Vertigo 2005: U2 Live from Chicago

What makes this concert better than say something from U2's RATTLE AND HUM era is summed up by the first song . Halfway through Vertigo Bono sings " There's a place I go and I am far away " which are the lyrics to Stories For Boys a song that was written away back in 1979 . We're also treated ( And it is a treat ) to The Electric Co a song from U2's first album Boy from 1980 It's a truly great mix of songs from the bands different eras , we hear Sunday Bloody Sunday from War , Running To Stand Still from The Joshua Tree , Mysterious Ways from Actung Baby and Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own from their latest album . This is showing respect for their audience , imagine you've followed every tour from the early 1990s . What would you prefer as a fan ? Seeing Bono and the boys perform most of their latest album or hear an eclectic mix of tunes from the last 25 years ? If this video is anything to go by the Vertigo tour might just be the best ever

Respect too on the way the stage is set up . All too often the stage at concerts are very static but here we see an oval stage in the centre of the crowd where Bono , Edge Adam and even Larry swap positions throughout the concert so everyone in the audience has a shot of being near the action . Again the fans are being shown respect by the band

If you're a die hard fan you'll want to watch this but perhaps more importantly if you're a casual music fan you'll also want to see this simply because it shows why U2 are the most successful band of the last 25 years . Highly recommended

I am a huge U2 fan. I have been quite literally all of my life. I have followed the band willingly through every stage of their reinventions. I own every single live video they have ever released aside from their Popmart video, from Under a Blood Red Sky and Rattle and Hum to both DVD's from the Elevation tour. I say this to make it clear that I am in no way bashing U2.

This is not their best live footage to date. Bono experienced some problems during these 2 shows. He occasionally sings out of tune or off rhythm, and has some vocals problems that prevent him from singing some lines in certain songs. If you would like to simply hear the new songs live, then by all means, purchase this. However, if you don't have much interest in the material from How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, then I would suggest older videos. (The Boston for a great theatrical performance, Slane Castle for a more music based performance, or my personal favourite, Zoo TV from Sydney, which has the best of both worlds, even though it's only available on VHS or DVD bootleg on ebay.) U2 is writing some of the best songs of their career, both lyrically an musically. Unfortunately, this DVD doesn't quite do it justice. I just hope that another DVD is released from later show on their other American tour legs.

Unbiased review from someone who is not a U2 fan.

U2 lead vocalist Bono, recently said "we're reapplying for the job of best band in the world". If so, this DVD should not be their resume. In fact, let's face it, when it comes to the title of most overrated band in rock history, U2 might have a legitimate claim to the title.

First, a bit of disclosure so you can see where I'm coming from and rank my review accordingly. I am NOT a U2 fan. I did buy 'WAR', and several other records by them when they came out. And, I do occasionally enjoy listening to their music, but I do not idolize them, and I call it like I see it.

I do admit entering this experience with a little trepidation. U2 played nudge-nudge wink wink with the punk and alternative crowd to try to ride those coattails; They played nudge-nudge wink wink with Beatles fandom all but declaring themselves the second coming of The Beatles with 'Rattle and Hum'; They played nudge- nudge wink wink with the burgeoning Christian record market, positioning themselves as the #1 Christian rock band; They played nudge-nudge wink wink with Irish nationalism; They played nudge-nudge wink wink with activism - despite occasional proclamations by Bono in the press, they've rarely if ever outright espoused any political ideology in their music.

But they never were any of those things. Or maybe a bland melange of all of them.

Now, don't get me wrong, borrowing from various sources and reinventing yourself to maintain popularity is a long standing tradition in rock. Take a band like Motley Crue who started out by swiping all of Ozzy's bats-and-gloom shtick and the N.Y. Dolls glam/drag shtick and grafting them together - later to chop off their long hair and dye it to try to fit in with the post-Metallica/Nirvana hard rock landscape.

But sometimes it seems like U2 just keeps throwing out trick after trick, from ZooTV to iPod promotion to keep their title long after they should have hung up their guitars.

But, never let it be said I won't give someone a chance to change my mind. I wanted to see U2 again, and after hearing such good things about the 'Vertigo' tour, I decided to see what the lads were up to. I had wanted to watch U2 3D, but alas, my home theater system isn't up to the challenge (whose is?) so I opted for this concert film from the same tour instead.

After watching it, I have to say it's a decent enough rock concert, but, if this is supposed to be U2 at the top of their game, I'm not impressed.

For one thing, many bands' best music isn't played on the radio - this is not the case with U2 - all the concert's highlights are songs you're already familiar with - even if you're not a U2 fan, songs like 'Mysterious Ways', 'New Years Day', and of course 'Vertigo'.

The audio mix is fantastic. The guitars, keyboards, vocals, and crowd noise is all very perfectly balanced to give a sound that is crisp and dynamic, while preserving all the energy of a live show, which results in a sound that blends the best of both studio and live recordings. And if you think it sounds good on your stereo - you should really listen to it with a good set of headphones. Amazing. The DVD might be the best *sounding* U2 recording out there.

And the whole thing is quite the spectacle thanks to a legion of electricians and lighting guys, probably at least a dozen cameramen, and THOUSANDS of light bulbs.

But, for all the non-stop flashing lights of being inside a 360-degree pinball machine... at the end of the day it's not so much a fine piece of silver as it is a lot of shiny polish on an ordinary piece of tin.

It's a shame, The Beatles, The Doors or even Queen came before it was possible to get this kind of audio and video quality, because any one of those bands could blow U2 away on their own stage. And, for all his faults, even a drug-addled and bloated Vegas-era Elvis never stopped and cleared his throat in mid-song saying, "I've got a frog in my throat".

When it comes right down to it. If spectacle is your thing, it's here - but, you'd be better off seeing KISS for a flashy stage show; at least they have no pretensions of artistry. If on the other hand, the artistry of the musicians is your thing - that's here too, but you'd probably be better off checking out David Bowie, Peter Gabriel or the Talking Heads for that.

Still, as concert films go, the technical expertise of the craftspeople that made this film shows through. As a concert film it is fantastic. We've come a long way since Martin Scorsese's 'The Last Walz'. U2: Vertigo 05: Live from Chicago sets the standard for concert films of the new millennium.

Too bad the band's talents aren't equally high.

If you're a U2 fan, you'll love it. If you're not, you still might be entertained.

In this update to the u2 live concert saga , the boys from Dublin descend into Chicago to basically play a "greatest hits" concert. They don't disappoint in any regard. The Show opens up with the electrifying "City of Blinding Lights" a rousing number which then shoots up into "Vertigo" which is a stronger version of the song than we're accustomed to. The band unveils some surprises from their catalog like " An Cat Dubh" and "Electric Co" which haven't been played since Reagan was in office. "New Years Day" , "One", "Where The Streets Have No Name" all sound new and different in their current incarnations , which proves the fact that u2 are innovators , Even the elusive "Zoo Station" makes an appearance on this disc which hasn't been played since Bono Donned the horns in the early 90's. The new songs like "Miracle Drug" , "Love and Peace" ,"Sometimes You Can't make it on your own" are shaping up to be arena classics. This Disc is worth every penny you pay(except if you buy it at Virgin Megastore for 35$ , ouch!!!!) and which it should be compared to that debacle that was Elevation ,live from Boston 2001. They only drawback was the omitting of "With or Without You , but hey , you cant be perfect......

This show nearly calms my despair of losing U2. I think that their album (HTDAAB) was much better than the previous one thus giving them a lot more songs to touch us! Next, the set design was cool because it summarized all their previous projects but in a more friendly way: running colors (as Popmart), circled staged (as Elevation), video screens (as Zoo TV).

Next, they put at least new songs in their track list: "electric co", cat dubh", "40".

At last, Bono can show all his traits without hiding them behind masks: he is playful and funny ("cat dubh"), moving (speaking about his father on "SYCMIOYO"), caring (when he invited a child on "into the heart") and politician (with the flags!).

But as their previous shows, when they turn to their hits or have weak new songs ("love and piece or else"), they are deadly boring! As in "discotheque", they can reach but still they can't grab the perfect show!