U2 3D
3-D concert film gives fans a unique view
They may not be as cool as Bono's fly shades, but the plastic yellow glasses required for viewing "U23D" supply an amazing fly-on-the-amp view of the Irish rockers in their natural habitat.
Now jumping off screens at
If you're the kind of U2 fan who has longed to count the beads of sweat on Bono's noble brow or inspect the nap of Edge's knit cap, then you'll be happy to know technology puts you as close to the band members as a guitar tech. Although no one applauded after the songs at my screening, an undercurrent of liveliness distinguishes the atmosphere from a normal film but never quite reached the true communal spirit of a live show.
Curiously, this intimate proximity sometimes feels peculiar, almost like a violation of the band's space. And there is the occasional, textbook 3-D posturing - watch out for The Edge's guitar neck and Bono personally wiping your tears away during "Sunday Bloody Sunday" - that elicits chuckles.
Yet, even more impressive than the 3-D aspect is the unbelievably pristine sound quality. Every scratch of The Edge's pick during the bridge of "Sunday" is exactingly articulated. Each drumstick strike in the crisp fills of "Pride (in the Name of Love)" rumbles around your head and chest with stunning clarity. Familiar songs like "Where the Streets Have No Name" and "New Year's Day" gleam with renewed, stand-up-and-cheer power. It helps that the band is operating at peak efficiency, silently smiling and communicating with one another, and projecting boldly off the big stage and satellite ramps.
If you missed the band's show when it was here, then this will be money well spent, especially for those who have lost their taste for these unavoidable aspects of a live experience: standing, dealing with drunks,negotiating arena traffic, and playing sound-mix roulette.
It's no knock on the visuals to say many people will leave "U23D" rhapsodizing about the surround sound more excitedly than the ability to see Mullen's biceps. It's just a reminder that no matter how state-of-the-art U2 may get in concert or on film, it's the songs that truly create the thrilling sense of vertigo.
(Correction: Because of an editing error, the photo accompanying a review of the concert film "U23D" in yesterday's Living/Arts section was incorrectly captioned. The photo featured the stage's lighted backdrop depicting Martin Luther King Jr.)
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