U2 - 2005 Vertigo - Live From Chicago [DVD]

U2 - 2005 Vertigo - Live From Chicago [DVD]

Filmed at the United Center Chicago on 9th and 10th May 2005, the Vertigo 2005 DVD brings the Vertigo tour experience to the small screen. The Deluxe DVD spans two discs: the full live show, directed by Hamish Hamilton - director of both U2's previous million selling live DVDs - plus an additional disc of bonus material including Beyond The Tour, an intimate behind the scenes documentary and startling 'surveillance cuts' of the Chicago show. Filmed using four remotely controlled black and white infra-red surveillance cameras, the footage offers a totally different perspective on the show.

Nice, but now I really want the San Siro DVD...
Having been blown away by the live show in Amsterdam (3) my expectations for this DVD were very high, and I now, after just watching it (unlike many other 'reviewers'), I must admit I'm a little bit dissapointed...

A large part of that dissapointment is ofcourse my high expectations, but somehow it just isn't as gripping as most of the other DVD/Videos (especially Slane Castle) and definately not as mind-blowing as the 'real deal'. Especially the first half of the DVD didn't glue me to the couch like the others did.

I've thought very hard about it, but I think this mainly caused by the fact that:

1. I've seen the real thing, the stadium show with 50.000 people going absolutely crazy, an experience which is one of my personal high points in life, so, okay, kinda hard to beat :)
2. Lots of critical moments in the (fantastic!) light/videoshow and reactions of the crowd (where is the crowd in this DVD anyway?) are missed due to the use (IMHO) too much close-ups of the band.
3. Something's up with the mix of the sound. It's kind of vague and especially Larry's drumkit seems rather unbalanced, for example the bassdrum doesn't seem to pack any real punch.
4. It's an 'early' show in the first leg of the tour, so there still some rough edges on all aspects of the production.

That said, it's still U2, lots of new/rarely video-ed songs, the band's great as usual (altough Bono's voice seems to come and go, and Edge makes a few little mistakes, but hey, that's usual aswell :)) and the video quality is also excellent, so still great stuff for the fans, but if I wanted to show an 'outsider' what U2 is all about I'd pick Slane Castle anytime.

But I must admit I like the really big stadium shows (think: Popmart) better, so this DVD probably suits the fans of the more intimate shows better.

Finally, the extra disk on the 'deluxe edition' isn't really worth the extra money IMHO, the 'documentary' is mainly a lot of soundbites from fans (contains a great hilarious of Vertigo sung by fans though!) and crew. Not a lot from the band, and definately not enough from the production of the show. Willy's security cam shots are nice, but nothing more than that. Cannot comment on the DVD rom features though as I haven't seen 'm yet. Would get the regular version if you're on a budget or not a die-hard fan.

Now the wait for San Siro starts, hopefully Hamish Hamilton paid some attention to the show and the audience this time, willy and those crazy italians deserve it!

Anyway, (you will) have fun!

My 5 cents.

U2 - 2005 Vertigo - Live From Chicago [DVD] From Universal Island Price: £8.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk 32 new or used available from £4.39 Average customer review:

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