In this part you can find and post reviews of this show. We encourage everyone that either attended or listened to this show to write a review. Currently we have 13 reviews for you to read.
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hkle77
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Performance:
Incedrible U2 gig. In a small venue, The band was in topform. really awesome!!!!!!!!!
Audience:
Interaction between audience and band was perfect that night.
Public was very loud that night.
Sound:
This part is only rated, not commented on.
Overall:
Where the streets have no name. Running to stand still, With or Without You. Great guitarsolo the Edge
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aussiemofo
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Performance:
There are so many legendary Joshua Tree shows many of us know and love - Rosemont (Rock's Hottest Ticket), Paris, Wembley, L.A., Denver, Sun Devil. They're all vintage U2. You can add Brussels to the list also.
Right from the very first note, this show kicked a lot of arse. Played straight after the famous Paris gig, Brussels provided superior renditions of almost every song that was featured. The Streets opener is the best I've ever heard. The crowd just go nuts as soon as the gents take the stage and those first organ sounds surface and then Bono proceeds to just go off, particularly towards the end of Streets.
Edge didn't put a foot (or note) wrong and Larry delivered one of his finest, really give it some extra oomph throughout, particularly during I Will Follow, Electric Co. and Bad.
Brussels is a keeper! There was simply no let up from the boys. I don't what Bono was on but he gave every ounce of energy and passion he had behind every single song. And from a simply stunning Streets the show continued to deliver in spades.
I Will Follow rocks, I Still Haven't Found... Running, Sunday, God's Country. . . they're all amazing.
I've always preferred the JT versions of The Unforgettable Fire and this one is probably the best I've heard surpassing Denver...just listen to Bono during “Stay tonight in a lie" and you'll see what I mean.
I've felt Electric Co. is incomplete without The Cry, but who really cares when they play it like this. The best Cry-less Electric Co. you will hear is Brussels, complete with Bono's expletive during the bridge and then proceeding to make puke noises at the end!
The October-New Year's Day combo followed by Pride is also great and then we have three fantastic encore tunes, including a nice '40' to close out. Just simply a near-perfect performance.
Audience:
The audience helped make this boot. They were relentless in showing their appreciation, really getting behind every song. Audience highlights include someone yelling 'Oh my God!' at the start of I Still Haven't Found and another bloke singing la-la-la-la America, la-la-la-la America to pre-empt the Electric Co. snippet only to have Bono not sing it. Wrong tour I think mate!
Sound:
Sound was excellent. Only a few blemishes such as minor interference during Running and some volume fluctuations during another song I can't quite recall (In God's Country maybe). The sound also appeared to turn on and off in between a few songs which was also a little distracting but I'm starting to get picky now.
Overall:
Download this boot right now if you haven't got it. It's a must-have Joshua Tree show. I can't believe I waited for Gerard's BRT selection to listen to it!
Highlights
Every song. Really.
Streets - As above. The best intro with Streets as an opener I've heard.
The Unforgettable Fire - the best version I've heard (or that I can recall)
Electric Co. - It's often my gig highlights, but this one's special. The puke noises are classic.
In God's Country - another best-of performance.
With or Without You - I can't ignore this one either. This is how WOWY should be all the time.
Lowlights
None. Flawless.
This holds Rosemont status for mine. It will forever be on my iPod.
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WojBhoy
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Performance:
Terrific performance. It's not often I throw 5 stars at a show, but this merits every one. The show starts off in dramatic fashion (nicely counterpointed by Bono's understated "hello" in the intro.) with a superb version of WTSHNN and continues as such. I remember once saying during another BRT (I think it was Casper's TUF show from the Barrowlands) about how the band "drives through the main set with a kind of reckless abandon combined with verve and panáche", and those sentiments were buzzing through my mind throughout listening to this show. There's nothing bad to be said about the band on this show in a Joshua Tree context - they loved every second and the crowd were more than fair game. I won't lie, I prefer later versions of most of the songs on the setlist BUT that doesn't detract from this being an amazing show, i.e. the whole greater than the sum of its parts, I think would be apt to describe how I view it. A couple of highlights have to be Edge's string breaking in IWF (you can hear at the end that he's only playing one string to the main riff but continues regardless); during Electric Co. ("all I see is fucking red!"); NYD and Pride rocked (not something we seem to say much nowadays) and there's a surefire reason why WOWY here is considered one of the best ever - there's nothig else to say but call it sheer brilliance. True, it still doesn't knock Paris '92 off my personal pedestal as far as performances go but it made one beastly fist of it.
Audience:
Nothing much to say other than praise one of the best audiences ever heard on a U2 bootleg. End of.
Sound:
As good as you're likely to get with audience recordings save for something slightly superior such as Stockholm (11-06-1992) - great listening with little to really pick out.
Overall:
I was very tempted to try and be an awkward sod and pick out whatever faults I could in the show purely because Gerard et al have praised this to high heaven for what seems like eternity, but the thing is they have good reason to praise it like they do - IT'S THAT GOOD. As a Joshua Tree show, this has got to be one of the best, and indeed one of the great U2 shows. True, there are one or two that I would personally put above this but that's personal preference on my part. If you like U2, you'll love this, so make it your mission to download this boot ASAP.
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djrlewis
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Performance:
I first listened to this boot months ago, upon the recommendation of you know who.....I remember thinking "that's quite good, I must listen to it again at some point. However, I didn't remember having my socks blown off as I was promised.
So when it came to this review, I was of a like mind to Harry. "It can't be that good, really. I'm going to be a picky little bastard and find every single flaw, dissect and destroy it",
So the first lines of each section of review will contain my picky little bastard notes.
Performance
Edge makes a wrong note during I Will Follow and one other song. Bono slightly forgets the words to I Still Haven't Found.
Really, that's it. This is quite simply the best band in the world on top of their game doing one of their very best gigs. It's not as well known (until now lol) as some other shows (Rock's Hottest Ticket, Sun Devil, LA, Paris), so it hasn't received the hype(until now lol....). It's better than all of those.
Quite honestly, it's hard to pin down why. Again, as with Harry, there are, individually, better performances of nearly all these songs, for me. But as a whole, it just works. I really didn't want to stop listening the three times I've listened for this BRT. I even put it on when I was awake at 1.30am this morning (long story...). Then the battery on my iPod ran out (I was playing Connect 4 as well.....).
Audience:
insert picky bastard comments here............ummm...........I have none......
Best audience (audibly) in a bootleg I've listened to. And that's from a guy that was at the Cardiff Vertigo gig.
Sound:
Dips a bit during beginning of RTSS. Cuts off suddenly at end of a couple of songs (noticeably TUF)
It's a 5 star audience recording, among the very best. The crowd don't piss you off with interfering talk etc and all 4 band members are clear. Stellar work from the recorder.
4 stars (to fit with rating guidelines here)
Overall:
I must have been in quite a bad place when I listened to this those months ago. Even my picky deliberations fell short. I listened to it twice more just because I wanted to.
Get this bootleg now. Stop reading the review and click on the download provider of your choice. Convert it as soon as the download is complete, get it on your portable device/burn to CD, find about 3 hours and listen (time allows for second listen that you will want to do, for sure).
Up there with the well known favourite shows of your choice. Entered my top 10 for sure (of any tour) and is now my number one JT boot.
As I've said, individually there are better performances of most of these songs for me (exceptions would be MLK, possibly TUF and probably SBS, which are going to replace their respective counterparts on my 'Best Of Live' compilations {previously from R&H, Paris JT and R&H respectively}. I will also note that WOWY is beautiful and probably, in agreement with Gerard, the best pure rendition I've heard.).
However, the sum is greater than it's parts, for sure. This is perfect U2 listening. You won't be disappointed.
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germcevoy
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Performance:
Ahhhhhhhhh where to start. Quite simply the best U2 concert of all time. Flawless. I've had phases with all U2 eras but this one gig is the one that stands out above all of the rest (Red Rocks and Point Depot included). I was never a massive fan of JT Streets but this is the best version i've heard full stop. Others will disagree but Streets has had many reinventions over the years but this one ticks the boxes and sets the tone and pace for the rest of the gig. 'ahhh I LIKE IT', the man sounded like he was on drugs. Brilliance.
I Will Follow was it's usual self. I Still Haven't Found was great but i'm still not keen on the exodus snippet. MLK was flawless, Bono's voice was silky smooth and filled the arena. It lead into the best ever Unforgettable Fire ever. Just compare this to the Paris performance on the DVD where his voice was harsh and breaking. Bullet had plenty of flare and energy. Running To Stand Still is the second highlight of the night. It has no lengthy snippets or improvisations but it is just flawless. His voice just rocks and the crowd backs him up perfectly. Bonos little ramble before 'she runs through the streets' gives me goosebumps.
The rendition of Sunday Bloody Sunday served up is a 10/10. Perfectly paced with the vocal and passion to match. 'trenches dug within our hearts' - anybody ever heard him sing that good. Just a great performance, I only wished he'd skipped on the amnest international line. Exit and In God's Country both excellent.
The Electric Co comes in as another brilliant highlight. Without The Cry it just works. Great pace and enthusiasm. Bono's 'what colour is this' rant with the Irish flag made a simple but heartfelt statement about affairs in his homeland. Larry's drumming in this song was especially good. The 'UP UP UP' followed by Break On Through (awesome snippet) rounded off an immense performance. Help was lovely. Bono's speech about Greg made for an emotional moment backed up by a storming perfirmance of the song.
The crowd taking over at the start of New Year's Day makes for another hilight. Party Girl isn't a song I enjoy but it hit the spot here, especially Bono letting the crowd do a round of 'oh oh oh oosss'
Final hight moment is WOWY. Sure there maybe more epic and unique versions out there but this is my go to version when i'm looking for a great all round version of WOWY. Shine Like Stars, Tear Us Apart, solo and another refrain of 'ohhh o o ohhhs'. What else do you need? 40 rounded off the best show ever. 10/10
Audience:
Among the best you will ever hear. Every word of every song they sang aswell as guessing snippets before Bono sang them. 'Ala la america' for eg, that was Boy era!!. You could just feel that some in that audience were enjoying the best night of their live and all I can say is JAMMY BASTARDS. 10/10
Sound:
Perfect audience recording. Simply perfect. Sure theres the odd clapper or individual shout but overall this is perfect. The taper here was awesome, I have no idea how he managed to get such a great recording in such a small, loud venue. I've watched the DVD which has a different audio source and the crowd were so much more powerful than they come across in the recording. Bono and the band perfectly balanced with the crowd greatly prominent providing a great ambient and atmosphere. To knoow that this is a 1st gen and not the master is exciting. This is brilliant, I just winder how good the master would be. This recording could also do with a fresh transfer as there are plenty of cuts and trims throughout so we have probably lost a few small speeches etc. Just stunning. Beats Rocks Hottest Ticket. I'd give 5/5 for it being an audience recording but it is a 4.
Overall:
For me it is quite simply the best U2 gig of all time. Screw Red Rocks, Point depot, Sarajevo etc. This is the real deal. Just read the reviews and download it.
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MWSAH
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Performance:
Well, people said it was better than Rosemont, Paris or Tempe. I say it's equal. It beats Paris for sure, but for me, it's in the same list as Rosemont, Tempe and Edinburgh. (from a few weeks later).
Putting this gig in the list of famous JT-shows has its reasons of course. Streets was a good opener. I like the intro, although I've heard better or more powerful ones. Anyway, the spirit was there right from the start. A shame though that Bono slightly messed up the lyrics at the start of ISHFWILF.
The Unforgettable Fire was good, solid. But, and there comes TUF and Lovetown, I have a crush for certain versions from 1984/85/89/90. The last one, from Rotterdam 1990-06-01 is the most emotional and therefore the best for me. Must say this one is the best one I've heard from the entire Joshua-collection.
Other standouts:
In God's Country, I never really adore this one live, because it always feels like they don't enjoy it on stage. But this version kicks ass, good up-tempo, nice drumming and rather flawless.
Electric Co. is the best from the Joshua Tree Tour. Not the best ever for me. (Red Rocks comes in mind and some others)
Bad, emotional because of the Carol-remembrance. Good length too.
WOWY, very solid and flawless. But again, I prefer Lovetown once again.
Audience:
Belgians, just like Irish, Scots, Britians, Dutch, Germans, Italians, Spanish...they're Europeans and somehow more in a party-mood. Awesome audience, good to hear them too.
Sound:
There were some problems when it was recorded. There is some distortion or interruption at certain times. A worthy 4-star audience although I must say Edinburgh sounds better.
Overall:
I love shows bursting with energy. Therefore I love War, TUF and Lovetown. This show isn't a real JT-show, it has more energy and more joy. Not the best gig ever, but it gets in my alltime top 10.
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haytrain
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Performance:
I tried to be nit-picky and pull something out that ruined the performance, but it's impossible. The only thing I heard that was off was Adam's bass in the opening bars of "In God's Country," which he quickly fixes. (and it's mistakes like that that I actually really enjoy in a show.) The band is on fire and they play with a lot of energy.
Audience:
My favorite part of the show, without question. This show has so many moments where the crowd sings just as loud as Bono. It's right up there with Milan 92's "The Fly" performance or the "Dirty Ol' Town" from Point Depot on New Years Eve. They sing so loud on every song, often improving their own vocal lines, harmonies, etc. It makes for a really cool listen. (See New Years Day for a great example)
Sound:
One of the best audiences I've ever heard. Rock's Hottest Ticket, Denver, and Tempe are great places to start with this tour because the sound quality is off the charts on those, but this is right behind them. I used to hate audience recordings (when I first found this website) but now I realize they're so real, so raw. This is a perfect example of that.
Overall:
Wonderful show. I'm not putting it above the Point Depot shows (those are sacred in my book!), but I prefer this show to Tempe and Denver for sure. Get it now.
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stj0691
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Performance:
Wow. Bono was in top form vocally, all the way through. Edge's guitar must have been on fire, had to be. Larry and Adam really rocked the house too. The entire show knocked my socks off! 'Streets' was ablaze the moment Edge kicked in. 'I Will Follow' and 'Still Haven't Found' were kickass! 'MLK' was one of the few moments this show was solemn, because the rest of the show rocked! They then went into an astounding version of 'The Unforgettable Fire". 'Bullet' was cool being in the middle of the set. I like it best that way. This is my favorite version of 'Running to Stand Still', and the 'still runnin' bit was damn good. 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' rivals Denver's version (as seen in Rattle & Hum). 'Exit' and 'In God's Country' show how well the band's form was that night. 'The Electric Co.' didn't have 'The Cry', but that was alright, for U2 proved they didn't need it for this rendition. 'Help' was a treat, always good to hear U2 cover a song, especially by the Beatles. 'Bad' was amazing. Really great version here (almost as good as 2001-10-15 Chicago  ). 'October' was nice, really cool. 'New Year's Day' was wicked pissah. Probably the best version of this song IMO. 'Pride' had soul. Overplayed or not, this version blew me away. 'Party Girl' was another treat. Really good song, something they should've re-recorded later on. 'With or Without You' is another crazy-good performance. The show closes with '40'. 'Nuff said there. Overall, every song here was played really great. Maybe no definitive performances here for U2's entire career, but this show is special. Something must have been on the band's mind that night, something. Whatever got them to play so good, they have to replicate this magic. It's sheer brilliance. And Gerard is right....where was One Tree Hill that night? Would've been awesome!
5 out of 5!
Audience:
Kudos to the crowd singing 'Still Haven't Found', they must love the song as much as I do! Fantastic crowd performances include 'Sunday Bloody Sunday', 'Bad', 'Pride', and '40'. 5 out of 5!
Sound:
It's perfect, you can hear the band. Plus you got the rockin audience too, so 5 out of 5 is the only way ya can go.
Overall:
This one is staying on my computer. It's a keeper. Every song is a highlight, so ya can't go wrong with this bad baby. The sound is perfect IMO. Gotta have that mix of audience and band so it's perfect. The crowd was amazing. Maybe not as good as the Slane crowd from the DVD, but close enough to rival that and 1992-05-22 Milan. This show deserves to be one of the best on the site. 5 out of 5. No if ands or buts thankyouverymuch.
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MirrorballBoy
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Performance:
All I gotta say is WOW. The best Joshua Tree show by a mile. Bono's voice is simply magnificent. Listening to Bullet right now: 'But tonight we're not in America, tonight we're in Brussels YEAAAH'', which sounds simply magnificent. I was never keen on The Joshua Tree Tour, but this is one you just have to fall in love with. It's perfect.
Audience:
Again the full five stars. They sing along with every single line of ever single song. Wait, it's no singing. It's screaming their lungs out. One of the best crowds I've listened to.
Sound:
Decent audience recording, sound is really clear.
Overall:
Johsua Tree Tour at its very best. This is just one of those few dates that everything was perfect. Highlights: Streets, The Unforgettable Fire, Bullet, Sunday Bloody Sunday (hear the crowd, bloody fantastic), With Or Without You and 40.
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EyesWithPrideB3
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Performance:
Every performance is...well, just about every positive adjective in the book. Stellar, amazing, spot-on, brutally honest, fun, energetic, excited, enjoyable...you NAME it, that's what this performance is. It simply never lets up. The show tricks you into thinking you're about to hit a lull- a performance carries on perhaps 30 seconds too long, or an ending of a song is just ever so slightly off that you think- "This is it! Here comes the low portion!" And then the song after starts, and your head trip starts all over again.
Audience:
Perfect mix of audience and band, and the audience is ecstatic. They sing along, (With or Without You's verses are exceptional), they cheer....they share the love with the band.
Sound:
Perhaps not perfect, but sound quality is of such minor importance with a gig of this quality that the things that could be improved on are lost in the magic. In reality, this should probably be a 3.5, but you'll HEAR it as a 5 star bootleg because of it's beauty...so I'll be fair and knock it down a half a point.
Overall:
This is one of the more magical shows I've ever listened to. Recommended to me by Gerard, I couldn't possibly be more thankful for a point in this show's direction. Often times- moreso recently- in my bootleg listening, I find myself saying "Yeah, it was good, but I don't think I'll ever pay it any attention again". Thankfully, this show turns that around. I'll revisit this show all the time. Portions, possibly quite frequently.
Ultimate Highlights:
-Running to Stand Stil
-The Electric Co (rivals a spot for the best version of this song EVER)
-Bad (electric...spills into your veins, fills your heart and turns it to glass; proceeds to shatter it at the climax. Tearjerking and beautiful)
-With or Without You (Bono saying "pick it up!" as the band proceeds into the small Edge-driven part of the song between the "oh-oh"s and the "Shine Like Stars' snippet really made this song for me, for some reason)
This is- by far- one of U2's finer moments. Download right away. There won't be a flaw for the next 90 minutes.
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patou2
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Performance:
This part is only rated, not commented on.
Audience:
This part is only rated, not commented on.
Sound:
This part is only rated, not commented on.
Overall:
Great show , great sound , great audience, a boot that you must have. Highlights: Where the streets...., I still havent found..., Exit , Pride and With or without you
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EDDMB
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Performance:
Epic.Maybe the best show of the tour.2 of my shows at MSG,09.28,29.87 are up there as well as top gigs from this tour..This was at the height of U2MANIA in 1987.The JT was the LP to have,and this tour was amazing.It really brings me back, hearing these songs ,played this way live.Streets is amazing.I always loved it as an opener on this tour.(From time to time the band would open with Stand By Me).IWF is next,you can actually feel the energy emanating from the band.ISHFWILF,has a great intro speech,very moving.BTBK,Exit are very intense,as they should be.I love the Gloria snippet at the end of Exit.Bad is brilliant as usual.The dedication to G.C. is touching.WOWY has one of the BEST VERSIONS OF THIS SONG.Hands down.SLS/LWTUA snippets are fantastic.
Audience:
I remember seeing an old VHS of this gig, when I was in college, back in 1988.The crowd was very energetic and vocal throughout.Great audience.I wish I still had that tape.
Sound:
I have always been a fan of this show,and the Paris gig from July 4th,1987.Some really loud fan noise throughout this bootleg made me take half a star off.Example,the start of Streets,someone is whistleing,very loudly,very annoying,drowning out the music.Im sorry,but I cant listen to a song and enjoy it,if a loud yell or whistle is much louder than the music.A shame,this is obviously a special gig,from a special tour,that I had the privilege of attending 10 times in the USA.
Overall:
This is a fantastic show,with a great audience,the only problem,this bootleg is not top notch soundwise.I know, its from over 20 years ago,I know,but it is not great quality IMO.Listen to the Paris gig, that was released on iTunes in 2007.The setlists are the same from both of those great European shows,sans Streets.A pity, this show wasnt released.As it is U2 at the best.Highlights : The entire perfomance by the band.(Steeets,BTBK,Bad and of course WOWY are some of the best performances you will hear).The lowlights : The recording is decent,not great.This is a MUST download nontheless.If you want quality,just blast Paris 07.04.87
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