Performance:

MOFO! And how refreshing it is to hear it too. Larry uncharacteristically kicks us off rather than the synths, and I must say this is an extremely energetic performance. The interchange between Mofo and I Will Follow in the early stages of this tour was delicate at best, but they nail it here. I love PopMart versions of this song and there is no disappointment here. Do they make mistakes with EBTTRT anymore? No? Well there are none to see here. The next song is a bit of a hen's tooth in the PopMart repertoire. I really can’t see why it was dropped. This particular performance is a little flat if I’m totally honest, with Bono frequently dropping off key, but I love it nonetheless. The bells of Pride ring and we all know what time it is. Did it sound good? Yes, if a little generic. Next song please. There is a special something about bringing the gospel hits of the 80s back in their raw form to this show of big money and bright lights. It really works and I love to hear it. This performance is executed perfectly and is especially heartwarming.

Gone gets off to a great start with a fantastic and possibly unplanned intro. It’s a fairly strong performance throughout, although we get a sign near the end that Edge’s voice might be giving way a little on this show. Last Night on Earth, and both Bono and Edge sound like they’ve got a cold. Maybe it’s the recording, or maybe it’s my ear, but it sounds a little off. I like this song, but I couldn’t wait for this version to end. Next! Oh, that familiar sound. We all know it. It’s Until the End of the World. Never liked it much on this tour. The ‘popification’ (copyright Ross) of songs on this tour worked for some, but not for others. However! This version actually sounds somewhat stripped back. I like it. I like it alot. Here comes another song I really don’t like all that much. Always seemed a little hollow to me. This version sounds hollow and flat. I don’t know, I’ll leave it for people with a better opinion of the song to judge the performance. Staring at the Sun up next, and oh my God, my ears! Seriously, what is this rabble? This song going acoustic was the best thing to happen since Bono got a haircut, and that’s all I have to say on the matter.

Anyone else got a soft spot for Edge karaoke? Not really much to say here, other than I love to hear it. Miami *busts out in laughter* What even is this song? I stand by my statement that this is a terrible song, but here comes the car chase surprise, I actually liked it. A Lot. Bono has some trouble with the mic in the first verse, but otherwise I love this version as well. Here comes yet another seamless transition as we move into Bullet. Like most of this show, Bono’s vocals are a little flat, but that’s okay, Edge is here to save the day with his solo. Does not disappoint. Bono then comes back to ruin again with his awful snippets, but they’re over before you know it.

Please was shaky, flat, and generally unimpressive. Perhaps that’s a little harsh. I still enjoyed it, but either Bono’s voice, the recording, or something was letting it down. The Sunday Bloody Sunday snippet was unexpected, and executed rather poorly if I’m honest. STREETS, and it’s such a breath of fresh air in this otherwise stifled portion of the set. It sounds a little forced, and Bono is rather flat. You can sense the bands effort to make this one work, though, and it really shines for it. Solid performance throughout.

Encore time. Discothèque is sounding by far and away the best it has at any show up until this point. Minimal mistakes, and a generally great sounding rendition. No velvet Dress? Okay then... Adam’s bass signals With or Without you, and it’s sounding a little loose and sloppy actually, but it soon picks up towards the main body of the song. I enjoyed it. Made me smile, that performance did. HMTMKMKM is good. Solid. Not much more to say. Mysterious Ways on the PopMart tour is an all time favourite of mine. This particular performance is probably the highlight of the show. Expertly held together. Is it just me or did the audio just get better? Bono and Edge sound so much better here. The solo is just fantastic. Every bit as good as you would expect. One closes us off, and it does so admirably. Beautiful.

Overall, I think they played well. Still finding their feet with the new songs, but it’s really coming together. 4 stars.

Audience:
I heard them, and that's about it.

Sound quality:
Very listenable, but it's a bit flat.

Overall:
Don't let the sound get you down. This is a great boot, and definitely worth listening to if you're interested in early PopMart.

Highlights:
EBTTRT
Still Haven't Found
Gone
UTEOTW
Discotheque
Mysterious Ways

Performance:
Gloria is just astonishing as expected. It's the opening song and it doesn't let down in the slightest. Absolutely sublime. Another time keeps up the beat from Gloria and it's no spoiler to say at this point that the beat is never lost throughout this entire show. I Threw a Brick Through a Window is a song which I usually don't care for much but it has to be said that this is the best performance of said song that I have ever heard. A day without me is up next and I'm going to be cruel but honest. That song passes right over my head; as great a performance as I'm sure it was, I just don't like the song at all. Never fear, An Cat Dubh is here! Extraordinary performance, not much else needs said. Into the heart ties in beautifully, just as we would expect.
I'm throwing in a new paragraph here, but it almost doesn't feel like there's need. The energy just keeps on flowing! If anything it was Bono's speech that prompted a new line. Rejoice doesn’t not disappoint; the sound of four men trying desperately to prove themselves, and succeeding massively. Electric Co is another of my favorites, and these early performances just had so much energy it's almost tangible. I fall down is executed perfectly, although little more can be said for it. Count that as a positive or a negative. However you prefer.
October, and the trees are stripped bare... If anything this feels a little rushed. I can't say anything bad about it really, other than it felt like the band were dying to get into "tomorrow" so badly that they skipped over this a little fast. The tempo felt a little rushed. With that I move on. Tomorrow next, and I've got to say I enjoyed it greatly. I totally agree with the above reviews. The best performance of this song (that I've heard anyway). Has I Will Follow ever let you down? No? Well it never will. Twilight does bore me a bit as a song, I must admit. Executed to perfection here though. No complaints. Out of Control at this point in the set gives a good scale on which to assess how the band's energy is doing after 13 songs. The outlook: Fucking fantastic!
Fire is a secret pleasure of mine. One of the better songs off of October. Not entirely sure it's got the stuff to be an encore opener, but it's excellent nonetheless . 11 O’clock Tick Tock is just what I was looking for in this encore. Can't fault it; absolutely loved hearing it, giving this astonishing show the send off it needed. Ah, The Ocean. Maybe not quite as synonymous with the end as 40, but I love this song as a set closer. It has a beautiful simplicity to it.


Audience:
The performance of the band really took away from the audience. I forgot they were there.

Sound quality:
A little gem from this era. Really didn't expect it to sound this good. There are a few skips here and there though.

Overall:
Excellent choice for the BRT. I dare say that this magnificent little show probably would have been forgotten if it were not for you, Pato. Thank you very much!

Performance:
Well, I fired up foobar and opened this bootleg for the first time. Streets is just the Way to start a show. I immediately though 4.5 stars just from the euphoria that Streets brings to the party. Coming out of euphoria for a moment and I can report that this is an excellent version of Streets. Very typical of the Joshua Tree era. Absolutely sublime. The greatest song in the world leaves a tough act to follow, but you can’t go wrong with a nice upbeat title and that’s exactly what we get. I Will Follow gives us a high tempo lift that the early section of any setlist needs. Still Haven’t Found is usually objectionable this early in the setlist, but with plenty of drums and a quick pace, they manage to pull it off. Another fantastic version, even though this is another song I believe matured nicely with age. MLK… Fine, I’ll run with them on it, but it really doesn’t belong this early in the set. It’s a good version though.

The Unforgettable Fire soon gets us jumping though, and what a version it is. “And if the mountain should crumble”… I don’t think this song ever will. Bullet was surprisingly powerful for a J Tree performance. It was always an underrated song before Zoo TV. And then of course, Running to Stand Still. What else could follow Bullet the Blue Sky? There’s always a drop of emotion that goes along with this song, and this version doesn’t disappoint. Epic conclusion to this part of the set.

A Sort of Homecoming has always been one of my favourites, and I have rather high standards. Everything about this version is excellent. The soft start; the strong vocals, the whole package. I’m one of the few that can still tolerate Sunday Bloody Sunday. It’s place as one of the greatest songs of all time is much deserved in my opinion. Sure, it’s been played many times and we’re all a bit sick of hearing it, but a good version should always excite you and entice that rebellious spirit the song is famed for. “If you want to say no to putting people behind bars because of their point of view. Well say it again, only fucking louder. NO MORE! NO MORE!”. I think that box is most certainly ticked. Really, really enjoyed this. Putting Exit after that performance of SBS is genius. A somber, powerful, punchy note following a strong song. What a performance it was too.

In God’s Country gives a decent amount of cheer back to our amazing set. Bono screws up a bit on the intro but that can be forgiven, thanks to the overall strong performance of this song. Oh, that famous synth. The bells ring and everything else falls silent. The length by itself tells me that we’re in for quite a performance, and my oh my does it deliver. One of my all-time favourite versions of Bad is Rosemont 1987. This really comes close to matching it. Bad was just on fire during this era. October is good. Hard to muck up a song this simple though, isn’t it. We gracefully flow into New Year’s Day, and the crowd certainly seem pleased. One hell of a roar there. A very strong performance we have as well. I always find that New Year’s Day is benefited by a clean taping, and it’s a little let down on that front by the muffled sound in this bootleg. Pride just had so much energy! I would argue that Pride has always sounded rich, but these early performances just sounded so fresh.
Now here is one hell of a song to open an encore with. Coming pretty close to song perfection, we have With or Without You. It had more of a clinical sound back then, but one which really suited the song. I can’t fault the performance. An ultimate highlight of the set. Before I’ve even got my bearings from that sublime finish on WOWY, I’m thrown headfirst into Gloria. Head spinning, I can report that it falls right in line with the quality of Gloria you have come to expect. 40 is the perfect end to everything. End of a show? 40 End of a tour? 40 End of the world? 40. “How long to sing this song…”

Audience:
Yup, I heard them. And they were well into it. Excellent, excellent.

Sound quality:
Really excellent given the age of the boot. A bit muffled, which caused issues in certain songs, but overall I loved it.

Overall:
I've got the night after this in excellent audio quality also, and this will make a fine addition to a fantastic duo.

Highlights:
- The Unforgettable Fire
- Running to Stand Still
- A Sort of Homecoming
- Exit
- Bad
- With or Without You

Performance:
It's an Unforgettable Fire show and U2 are in Chicago. One of their American homes away from home. Second only to Boston. We were guaranteed a great show from the start.

11 O'Clock Tick Tock starts us off, slowly but with plenty energy. I Will Follow is a sure thing for getting a show off the ground and this version doesn't disappoint in the slightest. Seconds rounded off the opening three perfectly. MLK was perhaps a little early in the set for me. Slows the set down a little prematurely.

TUF and Wire soon get us back off the ground though. Truly excellent performances of both. Sunday Bloody Sunday gets an easy 9/10 from me. As does Electric co.

A Sort of Homecoming is a favourite of mine, and this performance is about as good as it gets. Bad. What can I say? I wasn't expecting a ten minute performance, and it was extraordinary. Up there with the very best of the UF tour performances.

October was good, but I don't think I would forgive them if they ever messed up a song that simple. I always thought that New Year's Day was a song that improved with age, but this is still a fantastic version. It's a rare occasion when I can call Pride a highlight of the set, but here it really is. Very strong.

I was taken aback at how well Knockin' on Heaven's Door was performed. Bono was right on. Gloria gives us that energetic last hurrah that we're all very familiar with in the UF tour setlists. Absolutely nailed in this show. 40 makes a surprisingly good performance here as well. I know I'm 100% on my own in saying this, but I thought 40 never really showed it's true colours until it was slowed down for the Vertigo tour. That's just me though, and this performance certainly rounds the show off perfectly.

Audience:
Yup, I heard them. Not exactly deafening but I heard them.

Sound quality:
Excellent boot for its age.

Overall:
An excellent show overall. If you're hunting for a good Unforgettable Fire show then I still say you should grab Edinburgh first, but this truly is up there with the best and deserves some consideration.

Highlights:
- Seconds
- A Sort of Homecoming
- Bad
- Pride
- 40

Lowlights:
- It would be cruel to pick one.