All That You CAN Leave Behind

'Elevation Tour 2001 - Live from Boston'

Released straight to DVD in 2001, 'Live From Boston' is high on the list of my favorite concert films...both for the incredible musical moments it captured AND the way that they captured them.

After coming down from the whole 'POP' period, the band reunited with the production duo of Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, who also produced 'The Unforgettable Fire', 'The Joshua Tree' and 'Achtung Baby' albums. The resulting album, 'All That You Can't Leave Behind', was seen as U2's return to form after their more experimental records of the 1990s. While that may be partly true, the band leveraged tricks picked up on the previous two records/tours to add a more modern twist to their traditional sound. Every drop of irony was wrung from Bono's mirrorball suit and Edge's 'Mr. Edge' t-shirt...replaced with an album that had it's heart firmly planted on it's sleeve (or, in this instance, it's suitcase).

Where it could be said that the previous two albums and tours seem to be looking for answers from and/or poking fun of others...'ATYCLB' and the resulting Elevation tour was focused more inward in a questioning of self. The introspectiveness and, at times, unbridled positivity resonated w/ a huge amount of people, including myself. Songs like 'Walk On' and 'Stuck In A Moment' took on even further meaning to some in a post-9/11 world the band found themselves touring in midway through. Grammys and sold-out shows aside, I still think that 'Beautiful Day' is one of the best pop/rock songs ever written.

Just as the album marked a return to a simpler more stripped-down sound, the live shows on the Elevation tour returned to smaller venues and a more intimate show focused less on spectacle than the music itself. Where each show of the previous tours would start w/ an explosion of visual overload...on this go around the band simply walked out on stage, house lights still on and would kick things off w/ a musical explosion of sorts w/ the uptempo 'Elevation' and keep moving from there.

Where ZOO TV and PopMart both challenged and, unfortunately, alienated a fair share of fans...both the set lists and stage setup for this go-around seemed an obvious step to reconnect w/ those they lost touch with. The heart shaped ramp that actually housed fans within brought the band physically closer to the audience and the amazing performances of classics like 'Bad' and 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' reminded each and every person in that audience why they fell in love with them in the first place.

I caught two of their four shows when the tour first hit Chicago...it was the first time I had seen them live in person. I say without a shred of hype, it felt just as much like a religious revival as it did the best rock show i've ever attended. One of the coolest things about this DVD documentation is that it truly captures that feeling...watching the performance of 'Where the Streets Have No Name' filmed for this DVD still gives me the chills and has actually nearly brought me to tears. It shows how this band could still captivate an audience w/out the trabants or a giant video screen...how it made them believe in rock'n'roll, U2 and, even, themselves.

I was going to post the show opener, but thinking about the aforementioned performance of 'Streets'...there really seemed no better way to sum up what made and continues to make this band so special to me. Enjoy...