 |
ELEVATION 2001: U2 LIVE FROM BOSTON
U2
(Island Def Jam / Universal)
Discs: 2.
The Main Course: A spellbinding, electrified performance from Bono and co., recorded in Beantown during the band's back-to-basics Elevation tour this year.
Side Dishes: A making-of documentary; a time-lapse photographic journal of a day on the road; unseen videos for Beautiful Day, Elevation and Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of, taped in various cities; trailers for Zoo TV and PopMart tours; Web links; DVD-ROM screensavers; a feature that allows you to view the gig through different camera angles; snazzy cardboard packaging and a nifty book with photos and an essay.
Easter Eggs: At least one at the end of the first disc (though we're still trying to crack it).
Final Verdict: Frankly, the extras are a case of quantity over quality. But the gig itself -- a career-spanning 19-song set performed on a low-level stage outfitted with a giant, heart-shaped walkway that takes the performers out into the middle of the crowd -- has to rank as one of U2's finer moments. Between their last album and this release, the boys have redeemed themselves for their '90s excesses.