Performance:
The set gets off to a raucous beginning with an emphatic version of Gloria, and the band continue in this vein for much of the opening set up until New Year's Day - have to echo many of the plaudits re. A Day Without Me and the Dear Prudence snippet, great stuff. However, I did feel that things started to tail off with Surrender, and I felt the Let's Twist Again snippet in Two Hearts Beat As One was absolutely murdered. It's not my favourite song, and this version did little to curry much more favour with me. However, when in doubt, throw in Electric Co. - fantastic performance, even with the lengthy gap as Bono (as I understand it) goes walkies! This seemed to really get the crowd going again, and a rousing I Will Follow further sated the appetites. However, 40, wow - Bono murdered that lol! The little bits of improv. from Adam on the guitar did add to it, and I don't think the Give Peace A Chance snippet was a bad choice per se but OUCH talk about going out of tune... The band for the most part were on decent form - the clarity of Bono's voice at times was awesome, whilst the others provided a more than solid platform for Bono to play the crowds. However, 40 certainly leaves a bit of a sour taste in the mouth.

Audience:
To be honest, I couldn't hear them but I don't know if that was simply due to the fact that my speakers aren't amazing or whether they really were quiet - I tend to think it's a case of the former though, because at times you can really hear them cheering and screaming as any pent-up festival audience will do.

Sound quality:
The clarity of the sound is pretty good for a 25+ year old recording, but I have to question the mix - Bono's voice is the loudest thing going, whilst at times Edge barely came through. Adam and Larry were at a decent level throughout, but the balance between Edge and Bono's respective volumes was certainly a negative for me.

Overall:
As a rule, I'm not that fussed over the earlier years of the band's career, although I'm always up for listening to the odd boot here and then and all-in-all I wasn't disappointed. The band were on form and did a fine job in throwing out a performance that seemed to really gee up a festival crowd, but I can't say it'll be a boot that'll live long in my memory.

Performance:
As with the other Vertigo 5th leg gigs, the show is full of fun and the band sound like they're enjoying themselves. I wouldn't say stunning, but way more than satisfactory. I can't be buggered to draw up a summary of everything I wrote, so I'm just gonna copy and paste my song-by-song notes;

Main set -

COBL - good opening, not a pinnacle performance (although probably detracted by the quality of the sound more than anything)
Vertigo - couldn't really hear Edge's guitar, but a solid effort.
Elevation - no long drawn-out intro., hallelujah!
IWF - never quite the same when Bono 'says' "I will follow" in the intro. as oppposed to a gutsy shout, but a lively performance, everyone clearly lapping it up. *
NYD - just doesn't work for me without a big buildup, i.e. UTEOTW or something. Bit flat. Gets going when Edge's guitar kicks in, but still a bit...missing something. The solo always sends a shiver down my spine though - that's how to make a Les Paul sing.
Beautiful Day - meh. Interesting when Bono moves up an octave during the opening verse. Still prefer Elevation versions, felt a lot more fresh. Also feel that with Elevation versions, they felt like the complete sum of their parts, whereas with Vertigo I get the feeling that it's like a lot of parts trying to complete a sum but not quite clicking. Am also not one of those who hold much stock with the idea that the additional snippets make the song tick in a live setting.
Stuck In A Moment... - full electric, can't go wrong. A lack of crooning from Bono in the intro. also helped.*
Angel of Harlem - jaunty, fun, again prefer the Elevation versions simply because Edge's guitar had a bit more oomph, but Bono certainly seems to thrive on an old classic.
SYCMIOYO - has never struck a chord with me live, never will - same old moan from me I'm afraid. One of those songs that will never outdo the original studio version bar a really impressive reworking in the future. Please don't keep this as a staple of the live set guys.
LAPOE - the sound doesn't lend itself to the performance. Crowd seem to get louder, the band quieter, and the drums sounded slightly off-kilter...
SBS - for once, actually seemed to lift the place. Great to hear the crowd go nuts when the intro. kicks in. Raucous guitar work from Edge, Larry's drums really carrying the song, Bono seeming to audibly take off. Still not a patch on previous tours, but certainly a decent effort - suffers from the Vertigo condition of dragging on far too long though.*
Miss Sarajevo - great song, great performance, need there be any more said?*
Pride - pretty upbeat performance, great vocals from Bono (for once), wish you could hear the whole crowd "ooh-oooooh-oh" a bit more though in the outro.
Streets - uplifting performance, fairly run-of-the-mill though.
One - lowkey, but builds-up as it always does to a rousing finish. Not standout, but a nice close to the set nonetheless.

Encore

Zoo Station - epic.*
The Fly - not bad, but a bit run-of-the-mill until the solo. And after.
WOWY - nice performance, Bono doesn't mince the vocals as with some other Vertigo performances, really opens up now and then. Even though I do mourn the loss of the ZooTV solo, you can't deny there's something intimate and yet equally epic about the PopMart+ versions.*
TSAC - decent performance. Not a massive fan, and things seemed to get a bit pearshaped near the end but it was certainly not the crowning turd in the waterpipe.
Desire - oh yes!*
Kite - lowkey ending, but magnificent for it. The only thing that makes Elevation performances better is Bono's rhythm guitar part, just adds a bit more to the song.*

Basically, anything with a * after it was notable in my opinion!

Audience:
hoot the lot of them lol (or at least, the ones near the taper). For me, there's a fine line between a bearable crowd and an unbearable crowd, and in this case they fell on the wrong side - this is sheer pickiness on my part but no one was singing in tune lol, but on the other hand I would like to think that their enthusiasm was representative of the rest of the crowd, i.e. having a damn good time Adelaide-style!

Sound quality:
Probably the biggest letdown - there's very little in the way of depth, and although it's not a case of the quality of sound being crap, e.g. the band being distorted, gremlins in the speakers etc., they sound very distant and it [the recording] doesn't do them justice by bringing the different parts together as a unified ensemble. Larry is probably the most prominent, whilst Edge is least (which, for me at least, is a bit disappointing) - Bono and Adam are distinct without taking over.

Overall:
Decent gig, a 7/10 - not amazing, but exemplary of the 5th leg of the Vertigo tour. This is already on my mp3 player anyway, and there it shall certainly stay.

Performance:
If you like the Elevation tour, I don't think you'll be disappointed by this show. The band certainly give it a go, and the crowd seem to relish the occasion, storming through a pretty impressive opening set (special mention to an awesome rendition of UTEOTW, with Edge in top form and nailing the solo), although SBS felt a bit flat, despite the best efforts of all involved (including the guy who sings "no more!" out of time quite a lot). I don't have any bone to pick with the middle section, i.e. from Stuck In A Moment through to Please; ok, I've never been much of a fan of People Get Ready but I liked the jaunty feel of Wild Honey, and I love Please in pretty much any form, and I think it's a great acoustic rendition - there's something about the acoustic format that really captures the raw power and emotion of the song.

Now, Bad - I love the snippet of WGRYWH (I'm sure everyone would be shocked if I said otherwise!) but as a segue into Streets, it just doesn't work at all, similar to the few times during the Vertigo tour where they played WGRYWH on the European leg before COBL - without a good bit of work, it's not a song that you can follow on from. Unlike snippetting something like '40' or AIWIY where the crowd's participation really connects the 2 songs together, there's just no feel of natural continuity, although as individual performances, it must be said that they are both churned out with feeling and energy by the band. I liked ISHFWILF and Pride closing the main set, although I feel I'm probably in the minority on that score! The encore was, for the most part, great (really gutsy version of New York, certainly gets a thumbs-up from me) although I just can't bring myself to like What's Going On with Gwen Stefani turning up - I'm sorry, I can't stand her singing, and never could, but if you are a fan you may well love it.

Audience:
As ever, a lively and enthusiastic Las Vegas crowd who contribute to the bootleg without overtaking and spoiling the experience as a whole.

Sound quality:
Nice balance with the crowd not taking over and the band being audible without overpowering in any department. Not a pinnacle amongst audience recordings but certainly better than many. There are the odd few moments when the sound fluctuates (notably at the beginning when Elevation kicks in) or flutters and pops (e.g during Streets), but otherwise it makes for comfortable listening.

Overall:
I like this show, I won't beat around the bush on that - sure, I wouldn't say it comes close to Lovetown or other moments in U2's history with regard to pinnacles in live performances, but I listen to this show quite a lot and never feel disappointed for it. For me, it's a typical 3rd leg show - post-9/11, I've never got the feeling that U2 were going out to promote new material or to woo people with a stunning performance; they were going out night after night with the intention of bringing hope and joy back to a nation who had suffered in the most tragic of circumstances, and I think this show really exemplifies that - Bono is very refreshing in his performance because of it. The word that keeps going around in my head is humility; there's no sense of "oh yeah, bring it on, check us out" - he quite simply seems to be living for the moment and enjoying just going out and playing music with his best friends and in front of an adoring audience, and the band provide an impressive platform for him to really vent forth and it's quite inspiring.

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 quality:
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.

Performance:
Well, first thing to be said is that when you think that only a couple of months earlier, the guys went arse over tit with infamous showings at Las Vegas and San Diego, there is a marked improvement in the delivery of what was the PopMart spectacle. However, I can't say I was blown away. The band give it everything, but it doesn't quite click - it doesn't hit the heights of Sarajevo, Santiago or Mexico City, but as mentioned previously, it beats the crap out of the dismal way that the tour kicked off; on a PopMart scale of 1-10, it's a comfortable 6.5 in my books. For the most part, I felt that there was a fairly formulaic feel (reflecting the nature of the generic PopMart setlist) to the way the band went about their business. The show kicks off in fairly boisterous fashion, but doesn't really go anywhere other than keeping on the straight and narrow. There were a couple of moments that caught my attention, e.g. great version of Last Night On Earth with Bono's singing during the middle 8 ("Would you believe in someone?" etc.), pretty frenetic version of BTBS (Edge had the riff nailed to a T during PopMart) and I always like the snippet of Playboy Mansion on the end of Streets. That said, nothing else really bushwhacked me. I was left rather cold by a lot of it, e.g. UTEOTW and Please weren't a patch on what they could have been this time around, and I can't agree with some of the others about the encore, it wasn't much better than any other encore (although big thumbs up to Shine Like Stars, even if Bono's voice was suspect...). Mysterious Ways was pretty good for a post-ZooTV performance - Edge's improvised slide solo was pretty nifty, improvised in so far as it was different from the basic solo lol. However, he forces Bono into some spontaneously lyric writing when he buggers up the intro. to One...not to mention one of his strings goes AWOL and forces him to alter the solo...but in fairness, you can't blame Edge for that, but perhaps someone should play it to Dallas and ask what he did to the bridge. MLK didn't really work for me in a low key, and Rain, well, you'll hear much better versions...although Bono does end the show memorably;

"Good night, fuck off!"

Audience:
Best part of this boot - they're jumping from start to finish which adds to the atmosphere. Sure, Fun Lovin' Criminals left a damaging impression on me, but the crowd made Suspicious Minds enjoyable fare, as they did for the rest of the show - even if the band weren't completely on form, the crowd were there to make the most of it and sure did. Not the best crowd for a U2 show, but definitely getting there.

Sound quality:
Pretty good overall, solid 4-star but nothing more, 3.5 if one were feeling harsh. Everyone can be heard clearly, crowd are at a level where they complement the show without taking over, but the actual recording has its moments when it jumps about, and sometimes fluctuates to and fro, which can be an irritance at times...

Overall:
One of the better 1st leg shows, but nothing extraordinarily - a fairly unremarkable gig, but not bad by any stretch of the imagination, just nothing particularly remarkable in my book.

Performance:
As good a performance as there was from the band's most recent tour. The show almost reminded me of the days of Lovetown, when the band went out to play their music and actually enjoy themselves whilst they were at it. Terrific feel throughout the main set, not to mention the inspired (if short-lived) idea to open with Love And Peace Or Else - the minute the intro. almost seeps out of the PA - and no doubt, the band wander on stage - the crowd go insane, and stay that way throughout. Also, I have to make a note of what I consider to be the greatest Vertigo encore around, and perhaps contender for best encore ever - exhilirating version of The Fly, best rendition of UTEOTW from the entire tour (have to mention Bono's quick attempt at an Arnie impression when he sings "You know I love the element of surprise), not to mention the terrific manner in which it segues into WGRYWH as in the days of old (i.e. ZooTV). If you aren't a fan of the Vertigo tour, I'd suggest having a listen to this - if this doesn't change your mind, I'm not sure much will.

Audience:
This part is only rated, not commented on.

Sound quality:
Not great, 3 -> 3.5 star at a push if one feels particularly generous. A bit fuzzy on occasions and when pushed too hard, the bass farts, but it doesn't detract too much from the show in general. Not terrific, but nonetheless listenable.

Overall:
Definitely one of the best Vertigo shows there is - U2 at their best in their most recent guise. A brilliant example of a U2 arena show at full tilt.

Performance:
Well, what is there to say? I think this is a hidden gem of a show - the band are on fire, the crowd raise the roof and I was fairly blown away. The more I listen to 11 O'Clock Tick Tock, the more I fall in love with it, particularly here when Bono shouts "this is the real guitar player!" before Edge's solo part, which is just incredible anyway, but this has got to rate as one of the best performances I've yet to come across - a great show opener. The band drives through the main set with a kind of reckless abandon combined with verve and panáche, a few of the highlights for me being;

Wire - my God I love this song, and this performance does it full justice.
The Unforgettable Fire - a lot of people have now put this as one of the great performances, and were it not for the performance from Denver (1987-07-11) I would be inclined to agree.
Two Hearts Beat As One - I don't like this song that much, still don't really, but as far as this show goes, it's an amazing performance and the crowd fed off the energy it generates; just listen to them sing the refrain on the first chorus...awesome.
Seconds - another song I love, and again, a far more refined and polished performance that the War tour ever threw up in my opinion.
The Electric Co. - for one, it's opened by The Cry, with for me is just a must for this song; it doesn't sound complete for me without that riff. Although I have a preference for later performances of early U2 songs like this, I Will Follow, Gloria etc. (although I agree that Sunday Bloody Sunday has lost some of its appeal now it's been dropped down a key and lost some of the energy it used to have), this performance is special. I haven't heard any other performances with the Amazing Grace snippet, but Bono just blew me away here during the break after Edge's solo...that was singing from the heart at its rawest and most hair-raising. I don't care for shouting, screaming, bawling etc., give me singing with soul. That was soul if I ever heard it.

Ok, A Sort Of Homecoming was slightly spoiled for me by the crowd clapping out of time and either Bono or Edge seemed to go out of sync. slightly, but that was probably the only blemish on an otherwise stunning performance. Loved every minute of it!

Audience:
This part is only rated, not commented on.

Sound quality:
First thing to note - get the remaster, it's well worth it. The sound on both is good but the remaster version brings depth to the bootleg and the crowd isn't too overpowering (which is quite refreshing for me, for whom most of my experiences with 80s audience recordings haven't been best...). Adam's bass blends in well, Edge's guitar chimes through as only Edge can, Bono's vocals are typical of the era and Larry drives the show along with an impeccable performance on the drum.

Overall:
If you haven't got this show yet, get it. In the meantime, hats off to the band for pulling off incredible performances such as this that we can uncover, polish the dust off and remind ourselves just why;

a) they're the best band the world has seen, and probably ever will, and;
b) why we love them so much.

Who needs drugs when you can listen to U2?

Performance:
Personally, I think this has got to be one of the great ZooTV shows. The band went out to wow an expecting Parisian crowd on the opening night of the European leg of one of the greatest tours in rock'n'roll history ever embarked on, and didn't they just? I would go on about how amazing everything is, but I'd be writing until tomorrow. Every song is performed to something bordering perfection, to the point that I can't point to a single major flaw. Some of my own personal highlights:

- Edge's playing. In my opinion, one of the best performances he's EVER done - he's simply on fire. On that note;
-> BTBS - perhaps one of his best ever solos. He simply tears into one of the greatest bits of guitar playing I've ever heard. The show is worth downloading for this alone.
- Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses - a ZooTV performance with a solo? Too flippin' right. As the world's biggest advocate of this song in any form (not to mention that it's criminally underplayed), to find a ZooTV rendition WITH a solo has allowed me to die happy!
- With Or Without You - my favourite performance. Ever. The only thing that could have POSSIBLY made this any better would have been an inclusion of Shine Like Stars. Other than that, I'm blown away every time I hear this. Bono getting completely lost in the music, a terrific piece of improvisation by him on guitar (even if he does seem to forget that notes need to be played in tune), Love Will Tear Us Apart snippetted in spectacular fashion - I could go on.

The only thing that I would say is a shame about this show is the lack of Ultra Violet in the encore. To think that the band were on fire, and yet didn't play one of the greatest songs ever written...such as it is, I reckon it's good enough to make do with!

Audience:
Awesome. Astonishing. They seemed to love every second of the band's performance, and rightly so. Definitely one of the best audiences I've ever had the honour of listening to on a bootleg - just listen to them during WGRYWH or WOWY to see what I mean.

Sound quality:
It does seem to fluctuate slightly, but not throughout the show nor to the extent that it hampers the boot where audible enjoyment is concerned. Bar that, I would have thrown a 5-star rating this way forward.

Overall:
I don't know whether there's much else to add. Near brilliant sound, terrific energy from both the band and performance, one of Edge's best ever shows, a simply breathtaking experience. For me, it's a must-have show, both as part of the ZooTV phenomenon and as a spectacular example of U2 at their very best.

Performance:
Hmm. In comparison to more standout shows, this doesn't really match them any of them for mindboggling exhiliration. I think the release of Zooropa came slightly too late for this show, because by this point it seemed that the band and the ZooTV spectacle - Bono in particular - was losing momentum, what with it having been the best part of a year and some since the release of Achtung Baby, and it seems that the energy was dwindling from all and sundry. Although I'm sure that, had I been at the Stadio Bentegodi that night, I may have a slightly differing opinion but as a bootleg, everything seems fairly innane, especially on a ZooTV scale. Compare this to the true Zooropa shows, the early incarnations of the Outdoor Broadcast shows (e.g. 1992-04-21 Tacoma or 1992-08-12 East Rutherford) or some of the 2nd leg European gigs (1992-06-04 Dortmund, 1992-06-11 Stockholm or 1992-05-07 Paris spring to mind) and this really is miles behind - everything's fairly innane; dare I say, a bit flat? I hate to be a bore, but unlike many, I'm not a fan of Larry's 'karaoke' moments during the tour, and I can't really make any exceptions for this. 'Tis clear why he's only really a backing singer at most...my personal highlight of the show has to go to the audience during the Confessionals when someone (on the screen) says something and the crowd all shout out "Va fan Culo" or "Vaffanculo" ("Go fuck yourself" and "fuck off" respectably). The encore was probably the pick of the setlist - fun version of Desire, although MacPhisto does really make a meal of the refrain (as ever). That said, I did enjoy his appearance. Ultra Violet never really benefitted from his delivery, but the rest of the encore was always good, excuse the pun, with or without him, and in this case, I thought Love Is Blindness was as epic as ever - loved Edge's little melody part just after the solo, even though it was oh so shortlived. Encore apart, nothing really grabbed me as being of particular note.*

(*Ooh, one last thing, no WGRYWH )

Audience:
This part is only rated, not commented on.

Sound quality:
It seems that early reviewers aren't too keen on the sound here. I'm not particularly fussed, but it's definitely better than 3-star in my opinion, I think 3.5-4 is perfectly acceptable - hell, it's much clearer than the previous 2 BRT choices in my opinion which were generally agreed to be 3-stars. That's not to say I think it's wonderful - my bones of contention lie mainly in the way the sound seems to fluctuate to and fro, aswell as seeming fairly distant, not to mention the manner in which it seems to "fart" when the bass gets too much, and hence this isn't the most enjoyable in terms of a listening experience...that said, I've sat through far worse. The band are all audible and the crowd come into their own when you expect them to, e.g. the B-stage set, Bad, Pride etc. Not amazing, but certainly not crap.

Overall:
I don't think there's much to add, I'm afraid - decent (if not incredible) soundquality and a fairly bog-standard performance from the band. Prior to the encore, Bono just seems to be reaching out for that something to really liven up proceedings, and it shows.

A fairly solid, middle-of-the-road 6/10, for me.

Performance:
I appreciate there are those here who don't really rate the Vertigo tour or the majority of shows and really take something exceptional (by their standards) to raise an eyebrow, but I personally do, and thus you won't be surprised to hear that I rate this show lol. Ok, due to the recording, one cannot get a complete feel for the audience but I think there's enough to suggest that the place wasn't a graveyard where atmosphere was concerned - particularly during large sections of the main set and the encore, the crowd really get into things, although they do sound a bit distant - good placement by the recorder to capture as much of the band? Or merely shite mikes for picking up audience noise? Who knows...but back to the band. Bono's voice isn't A-list but I don't think it detracts the show too much in the grand scheme of things. To my mind, he really seems to getting into the swing of things, and as far as the rest of the band go, they seem fairly impeccable on a musicianship level - the only thing I can think of is when Edge's sound seems to go - perhaps the jack came out of his guitar - but that is pretty much it off the top of my mind...

Ok, to stop me spouting rhetoric for a bit, I'll list some of the highlights and lowlights etc.;

- The openers (i.e. Vertigo >> Beautiful Day) - great atmosphere in my opinion, the band really getting stuck in, crowd lapping it up, good stuff. Incidentally, I quite liked seeing ABOY up amongst the opening numbers as they did on a few European shows, it just fits things better, i.e. a rock'n'roll song that gets a crowd on their feet.
- WGRYWH - I don't think this comes much as a surprise to anyone when I say that the inclusion of this is a factor in why I rate this show! Not the only one, far from it, but it was definitely what originally drew me to it. As far as musicianship goes, I feel this is the best performance of the tour without any hiccups and the solo being spot on. It's not the best version as far as Bono's voice is concerned, but Edge, Larry and Adam cannot be faulted. Great stuff.
- Miracle Drug - great performance. Enough said. Edge's solo blows away any cobwebs, the crowd really go for the "oooh" during the middle 8, love it.
- RTSS - really evocative performance in my opinion with the dedication to Aung Sang Suu Kyi and the inclusion of Walk On (albeit snippet form).
- WTSHNN - I don't care what anyone else says, this is one of my standout versions from the tour - crowd get into it, Bono really thrives, really energetic throughout (although one should expect this of such a great song).
- The encores - Zoo Station and the Fly were great, WOWY was above par for Vertigo performances and Mysterious Ways wasn't included and thus subsequently shamed! Also want to mention the second rendition of Vertigo for the immortal line "just give me what I want-...fuck off!" and a generally energetic performance to finish the show on a high.

Ok, now for what I didn't think was so good;

- Setlist issues - this is more of a gripe with how some setlists were formatted over the tour, not necessarily just this one. Vertigo opened, so why use it to close? I appreciate it was a nod back to the early days (i.e. utilising encore performances), much as was the return of songs like An Cat Dubh, Electric Co. and Out Of Control to fit the theme of the tour, but surely it wasn't to difficult to choose something else to finish a show? I prefer the idea of COBL opening but it's fair enough to consider that the LED displays wouldn't garner the same effect in daylight, an issue that doesn't come under scrutiny during indoor shows. However, if you're gonna include it in the middle of the set but also include WGRYWH (something I'm always in favour of), where's the harm in including AIWIY aswell (or something similar) so as to make the transition less clunky? I know part of the thinking probably revolved around mixing the rarities, but if you're gonna play a 23 song set, is it really too much to perhaps bump it up to 24 and make the show run slightly more smoothly?
- A bout of pickiness - SYCMIOYO, although performed surprisingly ok this time around, just doesn't do it for me live, mainly because (as I've said innumerable times before) Edge's guitar is too thin and misses some oomph; I think it's the perfect example of a great studio song that can't really translate onto a live setting. Also, One - otherwise a nice performance, but my main gripe is the outro. I know it was part of Bono's plugging for the ONE Campaign, but surely the "do you hear us coming, Lord?" snippet is just as effective as wailing a drawn out shout of "caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall ONE"?

Audience:
This part is only rated, not commented on.

Sound quality:
Right, well, first things first, I think everyone's fairly agreed that the sound isn't perfect. I have a fairly tolerant pair of lugs so I was able to overlook the hiss that occurs, especially in between songs or during the intro. as Arcade Fire blares out over the PA. With this in mind, I'd say it's a solid 3-star, 6/10 boot soundwise - nowhere near good enough to be considered anything higher, but on that note no way near bad enough to go down to 2-stars or suchlike. There are the odd few instances where it sounds as if someone walks in front of the mike or something, which makes everything sound as if from a distant, but personally it didn't affect my enjoyment of the boot. Another thing to note is that once or twice, the audio seems to be baulking under the strain of loudness such as the bass or Bono's singing and fuzzes, slightly, but again, it wasn't particularly endemic of the show...
Bandwise, Bono is clear throughout (although when is he not? lol); Edge is always fairly audible; Adam comes through well but doesn't standout that much, but that's how a bass should be in my opinion - driving the truck from the passenger's seat, as it were; and Larry is solid as far as sound is concerned

Overall:
Overall, I personally like and rate the show (hence why I picked it), but on an objective level, I'd quite happily give the performance a good 7/10, and it is (for me) one of the better shows from the 1st-3rd legs. Of course, I have a few gripes, but in my opinion there's no such thing as a flawless show, and yes I am including shows such as Slane, the reknowned Stockholm and Milan '92 shows, Red Rocks and (for the benefit of the doubt, until I can get hold of it myself) Brussels '87 in that statement, because there's always something that will knaw away at an individual's perspective, whether it's the lack of a song in the setlist or a couple of moments where Edge or Bono messes up something fairly minor, but that's what this is all about - perspective and opinion. Tis what makes this so fun!

Performance:
The show itself is very good in my opinion - typical 5th leg fare, if not one of the better shows on the aforementioned leg - which makes up for the below-average audio quality. As I mentioned, the crowd seem to really get into the show (aside from the stupid conversations!) and the band themselves seem to really enjoy themselves. The varied setlist is also a treat, a couple of examples being Yahweh being brought forward into the main set to break things up and Walk On - a Vertigo rarity, and thus adding to the show with its very presence - receiving a full-electric makeover, and aside from the imperfect execution, really standing out. In this respect, I compiled a few highlights;

- Bono's singing: on occasions, he was really belting it out, which, considering the 8-month layoff, was pretty impressive, a couple of highlights being COBL (especially when he sings "time won't leave me as I am"); Beautiful Day (the extended "touch me" after the middle 8 blew me away) and SYCMIOYO.
- As previously mentioned, the varied Vertigo setlist (no doubt to include an Elevation feel because of missing out the Oceanic regions on the last tour) including UTEOTW, Walk On, the belated return of Angel of Harlem (after a long absence throughout most of the tour) and Kite getting a revival.
- SBS; really arse-kicking performance.
- WTSHNN/One: damn me, if both songs didn't get the whole place going. Streets was full of energy, and One was a great performance. Good stuff.
- The whole encore - the ZooTV theme to the first half was great. Zoo Station was an exemplary example of why I prefer Vertigo to ZooTV renditions, what with Edge's guitar being so much more prominent and Larry's drums blowing the world apart; The Fly and WOWY were both good, especially on the latter when the crowd really started getting into it. The 2nd half was great too; although I'm not a fan of TSAC, one can't deny that it was a good performance and the crowd loved it; Angel of Harlem and Kite were, as ever on the tour, great.

There weren't really any genuine downsides to the show performance-wise for me, apart from perhaps Elevation and BTBS; the former because I'm not a big fan (although the fact they didn't draw it out and wait after the first verse for everyone to kick in was a blessing for me!) and the latter because it just seemed to take so bloody long to get going - it only took off once Edge was a fair way into his solo...

Audience:
This part is only rated, not commented on.

Sound quality:
Well, for the most part, until the latter stages of the show, the quality of the recording is questionable, at best (NB - I haven't checked out the update yet, but I'm trusting Gerard when he says its slightly improved, which would make this worthy of the 3-star status it has). I think in its current form, the 3-star is too nice if you consider the majority of the show is pretty dodgy - everything is fairly clear in itself, but not great. Bono's voice carries through the best of the 4 band members, and Adam's bass is pretty clear and really drives the music along. Edge's guitar has good songs, and some bad songs in as far as how clear and standout he is, but Larry seems to suffer the most because for the most part, there's not enough power coming from him and so the music itself loses something.

All in all, it's very much like listening to a radio through a thick wall with polystyrene in your ears, i.e. not great. However, like I say, it picks up during the latter stages of the main set, which benefits the show. However, the main gripe is the audience surrounding the recorder - ok, they are very much part of the show and add to the atmosphere, but it does sound a bit like being at a small venue and there being a limited number of people in the vicinity, not to mention a couple of them talk about some real crap! One standout point definitely has to be the conversation during Bullet The Blue Sky (I think), where a woman starts rattling on about "tall people always getting to the front" - this may be true, but keep it to yourself and just enjoy the bloody show!

Overall:
Overall, I liked the show - granted, I wouldn't call it one of the standout shows from the 5th leg but it's still great. It gets my recommendation as long as you take note of the many warnings regarding the quality of the audio! I wouldn't give it "must-have" status, but I definitely think it rates higher than merely being considered as "die-hard collector material".

Performance:
Ok, this really lifted the show for me - ok, Bono recognised that his voice wasn't in perfect shape, but he made a great fist of it and his enthusiasm really drives the show. His shout of "I can sing!" during Streets just made me laugh, and the crowd really feed off of him and it really lifts everything. Everything that was great was in spite of Bono's voice (e.g. TUF, God Part II, NYD, WOWY/Shine Like Stars, Love Rescue Me etc.) by which I mean that it saddens me even more because, if his voice had been in good shape, and the sound was better, this could have been one of the great Lovetown shows. My highlight though (the point that I'll always remember this show for - bar the crap sound), which surprised me, was People Get Ready - the 2nd guy who played Bono's guitar was pretty good! I never really paid much in the way of attention to this because it's not a U2 song, but the performance here was great!

(PS - note to Bono; please don't sing 40 when your voice is fucked!)

Audience:
This part is only rated, not commented on.

Sound quality:
I think it's suffice to say that we all agree the sound was fairly terrible. Unlike Gerard, Casper etc. I'm no audiophile but even I could tell that this recording has been bastardised to kingdom come, which is a shame because the show itself is great. Around God Part II, it seemed to recover a bit but not that much. I'm usually not to concerned about whether the boot is a soundboard or an audience recording in that, primarily, I want to hear the band first and foremost - a good crowd just adds to it, but I mean even this time round, the whole boot was dragged into the gutter by encoding so that Edge's guitar sounds like a hammer in a workshop and the crowd's noise (when it does come through) really batters everything. To this end, I reckon that soundwise, this rates pretty low - 3.5/5 stars seems a bit generous in its current state.

Overall:
A really good show performance-wise, but with regard to the bootleg itself, you just can't get away from the trashy sound. As a bootleg, and whilst feeling generous, I'd give this 6/10. Not a must have, but if you are able to get past to the brutal encoding jobs, it's a fun show to listen to, which positively bleeds Lovetown era!

Performance:
This is one of those shows when the band aren't disinterested (personally, I don't think they ever truly are), but moreso that the crowd are far more in the mood than the guys themselves. The show really takes time to gain some momentum, but once it does I really started to enjoy it. The first few songs are missing that energy, despite the fact that you'd expect the first part of the mainset to do precisely that - get the show on the road, as it were. New York was great, I have to say the more I listen to this song, the more I fall in love with it. It's not your normal fare, but it keeps surprising me with its live qualities. I Will Follow really got the show underway, and Sunday Bloody Sunday was one of the most exhilirating performances I've heard in a long time - Bono's "no more!" speech was just incredible for me; I know we all know he's one for big powerful speeches, but this was up there with the "fuck the revolution!" Denver speech for me. Stuck In A Moment was pretty good, Edge was in his element with his beautiful guitar part. The B-stage set was great fare in my opinion - a really moving version of In A Little While, Desire was great and Stay (Faraway, So Close!) was really on the money for me. Tis a strange thing to think that 2 men and an acoustic can hold the attention of 80,000+ people in one of the largest football stadiums in Europe with voice and strings alone, but my God they did. However, after this, the show started to get lost on the wayside...Bad was, well, rather eponymous in my opinion. I may seem harsh but Bono's voice was fading fast, and he was really straining every sinew to keep on going, and Where The Streets Have No Name suffered similarly. Mysterious Ways and The Fly were pretty good, but suffered from the aforementioned decline of Bono's voice.

The encore was pretty good; a decent version of Bullet The Blue Sky - a great solo from Monsieur L'Edge - followed by a rousing rendition of With Or Without You, although at this point the crowd singing came back to haunt me...Wake Up Deadman was fantastic in my opinion - for some reason, Bono's vocal decline actually made this all the more haunting and emotional, and I actually had tears in my eyes for a bit. Heartbreaking stuff, it really was. Walk On was great, but Pride (In The Name Of Love) wasn't so much. Good fun, but I'm thinking the guys' musicianship jumped ship and popped down the pub for 5 minutes as the song came to its conclusion - it made me grin, but it sure wasn't their finest moment! Out Of Control was good fun, but out of place - such an energetic song is main set fare, preferably in the first 5-6 songs. Such as it is, it fitted the nature of the show - full of promise, but out of sorts.

Audience:
This part is only rated, not commented on.

Sound quality:
Not really too much to say on the sound. My first thoughts were that the 3-star rating was slightly harsh, but in hindsight it's bang on - the band are audible, but to a limited degree. It's nothing like the Adelaide Lovetown show we reviewed recently, it's clear and sharp but Adam's bass isn't very loud and the drums sometimes lose some 'oomph'. The other qualm which I had was the audience - I like my audience recordings on the whole, but on occasions you get ones such as these where the crowd in the viscinity is too audible at times. Now, I'm a fairly liberal kind of guy BUT I really wish that if members of the crowd are going to sing along, SING IN KEY! Such an gripe, although personal on my part, is further aggrivated when said crowd members drown out the band in full swing...examples of this being large parts of Until The End Of The World, New Year's Day, Where The Streets Have No Name, The Fly and With Or Without You.

Other than that, I don't have any issues with it...

Overall:
Well, it's a good show for easy listening, but that's part of the problem - you're not genuinely grabbed by it in anyway until I Will Follow, a good half an hour into the show. The sound is average, but very much listenable. As such, I wouldn't call it a must-have show, nor is it one for someone looking for a really good Elevation tour show on a par with Slane or South Bend BUT it's a good show to fill out your collection. Don't make it a priority, but just sit back and listen (as long as you're not too fussy about off-key crowd singing!)

Performance:
This is U2 at their rawest, for sure, but it makes for a great show. The band sometimes appear to be a bit tipsy, shall we say, but like I say, it gives the show a more edgy feel. My favourite bit has to be Bono's talk before EBTTRT, he just sounds like he's totally forgotten where he is and what he's doing lol, but it's moments like these that you have to treasure in the light of nowadays' well-rehearsed speeches to encourage us to extinguish poverty...

The opening set is, despite the flaw now and then, mindblowing and delivered with vigour, if not perhaps the most accomplished performance on a technical level - the version of The Fly has become my favourite because the rhythm is that much clearer, and with that the whole song has that bit more venom behind it. A great version of One, I love Bono's bit of impro. on the outro instead of the "You hear us coming" to help cover up for Edge (I'd assume) getting the soloey part wrong! He is human afterall...another classic moment happens during a particularly out-of-sorts New Year's Day, Bono comes out with another classic quote just before the first chorus - Adam and Edge are all over the place, so he shouts "ONE TWO THREE FOUR!" in a bid to get everyone back on track and it seems to work! Great version of TTTYAATW too, although after that, the acoustic set doesn't really do much for me - ISHFWILF definitely wasn't a highlight for me...but the show does get back on the road with terrific versions of Bad, SBS & BTBS before the classic segue of RTSS into Streets. Gets me everytime, and it's a terrific version of Streets for me - again, it's most likely the fact that this is a soundboard recording, but again, like with the Fly, you get a full blast of the rhythm from Larry, and it drives the show along in terrific fashion. As for the encore, need I say anything? I love the ZooTV arrangement for Desire with Edge's mad sound, but that's then followed up by great performances of Ultra-Violet (can't forget the classic quote "Tell the president to watch more TV!"), WOWY and Love Is Blindness.

Simply fantastic.

Audience:
Default rating as the crowd noise is not heard due to this being a soundboard rescording

Sound quality:
I had no issues with the sound, but let it be known the upgrade quality is much clearer than the original. It is weird not having that much of a crowd noise in the background/foreground, whatever you want, and thus it that regard I think the recording loses something, but the quality of the performance itself is great, so you can't really complain that much.


Overall:
Must-get. No doubt. If you want the perfect combination of U2's magic and fallibility in one show, this is a bootleg to get.