1. Ok, so lately (as in the past 3 years) I have just had an obsession with Popmart. Like most people, when I first saw Mexico City, it was a bit of a suprise and even threw me off but as I started watching the video more and more, it appeared to me that it is/was pure genious. The whole era was pure genious. An artist at its finest period. U2 defied what music was all about at the time and it is a landmark and milestone even in the present day. As Bono said in U2 by U2 Live in Mexico City is one of the best moments of his life. When that show worked, it had the most emotion of any U2 show and Bono was at his finest. He was innovative and improvised a lot more than most tours (with the exception of Elevation). He had been smoking a lot since ZooTV and it really did a number on his voice, however I think it was the best his voice ever sounded. Pure soul and spirtualism in it. It really sounds ike god himself is singing. Please and ISHFWILF are the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. The end of Please, when Bono goes off in a tangent and starts shouting AYAYAYAYAY. It gives me the chills every time. I know there are many diehards like myself that agree with me! I want to start a thread soley based on Popmart. Everything about it....the great, the good, the bad, the awful. Everything!!!!

    I'm in the process of trying to download every bootleg from the tour, however I can't find a lot. Even the ones on this site are poor quality. Does anyone have or know of any place I can download any shows from Popmart?


    The album itself is definatly not finished and I really do think they should go back and finish what they started as if that record was ever complete, it would be hands down the best U2 album!!!!!
  2. I believe Leeds, Mexico City, Sarajevo, Tel Aviv are the "Top of the PopMarts" They are all at least 4-star, perhaps 5-star broadcast or soundboards.

    I think Miami is supposed to be great too.

    I agree, by the way. My heart is a PopHeart!
  3. I agree. I've seen some fantastic shows from POPmart. They tried a few songs on the 1990-2000 set (I think was it a bonus disc) and some of them were really well done - but the album I believe is partly finished.

    You couldn't really change Mofo or Discotheque.
  4. I can't say it was their best era, but it's way underrated. PopMart was musically awesome, but the show was a bit too big.
  5. Yes, I have heard Miami is supposed to be amazing. I have Sarajevo, obvioulsy Mexico and have seen all the footage from Leeds (very amazing by the way) and I used to have Tel Aviv but has since been long gone.

    Drewhiggins: I agree. Mofo and Discoteque have all been remixed many times by many acclaimed producers but no which one compares to the originals. I would have loved to hear "Mother, Am I Still your Son?" in the original. 'twas a beautiful part each night on Popmart when Bono is just speaking to his mother and 80,000 fans. Please is a great song on the album only because of how good the song is BUT the album version doesn't compare to the live version. Live is where that song lives. As far as "IYWTVD", I don't know what they were thinking for the recording. The live version is so much better, so much faster and so much catchier. I like Wake Up Dead Man the way it is as well. Very raw and kind-of erie in a sense, and the mood is very fitting to the lyrics.

    Mirrorball Boy: Yes the era is completely underrated mostly by regular fans of the band who were just sick of the outlandish extravagance that U2 was trying to portray thoughout the 90's. It worked with ZooTV only because it had never been done before. People expected them to digress back to the 80's so when they came out with the biggest ironic pun on wheels (Popmart) people just immediatly gave up. It also didn't help that the reviews were shit and songs weren't finished. It is mostly underrated with American fans. Everywhere else around the world took popmart in with open arms and praised it. Not to say they understood it, however it didn't matter. I understand where you are coming from, however I can't agree with you on the show being too big. I really think how big the show was, they really made it feel like it was in your living room.
  6. Originally posted by Jcbasket
    Mirrorball Boy: Yes the era is completely underrated mostly by regular fans of the band who were just sick of the outlandish extravagance that U2 was trying to portray thoughout the 90's. It worked with ZooTV only because it had never been done before. People expected them to digress back to the 80's so when they came out with the biggest ironic pun on wheels (Popmart) people just immediatly gave up. It also didn't help that the reviews were shit and songs weren't finished. It is mostly underrated with American fans. Everywhere else around the world took popmart in with open arms and praised it. Not to say they understood it, however it didn't matter. I understand where you are coming from, however I can't agree with you on the show being too big. I really think how big the show was, they really made it feel like it was in your living room.



    Well, I agree with you there, I could be wrong. But I think these shows would have been better for the general public if they were less big. That was the reason why many peopledisliked it a bit, as you already mentioned here. PopMart had it's magical shows of course, but with a less big show, there could have been more of them.
    Don't get me wrong, PopMart was great, but it was almost their own suicide financially, because of those enormous shows.
  7. I'd agree that during Popmart they were still on top of what they were doin,g but it seems that it happened too early. Man I vividly remember these first days of March 1997 when I've put the POP CD in my player. WTF??? Internet wasn't widespread, so all I heard before was Discothèque on the radio. The rest was stellar. I listened to that album 24/7 and still needed a whole week before I finally started to like the first songs. But then it came quickly. I fell in love with it, still am. Bought all the singles, different formats and versions. Even today I still discover new things in the songs.
    I'm not sure if I buy the story about the unfinished album or if it was intended to sound raw, but one thing is for sure: This album is on par with Achtung Baby and War.

    And then came Popmart. Not much to say about that. The coolest thing I've ever been to. I was 12/13 during my first ZooTV shows, so the Popmart shows are the 1st U2 gigs I can lively remember.
    I can understand that people that became a fan with ATYCLB and the Elevation Tour or even the Bomb and the Vertigo Tour can't relate to Popmart, though. If you've never been to one of the concerts, it's hard to get the picture. Your hear that strange sound of the big Lemon on bootlegs, but you can't imagine what a show it was when the 4 came down with it. It was a show in itself, you had to witness POPMart to understand it.

    If you're looking for good quality recordings, try

    Soundboards:
    04.25.1997 Las Vegas
    06.07.1997 Randall's Island (Free Tibet)
    06.15.1997 Edmonton
    07.31.1997 Mannheim
    09.30.1997 Tel Aviv
    11.14.1997 Miami
    02.11.1998 Santiago
    03.21.1998 Johannesburg

    FM-Broadcasts:
    08.28.1997 Leeds
    09.23.1997 Sarajevo
    12.03.1997 Mexico City
    02.11.1998 Santiago
    03.21.1998 Johannesburg

    Earpieces (not my cup of tea, but many people like it):
    06.01.1997 East Rutherford
    08.18.1997 Nuremberg
    08.20.1997 Hannover
    08.23.1997 London
    12.09.1997 Vancouver
    12.12.1997 Seattle
  8. The best era is still Zoo TV I think...but PopMart is underrated, indeed.
  9. Where do I find all those recording? Especially the in-ear monitors?
  10. Popmart is underrated but my favourite is Elevation
  11. Originally posted by JcbasketWhere do I find all those recording? Especially the in-ear monitors?


    the bootleg section above the U2start.com header. Click the Popmart pic and voila you have all the Pop bootlegs.
  12. Originally posted by MWSAHThe best era is still Zoo TV I think...but PopMart is underrated, indeed.


    Have to agree. Loved Popmart to bits and agree with Yeah, still stuff to find in those songs and B-sides even now.