very little of the aerial footage was deemed suitable for the final edit. Although two "master angle" cameras on tripods provided wide and overview shots, most of the camera operators filmed with hand-held camera
s. Tube
cameras were used. When they are pointed at lights, their tubes are burned, which creates trails of dark lines in the footage. As a result, much of the concert footage contains red streaks from the cameras being aimed at the venue's lights. A notice was later included on the box of the home video release, informing viewers that the coloured lines in the video "are a result of special lighting effects, and are not caused by a tape defect or your equipment". Taylor had a walkway specially built off the venue's stage to "break down the gap between [Bono] and the audience". This stage allowed Bono to perform closer to the audience, surrounded by fans on three sides.
Before U2 took the stage, Fey introduced the concert by making a reference to Bob Dylan
's live album Hard Rain (1976). The concert itself featured 20 songs, with a set list
identical to that of several previous shows on the tour. "Out of Control" opened the 16-song main set, which ended with "Gloria
", and was followed by a four-song encore
that ended the show with "40". Songs from the tour's supporting album War (1983) were played, as was material from U2's first two albums, Boy
(1980) and October
(1981). "Party Girl", a B-side
from the single "A Celebration
" (1982), and the non-album single "11 O'Clock Tick Tock" (1980) were played during the encore.
Much of the focus on the concert's attendance was disguised by the thick mist that filled the air that evening, as well as strategic shots of the crowd. Bono said, "it was freezing cold. There was steam coming out of our mouths. Edge was finding it hard to play guitar because his hands were frozen stiff." Drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. believes the weather contributed a dramatic atmosphere to the concert. During "The Electric Co.", Bono left the stage and climbed up a lighting rig to display a white flag
. In a 2004 interview, The Edge claimed that Bono "scared the shit out of [him]" by climbing onto the rig; he was worried that Bono would be electrocuted by the live wires
in close proximity. Bono said "good night" to the crowd on nearly a half dozen occasions so that the post-production
crew would have several choices of songs with which to end the film. Backstage, the band members were disappointed that the crowd did not initially chant "How long to sing this song?" after the band had left the stage following the final song, "40", as had become a tradition. However, tour manager
Dennis Sheehan hid underneath the crowd barrier and began singing into the microphone, without being asked. Eventually, the crowd began to sing; the film was edited to disguise the fact that the singing was organised.
The concert was first broadcast a month after its recording, on 8, 9, and 10 July 1983, under the title War Is Declared, on NBC's The Source radio programme. The broadcast was sponsored by Budweiser
and the United States Army
, and was distributed to radio stations on two LP record
s, which included the full 20-song concert. Twelve of the concert's songs were later broadcast on American television network Showtime, while nine songs were broadcast on MTV
. The film's performance of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" became the song's music video, with Malcolm Gerrie, Rick Wurpel, and Paul McGuinness credited as producers. In June 1986 the video was one of 10 concert films aired on television stations throughout the U.S. as part of the Coors Concert Series, a series of music specials presented by the Coors Brewing Company
and Radio Vision International. Broadcasts of the concert have also been featured on VH1
and various affiliates of the Public Broadcasting Service
.
U2 released their live mini-LP
Under a Blood Red Sky in November 1983, featuring live songs from the War Tour. Although the title of the album would later be used as the subtitle of the concert video, only two tracks on the album ("Gloria" and "Party Girl") were taken from the Red Rocks concert. The other six live tracks were taken from performances in Boston
and West Germany
, as U2 felt they were "more developed performances". The video release of the concert was planned as a follow-up to the album. The November 1983 issue of U2 Magazine mentioned the future release of the Red Rocks concert video, and stated that previews of the concert had been shown on Channel 4
. The following issue was delayed until February 1984, as the editor had hoped to include details about the video release; there was still no information available, so the editor simply stated that the video "is due out in about a month's time".
U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky was released in May 1984, and was U2's first video release. The image of Bono atop the lighting rig during "The Electric Co." was used as the cover of the video, as well as Under a Blood Red Sky. The film begins with a brief montage that includes an interview with U2, preparations being made by the concert crew, and reactions by anxious fans. The Clannad
song "Theme from Harry's Game
", which was played after many of U2's shows at the time, is heard in the film's opening montage and during the end credits. The film's subtitle "Under a Blood Red Sky" was borrowed from the title of the companion live album and itself originates from a lyric in "New Year's Day
"; however, this lyric is not sung in the film, as it was changed by Bono to "Under a thundercloud and rain", in reference to the weather conditions.
Universal City Studios
owned the rights to the film. MCA Home Video released the movie on VHS
and Betamax
formats with Dolby Stereo
sound, selling it for US$29.95. In August 1986 the video was released through MusicVision, a division of RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video, and was sold for a discounted price of US$19.95. A LaserDisc
version was released by RCA/Columbia and Image Entertainment
in 1988, and the VHS was re-released by Virgin Video
and PolyGram
in 1987 and 1991, respectively.
During the performance of "Cry / The Electric Co.
", Bono sang excerpts of Stephen Sondheim
's "Send in the Clowns
". The band failed to get permission and pay the appropriate licensing and royalty fees to use the song. Initial pressings of U2 Live at Red Rocks, as well as the accompanying live album (which contains a different performance of the song from August 1983) featured the song with the snippet. U2 were forced to pay US$50,000 in an out-of-court settlement. The initial release of the video was 55 minutes long, and featured 12 songs from the film, plus "Cry / The Electric Co.", which was omitted from the track listing for legal reasons related to the snippet of "Send in the Clowns".
Recordings of "Twilight" and "An Cat Dubh" from the concert were featured on U2's "Sweetest Thing" single in 1998. In 2004, the concert's recording of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" appeared on the compilation album
Carved in Stone Vol. 2: Live at Red Rocks, a charity record
for the "Preserve the Rocks Fund" to renovate and preserve Red Rocks Park
.
s were in circulation, featuring the entirety of the band's performance. In 2005, after Wurpel re-opened his production business, he realised that neither he nor TTS had the master tapes in their inventory. Wurpel feared that the tapes had been lost. He discovered the Denver City Council possessed the tapes among an inventory of 164 recordings. A former employee of Wurpel's, Mary Beth Anderson, had been storing the tapes and intended to dispose of them unless the city was interested. The city had paid her US$3,000 for the storage costs and took possession of the tapes. Legal proceedings subsequently ensued to return the tapes to Wurpel and U2.
Barry Fey later signed paperwork at U2's request for a future DVD
release. U2 Live at Red Rocks was re-released on 30 September 2008 on DVD by Interscope Records
, Island Records
, and Universal Music Enterprises
. The "2008 Edition" of the film on DVD was completely remaster
ed, with the audio remastering
directed by The Edge. The DVD features several tracks that were previously unreleased, extending the film's length from 55 minutes to 82 minutes. "Cry / The Electric Co." was included in this new release and on the video's track listing, although the performance was edited to remove the "Send in the Clowns" snippet, which was present on the previous videocassette and LaserDisc releases. The edit of the song created a continuity error in the video, as the previous versions showed Bono climbing up onto the lighting rig and singing. The new edition removes that sequence; Bono disappears from the stage and is seen on top of the lighting rig in the following shot.
The remastered version also features an edited version of "Two Hearts Beat as One
" to remove a snippet of "Let's Twist Again
". The only song performed at the concert that is missing from the remastered film is "I Fall Down" (played between "Cry / The Electric Co." and "October
"), as a camera malfunction prevented its inclusion. The DVD features a PCM stereo
soundtrack, 5.1 surround sound
mixes in Dolby Digital
and DTS sound, and an audio commentary
by director Gavin Taylor. The re-release of the film coincided with the release of a remastered version of its companion live album, Under a Blood Red Sky. These re-releases were available separately, as well as bundled together in a CD/DVD deluxe version. The liner notes
for the film re-release were written by music critic Anthony DeCurtis
. Remastered versions of U2's first three albums—Boy, October, and War—were released earlier that year, and a box set was exclusively sold at Amazon.com
with the three albums, plus an open slot for the deluxe version of Under a Blood Red Sky.
s Video Music Conference, and the performance of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" was nominated for the Best Concert Performance award. When Billboard magazine debuted the Top Music Videocassette chart in their 30 March 1985 issue, U2 Live at Red Rocks was ranked at number seven, and it was listed in the top ten for the remainder of 1985, as well as in 1987. In April 1985, almost a year after the initial release, the video appeared on Billboards Top Videocassette Sales list at number 29. Billboard cited the video's late increase in sales to U2's The Unforgettable Fire Tour, which was completely sold out, referring to it as "a textbook example of a group's current status having a direct influence on video sales".
The concert and the film both received positive reviews from critics. In an overnight review of the show, G. Brown of The Denver Post
wrote, "A lot of things had to go so wrong for U2's show at Red Rocks Amphitheater ... to come off so right." Jon Pareles
of The New York Times
praised the film, saying, "The setting lent even more urgency to U2's hypercharged songs about apocalypse, pacifism and existential terror". Pareles noted that "Although there are a few too many exaggerated camera angles, the tape captures U2's earnest intensity." A review in the Philadelphia Daily News
described the camerawork as "artful" and praised the concert's visuals, as well as the visuals of the natural surroundings. Perry Seibert of Allmovie gave the film four-and-a-half stars, praising the band's performance and the venue's role in the concert, saying, "the historic Red Rocks venue provides a stirring backdrop for the band's sweeping sound".
Following the release of the DVD in 2008, Record Collector
stated that "25 years on, [U2 Live at Red Rocks has] lost none of its power". Andrew Gilstrap of PopMatters
gave the remastered version of the film a rating of 8 out of 10, stating, "It's rare that a band can totally transform a scene—especially one with a stage show that boasts charisma as its only special effect—but it's not hyperbole to say that U2 put on a dominating, flawless-despite-mistakes performance. This is the one that put U2 on the map." In their review of the remastered version of Under a Blood Red Sky, online magazine Pitchfork Media
said, "when the group performed at Red Rocks on a rainy June night, with lit torches above a panoramic skyline, the venue provided an ideal backdrop for U2's literally flag-waving music, with everything—earth, wind, fire—in place to maximise and heighten the drama of the moment and the songs." James Wigney of The Sunday Telegraph
and the Sunday Herald Sun
gave the DVD a score of 5 out of 5, praising the film's concert, but stated that "footage is still on the fuzzy side". The Advertiser felt the DVD's audio commentary was very informative, but criticised the picture quality, stating "even the remastered version looks like it was shot on a mobile phone".
wrote, "this concert set goals for U2 that might have daunted any other young band. But in the shadow of their wild ambitions at Red Rocks, these four boys met, once again, the men of their future, and became who they would become." The band's performance of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" from the film has been cited by Rolling Stone
as one of the "50 Moments that Changed the History of Rock and Roll". The magazine said, "[t]he sight of Bono singing the anti-violence anthem 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' while waving a white flag through crimson mist (created by a combination of wet weather, hot lights and the illumination of those crags) became the defining image of U2's warrior-rock spirit and—shown in heavy rotation on MTV—broke the band nationwide." Director Gavin Taylor said that the video "kick-started their career" and "fired them like a rocket into the sky". In 2009 Relix
named U2's performance at Red Rocks the 24th-best concert of all time. The Denver Post said the concert affirmed Red Rocks Amphitheatre's status as a premier outdoor venue. Rocky Mountain News
said that the concert was "Easily one of the most famous, acclaimed concerts of the 1980s (if not all time)", and said that people who have visited the Amphitheatre ever since have been disappointed to learn that the pyre
s are not part of the venue and were only used for the U2 concert. Music biographer Dave Thompson
said the concert "transformed U2 ... into a very successful rock band", and that without U2, "Red Rocks would be just another smartly lit amphitheater".
Prior to the recording sessions for the band's 1984 album The Unforgettable Fire
, U2 wanted to work with Brian Eno
on the album; however, Eno assumed that they were an "uninteresting rock band", and he was not interested in working with the group. He changed his mind after watching the film, and ended up producing The Unforgettable Fire, as well as several other U2 records, alongside his sound engineer Daniel Lanois
. These subsequent records include The Joshua Tree
, Achtung Baby
, and All That You Can't Leave Behind
, which are among the band's most successful.
In June 2007 a U2 tribute band named Under a Blood Red Sky performed a note-for-note recreation of U2's performance at Red Rocks. That same week, the City of Denver unsuccessfully attempted to convince U2 to return to Red Rocks. During the PopMart Tour
in 1997, Bono stated that he would consider returning to Red Rocks with U2, due to low ticket sales for their Denver concert at Mile High Stadium
. In a 2008 interview, Barry Fey said that he had questioned U2 about performing at Red Rocks again, to which they replied, "Absolutely not". On both occasions, Fey responded that U2 could never top their original performance and that returning to Red Rocks would be "foolish" and "a no-win situation" for the group.
Film crew
Concert film
A concert movie, or concert film, is a type of documentary film, the subject of which is an extended live performance or concert by a musician ....
by Irish rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
. It was recorded on 5 June 1983 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Red Rocks Amphitheatre is a rock structure near Morrison, Colorado, where concerts are given in the open-air amphitheatre. There is a large, tilted, disc-shaped rock behind the stage, a huge vertical rock angled outwards from stage right, several large outcrops angled outwards from stage left and a...
in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, United States on the group's War Tour
War Tour
The War Tour was a concert tour by the Irish rock band U2, which took place in 1982 and 1983 in support of the group's third album War. It was their first tour as full-time headlining acts....
. Originally released in 1984 on videocassette, U2 Live at Red Rocks was the band's first video release. It accompanied a 1983 live album entitled Under a Blood Red Sky
Under a Blood Red Sky
During the performance of "The Electric Co.", Bono included a 27 second snippet of Stephen Sondheim's "Send in the Clowns". When Under a Blood Red Sky was released, U2 failed to get permission and pay the appropriate licensing and royalty fees to include that piece of Sondheim's tune on the album...
, on which two tracks from the film appear. The video was directed by Gavin Taylor and produced by Rick Wurpel and Doug Stewart.
The film was arranged by U2 management to showcase the band's live act and promote them to American audiences. It depicts the band's performance at Red Rocks on a rain-soaked evening. The weather threatened to cancel the concert, but the band had invested in the filming with Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
and concert promoter Barry Fey
Barry Fey
Barry Fey is an American rock concert promoter based out of Colorado who is best known for bringing prominent music acts to the United States for the first time.- Career :...
and wished to proceed with the gig. The rain and the torch-lit natural beauty of the surroundings combined to dramatise U2's performance. Segments of U2 Live at Red Rocks were shown in regular rotation on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, in addition to broadcasts on other television networks.
Critics praised the concert and the video, and it subsequently became a best-seller. The video, along with Under a Blood Red Sky, helped establish U2's reputation as remarkable live performers, and it boosted Red Rocks' stature as a live venue in the US. A remaster
Remaster
Remaster is a word marketed mostly in the digital audio age, although the remastering process has existed since recording began...
ed edition of U2 Live at Red Rocks was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in September 2008, featuring previously unreleased tracks. This coincided with a remastered edition of Under a Blood Red Sky. Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
selected the film's performance of "Sunday Bloody Sunday
Sunday Bloody Sunday
"Sunday Bloody Sunday" is a song by U2.It may also refer to:*Sunday Bloody Sunday , a 1971 film*"Sunday, Bloody Sunday"...
" as one of the "50 Moments that Changed the History of Rock and Roll".
Planning and pre-production
In 1981, U2U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
were on their Boy Tour
Boy Tour
The Boy Tour was a concert tour by Irish rock band U2 that took place in 1980 and 1981 to support the band's first studio album, Boy, which was released in October 1980.-Itinerary:...
promoting their debut album, Boy
Boy (album)
Boy is the debut album from Irish rock band U2, released October 20, 1980. Produced by Steve Lillywhite, the album received generally positive reviews. Common themes among the album's songs are the thoughts and frustrations of adolescence. The album included the band's first United Kingdom hit...
. Following their 11 May concert at Rainbow Music Hall in Denver, concert promoter Chuck Morris took the band to Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Red Rocks Amphitheatre is a rock structure near Morrison, Colorado, where concerts are given in the open-air amphitheatre. There is a large, tilted, disc-shaped rock behind the stage, a huge vertical rock angled outwards from stage right, several large outcrops angled outwards from stage left and a...
, a natural amphitheatre
Amphitheatre
An amphitheatre is an open-air venue used for entertainment and performances.There are two similar, but distinct, types of structure for which the word "amphitheatre" is used: Ancient Roman amphitheatres were large central performance spaces surrounded by ascending seating, and were commonly used...
located between sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
cliffs in the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
. Bassist Adam Clayton
Adam Clayton
Adam Charles Clayton is a musician, best known as the bassist of the Irish rock band U2. Clayton has resided in County Dublin since the time his family moved to Malahide when he was five years old in 1965...
recalled, "From the moment we saw it, we were thinking, 'Some day we will play here'. It was very photogenic." U2 manager Paul McGuinness
Paul McGuinness
Paul McGuinness is the main shareholder and founder of Principle Management Limited: an artist management company based in Dublin, Ireland, which has managed U2 from the start of their successful career...
had long wanted to film the group for a concert video to highlight their success as a live act, and to promote them to American audiences still unfamiliar with them. Concert promoter Barry Fey
Barry Fey
Barry Fey is an American rock concert promoter based out of Colorado who is best known for bringing prominent music acts to the United States for the first time.- Career :...
, who presented U2's shows in the Southwestern United States, successfully lobbied for Red Rocks as the filming location.
The Tube (TV series)
The Tube was an innovative United Kingdom pop/rock music television programme, which ran for five seasons, from 5 November 1982 until 1987...
, about shooting a video of U2 at Red Rocks, and possibly featuring it on an episode of The Tube. Gerrie initially assumed McGuinness was interested in creating a video of a single song; however, McGuinness was hoping to create an hour-long special. Because The Tube was not a "one-band show", Gerrie said he would have to sell the idea to Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, but McGuinness insisted on giving Gerrie the rights to the video and letting Channel 4 broadcast the video for free.
By mid-1983, as U2 toured the United States on their War Tour
War Tour
The War Tour was a concert tour by the Irish rock band U2, which took place in 1982 and 1983 in support of the group's third album War. It was their first tour as full-time headlining acts....
, the group had filled venues of similar capacity to Red Rocks. A concert, sponsored by Coca-Cola
The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation and manufacturer, retailer and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups. The company is best known for its flagship product Coca-Cola, invented in 1886 by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton in Columbus, Georgia...
, KWGN-TV
KWGN-TV
KWGN-TV, virtual channel 2 , is a television station in Denver, Colorado, owned by the Tribune Company and affiliated with the CW Television Network...
, and radio station KAZY, was scheduled at Red Rocks for 5 June 1983; tickets were sold for US$9.50. Filming costs were estimated at $250,000, which included the illumination of the cliffs, a mobile sound recording unit, and a helicopter to film aerial footage. U2 invested $30,000 in the project, with additional investments made by Fey and Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
. A joint production company called "U2 at Red Rocks Associates" was subsequently established to fund the project, with the three parties splitting costs and sharing profits from television rights and video sales. The radio rights were sold to American radio network NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
for inclusion in their concert series The Source
The Source (network)
The Source was a radio network operated in the 1970s and 1980s by the NBC Radio Network, with newscasts and features focusing on 18- to 34-year-olds. The network was sold, along with the rest of NBC's radio operations, to Westwood One in August 1987...
.
Sound mixing
Audio mixing (recorded music)
In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
was managed by Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite is an English Grammy Award winning record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited for working on over 500 records and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including XTC, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Dave Matthews Band, U2, Peter Gabriel,...
, who produced U2's first three studio albums. Randy Ezratty's portable 24-track recording system, Effanel Music, was used because a conventional mobile recording studio could not be moved close enough to the stage. Fey's corporation, Feyline Productions, coordinated with their production company, TTS, to manage the videotaping. Director Gavin Taylor and producer Gerrie of The Tube were selected as director and production associate, respectively. At the time, Taylor had never travelled to the United States, nor had he filmed a major outdoor rock concert. Local producers Rick Wurpel and Doug Stewart were also on the staff. Taylor's and McGuinness' original plans were to feature the video on The Tube, but union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
s objected to their limited representation on the concert crew. A compromise was reached that allowed 15 minutes of the concert to be broadcast on The Tube.
Weather challenges and preparations
Poor weather on the day of the Red Rocks performance threatened to cancel the show. Torrential rain soaked the area, and flash floodFlash flood
A flash flood is a rapid flooding of geomorphic low-lying areas—washes, rivers, dry lakes and basins. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a storm, hurricane, or tropical storm or meltwater from ice or snow flowing over ice sheets or snowfields...
warnings were issued. The weather made it difficult for the crew members to transport the band's gear and video equipment through the mountains to the amphitheater. The conditions also posed many technical problems for the filming and concert crews, which hampered stage construction and endangered the safety of those setting up lighting and sound equipment. Crew members used squeegee
Squeegee
A squeegee, squilgee or sometimes squimjim, is an onomatopoeically named tool with a flat, smooth rubber blade, used to remove or control the flow of liquid on a flat surface...
s to keep rain away from the wires. The fans that attended had to hike through the Rocky Mountains in the rain. Approximately 15–20 fans were already camped out in the venue's front rows early in the morning, and lead vocalist Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
accommodated them by serving coffee and tea. The Alarm
The Alarm
The Alarm are an alternative rock band that emerged from North Wales in the late 1970s. They started as a mod band and stayed together for over ten years. As a rock band, they displayed marked influences from Welsh language and culture...
and Divinyls
Divinyls
Divinyls were an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980 and featuring vocalist Christina Amphlett and guitarist Mark McEntee. As the focal point, Amphlett performed on stage wearing a school uniform and fishnet stockings, often using an illuminated neon tube as a prop and displaying...
cancelled their opening sets
Opening act
An opening act or warm-up act is an entertainer or entertainment act that performs at a concert before the featured entertainer...
for safety reasons, and many fans thought the entire concert had been cancelled. The show was scheduled for 6 pm, and the band had until 1 pm to decide whether to move the concert elsewhere or risk the weather worsening, which could necessitate a cancellation.
U2, their crew, and McGuinness thought that too much money had been invested to abort, and sympathised with the fans that had travelled to the venue in the poor weather; they decided to proceed with the concert as planned. Bono informed the fans waiting outside the venue that the show would be general admission, and told everyone to get as close to the stage as possible, regardless of the seating assignment on their ticket. Fey wanted to cancel the show but was flying from California when the decision was made to continue. After arriving in Denver, Fey called the amphitheatre to ask to where the concert was being moved, unaware that the band had decided to proceed with the show. Guitarist The Edge
The Edge
David Howell Evans , more widely known by his stage name The Edge , is a musician best known as the guitarist, backing vocalist, and keyboardist of the Irish rock band U2. A member of the group since its inception, he has recorded 12 studio albums with the band and has released one solo record...
recalls that when Fey learned of the group's decision, he "could not believe it. I don't think he'd ever heard anything quite so crazy in his life, going on with an outdoor show in the worst kind of weather, rain and wind in the mountains. He thought we'd lost our minds completely." Bono went on the radio that day to confirm the Red Rocks concert was continuing, and to promote a second concert that the band planned for the following night at the CU Events Center to make up for fans who were unable to attend the Red Rocks show. Clayton recalls the band doing radio interviews, saying, "We know it's raining now but we're sure it won't be when the show starts, so please come." Two hours before the concert, the downpour subsided and settled into a misty drizzle
Drizzle
Drizzle is a light rain precipitation consisting of liquid water drops smaller than those of rain, and generally smaller than 0.5 mm in diameter. Drizzle is normally produced by low stratiform clouds and stratocumulus clouds. Precipitation rates due to drizzle are on the order of a millimetre...
. Although the 9,000-person venue had sold out, only about 4,400 fans attended due to the inclement weather.
Filming
Hand-held camera
Hand-held camera or hand-held shooting is a filmmaking and video production technique in which a camera is held in the camera operator's hands as opposed to being mounted on a tripod or other base. Hand-held cameras are used because they are conveniently sized for travel and because they allow...
s. Tube
Video camera tube
In older video cameras, before the mid to late 1980s, a video camera tube or pickup tube was used instead of a charge-coupled device for converting an optical image into an electrical signal. Several types were in use from the 1930s to the 1980s...
cameras were used. When they are pointed at lights, their tubes are burned, which creates trails of dark lines in the footage. As a result, much of the concert footage contains red streaks from the cameras being aimed at the venue's lights. A notice was later included on the box of the home video release, informing viewers that the coloured lines in the video "are a result of special lighting effects, and are not caused by a tape defect or your equipment". Taylor had a walkway specially built off the venue's stage to "break down the gap between [Bono] and the audience". This stage allowed Bono to perform closer to the audience, surrounded by fans on three sides.
Before U2 took the stage, Fey introduced the concert by making a reference to Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
's live album Hard Rain (1976). The concert itself featured 20 songs, with a set list
Set list
A set list, or setlist, is a document that lists the songs that a band or musical artist intends to play, or has played, during a specific concert performance...
identical to that of several previous shows on the tour. "Out of Control" opened the 16-song main set, which ended with "Gloria
Gloria (U2 song)
"Gloria" is a song by U2. It is the opening track and second single from the band's 1981 album, October.It features a chorus in Latin, from the liturgical "Gloria in Excelsis Deo." It was one of their lowest-charting singles, peaking at #55 on the UK singles chart.-Composition:"Gloria" highlights...
", and was followed by a four-song encore
Encore (concert)
An encore is an additional performance added to the end of a concert, from the French "encore", which means "again", "some more"; multiple encores are not uncommon. Encores originated spontaneously, when audiences would continue to applaud and demand additional performance from the artist after the...
that ended the show with "40". Songs from the tour's supporting album War (1983) were played, as was material from U2's first two albums, Boy
Boy (album)
Boy is the debut album from Irish rock band U2, released October 20, 1980. Produced by Steve Lillywhite, the album received generally positive reviews. Common themes among the album's songs are the thoughts and frustrations of adolescence. The album included the band's first United Kingdom hit...
(1980) and October
October (album)
October is the second album by Irish rock band U2, released in 1981. The album featured spiritual themes, inspired by Bono, The Edge, and Larry Mullen, Jr.'s memberships in a Christian group called the "Shalom Fellowship", which led them to question the relationship between the Christian faith and...
(1981). "Party Girl", a B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
from the single "A Celebration
A Celebration
-Chart positions:-External links:* lyrics at U2.com* lyrics at U2.com...
" (1982), and the non-album single "11 O'Clock Tick Tock" (1980) were played during the encore.
Much of the focus on the concert's attendance was disguised by the thick mist that filled the air that evening, as well as strategic shots of the crowd. Bono said, "it was freezing cold. There was steam coming out of our mouths. Edge was finding it hard to play guitar because his hands were frozen stiff." Drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. believes the weather contributed a dramatic atmosphere to the concert. During "The Electric Co.", Bono left the stage and climbed up a lighting rig to display a white flag
White flag
White flags have had different meanings throughout history and depending on the locale.-Flag of temporary truce in order to parley :...
. In a 2004 interview, The Edge claimed that Bono "scared the shit out of [him]" by climbing onto the rig; he was worried that Bono would be electrocuted by the live wires
Live wire (electricity)
The live wire in an AC electrical circuit refers to the wire which carries an oscillating voltage with respect to the earth...
in close proximity. Bono said "good night" to the crowd on nearly a half dozen occasions so that the post-production
Post-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
crew would have several choices of songs with which to end the film. Backstage, the band members were disappointed that the crowd did not initially chant "How long to sing this song?" after the band had left the stage following the final song, "40", as had become a tradition. However, tour manager
Tour Manager
A tour manager is the person who helps to organize the administration for a schedule of appearances of a musical group or artist at a sequence of venues .-Background:...
Dennis Sheehan hid underneath the crowd barrier and began singing into the microphone, without being asked. Eventually, the crowd began to sing; the film was edited to disguise the fact that the singing was organised.
Broadcasts and home video
Budweiser (Anheuser-Busch)
Budweiser is a 5.0% abv American-style lager introduced in 1876 by Adolphus Busch and one of the highest selling beers in the United States. It is made with up to 30% rice in addition to hops and barley malt. Budweiser is produced in various breweries located around the world...
and the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, and was distributed to radio stations on two LP record
LP record
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
s, which included the full 20-song concert. Twelve of the concert's songs were later broadcast on American television network Showtime, while nine songs were broadcast on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. The film's performance of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" became the song's music video, with Malcolm Gerrie, Rick Wurpel, and Paul McGuinness credited as producers. In June 1986 the video was one of 10 concert films aired on television stations throughout the U.S. as part of the Coors Concert Series, a series of music specials presented by the Coors Brewing Company
Coors Brewing Company
The Coors Brewing Company is a regional division of the world's fifth-largest brewing company, the Canadian Molson Coors Brewing Company and is the third-largest brewer in the United States...
and Radio Vision International. Broadcasts of the concert have also been featured on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
and various affiliates of the Public Broadcasting Service
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
.
U2 released their live mini-LP
Mini-LP
A Mini-LP or Mini-album is a short album, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered "full-length".-History:...
Under a Blood Red Sky in November 1983, featuring live songs from the War Tour. Although the title of the album would later be used as the subtitle of the concert video, only two tracks on the album ("Gloria" and "Party Girl") were taken from the Red Rocks concert. The other six live tracks were taken from performances in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, as U2 felt they were "more developed performances". The video release of the concert was planned as a follow-up to the album. The November 1983 issue of U2 Magazine mentioned the future release of the Red Rocks concert video, and stated that previews of the concert had been shown on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
. The following issue was delayed until February 1984, as the editor had hoped to include details about the video release; there was still no information available, so the editor simply stated that the video "is due out in about a month's time".
U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky was released in May 1984, and was U2's first video release. The image of Bono atop the lighting rig during "The Electric Co." was used as the cover of the video, as well as Under a Blood Red Sky. The film begins with a brief montage that includes an interview with U2, preparations being made by the concert crew, and reactions by anxious fans. The Clannad
Clannad
Clannad are an Irish musical group, from Gaoth Dobhair, County Donegal. Their music has been variously described as bordering on folk and folk rock, Irish, Celtic and New Age, often incorporating elements of an even broader spectrum of smooth jazz and Gregorian chant...
song "Theme from Harry's Game
Theme from Harry's Game
"Theme from Harry's Game" or just "Harry's Game" is a BAFTA-nominated hit song by Irish group Clannad, written by Pól Brennan. It was released in 1982 and served as the main track from their album Magical Ring...
", which was played after many of U2's shows at the time, is heard in the film's opening montage and during the end credits. The film's subtitle "Under a Blood Red Sky" was borrowed from the title of the companion live album and itself originates from a lyric in "New Year's Day
New Year's Day (song)
"New Year's Day" is a song by rock band U2. It is on their 1983 album War and it was released as the album's lead single in January 1983. Written about the Polish Solidarity movement, "New Year's Day" is driven by Adam Clayton's distinctive bassline and The Edge's keyboard playing...
"; however, this lyric is not sung in the film, as it was changed by Bono to "Under a thundercloud and rain", in reference to the weather conditions.
Universal City Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
owned the rights to the film. MCA Home Video released the movie on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and Betamax
Betamax
Betamax was a consumer-level analog videocassette magnetic tape recording format developed by Sony, released on May 10, 1975. The cassettes contain -wide videotape in a design similar to the earlier, professional wide, U-matic format...
formats with Dolby Stereo
Dolby Stereo
Dolby Stereo, is the trade mark that Dolby Laboratories used for the various analogue stereo cinema sound formats that they produced.Two basic systems used this name. The first was the 'Dolby SVA' system used with optical soundtracks on 35mm film...
sound, selling it for US$29.95. In August 1986 the video was released through MusicVision, a division of RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video, and was sold for a discounted price of US$19.95. A LaserDisc
Laserdisc
LaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
version was released by RCA/Columbia and Image Entertainment
Image Entertainment
Image Entertainment, Inc. is an independent licensee, producer and distributor of home entertainment programming and film & television productions in North America, with approximately 3,000 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 250 exclusive CD titles in domestic release, and approximately 450...
in 1988, and the VHS was re-released by Virgin Video
Virgin Group
Virgin Group Limited is a British branded venture capital conglomerate organisation founded by business tycoon Richard Branson. The core business areas are travel, entertainment and lifestyle. Virgin Group's date of incorporation is listed as 1989 by Companies House, who class it as a holding...
and PolyGram
PolyGram
PolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
in 1987 and 1991, respectively.
During the performance of "Cry / The Electric Co.
The Electric Co.
"The Electric Co." or "Cry/The Electric Co." is the tenth song by Irish rock band U2 from their debut album Boy, released in 1980.- History :...
", Bono sang excerpts of Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
's "Send in the Clowns
Send in the Clowns
"Send in the Clowns" is a song by Stephen Sondheim from the 1973 musical A Little Night Music, an adaptation of Ingmar Bergman's film Smiles of a Summer Night. It is a ballad from Act II in which the character Desirée reflects on the ironies and disappointments of her life. Among other things, she...
". The band failed to get permission and pay the appropriate licensing and royalty fees to use the song. Initial pressings of U2 Live at Red Rocks, as well as the accompanying live album (which contains a different performance of the song from August 1983) featured the song with the snippet. U2 were forced to pay US$50,000 in an out-of-court settlement. The initial release of the video was 55 minutes long, and featured 12 songs from the film, plus "Cry / The Electric Co.", which was omitted from the track listing for legal reasons related to the snippet of "Send in the Clowns".
Recordings of "Twilight" and "An Cat Dubh" from the concert were featured on U2's "Sweetest Thing" single in 1998. In 2004, the concert's recording of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" appeared on the compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
Carved in Stone Vol. 2: Live at Red Rocks, a charity record
Charity record
A charity record is a release of a song for a specific charitable cause. Some of the earliest charity records came from the Music for UNICEF Concert, with ABBA's Chiquitita and the Bee Gees' Too Much Heaven among them released as singles, with all the royalties going to UNICEF...
for the "Preserve the Rocks Fund" to renovate and preserve Red Rocks Park
Red Rocks Park
Red Rocks Park is a mountain park in Jefferson County, Colorado, owned and maintained by the city of Denver as part of the Denver Mountain Parks system. The park is known for its very large red sandstone outcrops. Many of these rock formations within the park have names, from the mushroom-shaped...
.
DVD re-release
Following the release of the concert, video and audio bootleg recordingBootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
s were in circulation, featuring the entirety of the band's performance. In 2005, after Wurpel re-opened his production business, he realised that neither he nor TTS had the master tapes in their inventory. Wurpel feared that the tapes had been lost. He discovered the Denver City Council possessed the tapes among an inventory of 164 recordings. A former employee of Wurpel's, Mary Beth Anderson, had been storing the tapes and intended to dispose of them unless the city was interested. The city had paid her US$3,000 for the storage costs and took possession of the tapes. Legal proceedings subsequently ensued to return the tapes to Wurpel and U2.
Barry Fey later signed paperwork at U2's request for a future DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
release. U2 Live at Red Rocks was re-released on 30 September 2008 on DVD by Interscope Records
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
, Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
, and Universal Music Enterprises
Universal Music Enterprises
Universal Music Enterprises, a.k.a. UMe is the catalogue division of Universal Music Group. It includes Hip-O Records, Universal Chronicles and UM3 ....
. The "2008 Edition" of the film on DVD was completely remaster
Remaster
Remaster is a word marketed mostly in the digital audio age, although the remastering process has existed since recording began...
ed, with the audio remastering
Audio mastering
Mastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
directed by The Edge. The DVD features several tracks that were previously unreleased, extending the film's length from 55 minutes to 82 minutes. "Cry / The Electric Co." was included in this new release and on the video's track listing, although the performance was edited to remove the "Send in the Clowns" snippet, which was present on the previous videocassette and LaserDisc releases. The edit of the song created a continuity error in the video, as the previous versions showed Bono climbing up onto the lighting rig and singing. The new edition removes that sequence; Bono disappears from the stage and is seen on top of the lighting rig in the following shot.
The remastered version also features an edited version of "Two Hearts Beat as One
Two Hearts Beat As One
"Two Hearts Beat as One" is a song by rock band U2. It is the seventh track on their 1983 album, War, and was released as the album's second single in the US, UK and Australia.-History:...
" to remove a snippet of "Let's Twist Again
Let's Twist Again
"Let's Twist Again" is a song written by Kal Mann and Dave Appell, and released as a single by Chubby Checker. One of the biggest hit singles of 1961, it reached number two in the UK and number eight on the U.S. Billboard pop chart. It refers to the Twist dance craze and his 1960 and 1961...
". The only song performed at the concert that is missing from the remastered film is "I Fall Down" (played between "Cry / The Electric Co." and "October
October (song)
"October" is the seventh and title track from U2's 1981 album, October. It is a departure from U2's classic sound, as it is a quiet, almost instrumental piece. It was included as a hidden track on The Best of 1980-1990 compilation...
"), as a camera malfunction prevented its inclusion. The DVD features a PCM stereo
Pulse-code modulation
Pulse-code modulation is a method used to digitally represent sampled analog signals. It is the standard form for digital audio in computers and various Blu-ray, Compact Disc and DVD formats, as well as other uses such as digital telephone systems...
soundtrack, 5.1 surround sound
5.1 surround sound
5.1 is the common name for six channel surround sound multichannel audio systems. 5.1 is now the most commonly used layout in both commercial cinemas and home theaters. It uses five full bandwidth channels and one low frequency enhancement channel . Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS, and...
mixes in Dolby Digital
Dolby Digital
Dolby Digital is the name for audio compression technologies developed by Dolby Laboratories. It was originally called Dolby Stereo Digital until 1994. Except for Dolby TrueHD, the audio compression is lossy. The first use of Dolby Digital was to provide digital sound in cinemas from 35mm film prints...
and DTS sound, and an audio commentary
Audio commentary
On disc-based video formats, an audio commentary is an additional audio track consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with video...
by director Gavin Taylor. The re-release of the film coincided with the release of a remastered version of its companion live album, Under a Blood Red Sky. These re-releases were available separately, as well as bundled together in a CD/DVD deluxe version. The liner notes
Liner notes
Liner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
for the film re-release were written by music critic Anthony DeCurtis
Anthony DeCurtis
Anthony DeCurtis is an American author and music critic, who has written for Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Relix and other publications.-Career:...
. Remastered versions of U2's first three albums—Boy, October, and War—were released earlier that year, and a box set was exclusively sold at Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
with the three albums, plus an open slot for the deluxe version of Under a Blood Red Sky.
Reception
In November 1984, the video was nominated for the Best Long Form award at BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s Video Music Conference, and the performance of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" was nominated for the Best Concert Performance award. When Billboard magazine debuted the Top Music Videocassette chart in their 30 March 1985 issue, U2 Live at Red Rocks was ranked at number seven, and it was listed in the top ten for the remainder of 1985, as well as in 1987. In April 1985, almost a year after the initial release, the video appeared on Billboards Top Videocassette Sales list at number 29. Billboard cited the video's late increase in sales to U2's The Unforgettable Fire Tour, which was completely sold out, referring to it as "a textbook example of a group's current status having a direct influence on video sales".
The concert and the film both received positive reviews from critics. In an overnight review of the show, G. Brown of The Denver Post
The Denver Post
-Ownership:The Post is the flagship newspaper of MediaNews Group Inc., founded in 1983 by William Dean Singleton and Richard Scudder. MediaNews is today one of the nation's largest newspaper chains, publisher of 61 daily newspapers and more than 120 non-daily publications in 13 states. MediaNews...
wrote, "A lot of things had to go so wrong for U2's show at Red Rocks Amphitheater ... to come off so right." Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of the New York Times. He played jazz flute and piano, and graduated from Yale University with a degree in music. In the 1970s he was an associate editor of Crawdaddy!, and in the 1980s an associate...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
praised the film, saying, "The setting lent even more urgency to U2's hypercharged songs about apocalypse, pacifism and existential terror". Pareles noted that "Although there are a few too many exaggerated camera angles, the tape captures U2's earnest intensity." A review in the Philadelphia Daily News
Philadelphia Daily News
The Philadelphia Daily News is a tabloid newspaper that serves Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The newspaper is owned by Philadelphia Media Holdings which also owns Philadelphia's other major newspaper The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Daily News began publishing on March 31, 1925, under...
described the camerawork as "artful" and praised the concert's visuals, as well as the visuals of the natural surroundings. Perry Seibert of Allmovie gave the film four-and-a-half stars, praising the band's performance and the venue's role in the concert, saying, "the historic Red Rocks venue provides a stirring backdrop for the band's sweeping sound".
Following the release of the DVD in 2008, Record Collector
Record Collector
Record Collector is the United Kingdom's longest-running monthly music magazine. It distributes both within the UK and worldwide. It started in 1979.-The early years:...
stated that "25 years on, [U2 Live at Red Rocks has] lost none of its power". Andrew Gilstrap of PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
gave the remastered version of the film a rating of 8 out of 10, stating, "It's rare that a band can totally transform a scene—especially one with a stage show that boasts charisma as its only special effect—but it's not hyperbole to say that U2 put on a dominating, flawless-despite-mistakes performance. This is the one that put U2 on the map." In their review of the remastered version of Under a Blood Red Sky, online magazine Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
said, "when the group performed at Red Rocks on a rainy June night, with lit torches above a panoramic skyline, the venue provided an ideal backdrop for U2's literally flag-waving music, with everything—earth, wind, fire—in place to maximise and heighten the drama of the moment and the songs." James Wigney of The Sunday Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph (Australia)
The Daily Telegraph is an Australian tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, by Nationwide News, part of News Corporation.The Tele, as it is also known, was founded in 1879. From 1936 to 1972, it was owned by Frank Packer's Australian Consolidated Press. That year it was sold to...
and the Sunday Herald Sun
Herald Sun
The Herald Sun is a morning tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia. It is published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Limited, itself a subsidiary of News Corporation. It is available for purchase throughout Melbourne, Regional Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital...
gave the DVD a score of 5 out of 5, praising the film's concert, but stated that "footage is still on the fuzzy side". The Advertiser felt the DVD's audio commentary was very informative, but criticised the picture quality, stating "even the remastered version looks like it was shot on a mobile phone".
Legacy
U2 Live at Red Rocks is often cited as a watershed moment in U2's history, one that established their reputation as an exceptional live act. In the liner notes to the remastered version of the film, music journalist Anthony DeCurtisAnthony DeCurtis
Anthony DeCurtis is an American author and music critic, who has written for Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Relix and other publications.-Career:...
wrote, "this concert set goals for U2 that might have daunted any other young band. But in the shadow of their wild ambitions at Red Rocks, these four boys met, once again, the men of their future, and became who they would become." The band's performance of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" from the film has been cited by Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
as one of the "50 Moments that Changed the History of Rock and Roll". The magazine said, "[t]he sight of Bono singing the anti-violence anthem 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' while waving a white flag through crimson mist (created by a combination of wet weather, hot lights and the illumination of those crags) became the defining image of U2's warrior-rock spirit and—shown in heavy rotation on MTV—broke the band nationwide." Director Gavin Taylor said that the video "kick-started their career" and "fired them like a rocket into the sky". In 2009 Relix
Relix
Relix magazine was launched in 1974 as newsletter devoted to connecting people who recorded Grateful Dead concerts. It rapidly expanded into a music magazine covering a wide amount of artists...
named U2's performance at Red Rocks the 24th-best concert of all time. The Denver Post said the concert affirmed Red Rocks Amphitheatre's status as a premier outdoor venue. Rocky Mountain News
Rocky Mountain News
The Rocky Mountain News was a daily newspaper published in Denver, Colorado, United States from April 23, 1859, until February 27, 2009. It was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company from 1926 until its closing. As of March 2006, the Monday-Friday circulation was 255,427...
said that the concert was "Easily one of the most famous, acclaimed concerts of the 1980s (if not all time)", and said that people who have visited the Amphitheatre ever since have been disappointed to learn that the pyre
Pyre
A pyre , also known as a funeral pyre, is a structure, usually made of wood, for burning a body as part of a funeral rite...
s are not part of the venue and were only used for the U2 concert. Music biographer Dave Thompson
Dave Thompson (author)
Dave Thompson is the British born author of over 100 books, largely dealing with rock and pop music, but also covering film, sports, philately, numismatics and erotica....
said the concert "transformed U2 ... into a very successful rock band", and that without U2, "Red Rocks would be just another smartly lit amphitheater".
Prior to the recording sessions for the band's 1984 album The Unforgettable Fire
The Unforgettable Fire
U2 feared that following the overt rock of their 1983 War album and War Tour, they were in danger of becoming another "shrill", "sloganeering arena-rock band". The success of the 1983 Under a Blood Red Sky live album and the Live at Red Rocks video, however, had given them artistic—and for the...
, U2 wanted to work with Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
on the album; however, Eno assumed that they were an "uninteresting rock band", and he was not interested in working with the group. He changed his mind after watching the film, and ended up producing The Unforgettable Fire, as well as several other U2 records, alongside his sound engineer Daniel Lanois
Daniel Lanois
Daniel Lanois born September 19, 1951 in Hull, Quebec) is a Canadian record producer, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He has released a number of albums of his own work and has produced albums for a wide variety of artists, including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Emmylou Harris, Willie...
. These subsequent records include The Joshua Tree
The Joshua Tree
The Joshua Tree is the fifth studio album by rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 9 March 1987 on Island Records. In contrast to the ambient experimentation of their 1984 release The Unforgettable Fire, U2 aimed for a harder-hitting sound on The Joshua...
, Achtung Baby
Achtung Baby
Achtung Baby is the seventh studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 19 November 1991 on Island Records. Stung by the criticism of their 1988 release Rattle and Hum, U2 shifted their musical direction to incorporate alternative...
, and All That You Can't Leave Behind
All That You Can't Leave Behind
All That You Can't Leave Behind is the tenth studio album by rock band U2. It was released on 30 October 2000 by Island Records in the United Kingdom and Interscope Records in the United States...
, which are among the band's most successful.
In June 2007 a U2 tribute band named Under a Blood Red Sky performed a note-for-note recreation of U2's performance at Red Rocks. That same week, the City of Denver unsuccessfully attempted to convince U2 to return to Red Rocks. During the PopMart Tour
Popmart Tour
The PopMart Tour was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Launched in support of the group's 1997 album, Pop, the tour's concerts were performed in stadiums and parks from 1997 through 1998...
in 1997, Bono stated that he would consider returning to Red Rocks with U2, due to low ticket sales for their Denver concert at Mile High Stadium
Mile High Stadium
Mile High Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, that stood in Denver, Colorado, from 1948 until 2001.It hosted the Denver Broncos, of the AFL and the NFL, from 1960-2000, the Colorado Rockies, of the National League, of the MLB, from 1993-1994, the Colorado Rapids, of MLS, from 1996-2001, the...
. In a 2008 interview, Barry Fey said that he had questioned U2 about performing at Red Rocks again, to which they replied, "Absolutely not". On both occasions, Fey responded that U2 could never top their original performance and that returning to Red Rocks would be "foolish" and "a no-win situation" for the group.
Personnel
U2- BonoBonoPaul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
on "A Day Without Me" - The EdgeThe EdgeDavid Howell Evans , more widely known by his stage name The Edge , is a musician best known as the guitarist, backing vocalist, and keyboardist of the Irish rock band U2. A member of the group since its inception, he has recorded 12 studio albums with the band and has released one solo record...
– guitar, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
, lap steel guitarLap steel guitarThe lap steel guitar is a type of steel guitar, an instrument derived from and similar to the guitar. The player changes pitch by pressing a metal or glass bar against the strings instead of by pressing strings against the fingerboard....
on "Surrender", bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
on "40", lead vocals on "Seconds" - Adam ClaytonAdam ClaytonAdam Charles Clayton is a musician, best known as the bassist of the Irish rock band U2. Clayton has resided in County Dublin since the time his family moved to Malahide when he was five years old in 1965...
– bass guitar, backing vocals, guitar on "40" - Larry Mullen, Jr. – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, backing vocals
Film crew
- Production associate – Malcolm Gerrie
- Director – Gavin Taylor
- ProducersFilm producerA film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
– Rick Wurpel, Doug Stewart - Executive producer – Paul McGuinnessPaul McGuinnessPaul McGuinness is the main shareholder and founder of Principle Management Limited: an artist management company based in Dublin, Ireland, which has managed U2 from the start of their successful career...
for U2 at Red Rocks Associates