Grant About Town

January 25, 2008

U2 3D

I was riding the train to work one morning a couple of Fridays back, perusing the RedEye newspaper with my bleary eyes. Flipping through the arts section in the back my eyes lit up when I saw a full page ad for the new U2 3D concert film simply titled "U2 3D". The film, which was to begin its run the following week at the Navy Pier IMAX theater, is billed by producer National Geographic as "The first live action 3D concert movie." My first thought was "I am seeing this movie." My next thought was "I wonder if Reggie (my college buddy and fellow connoisseur of all things U2)" wants to see this with me." Naturally, Reggie called me that afternoon to make plans for the movie. "I wouldn't see it with anybody else (in Chicago)," I told him. The date was set - January 25th - and the tickets were purchased.

Having seen the band perform live many times in many places, I have to admit that I wondered how the 3D experience would improve upon seeing them as I already had, up close and personal in the general admission floor section or really good lower level seats. Before Reggie and I made our way into the theater we each tried to recall the last 3D movie we had actually seen. Reggie recalled seeing something on local television growing up, a monster movie type thing. I honestly could not remember the last 3D movie I had seen, period. I'll say this, the glasses we got were a far cry from the flimsy white cardboard ones with the colored lenses we all remember as kids, used to see forgettable films like "Jaws 3-D" and "Friday the 13th: Part 3" in 3D. The glasses were plastic and big "Kanye West style" looking things as I noted to Reggie, clad in his Elevation Tour t-shirt. I was wearing mine from the Vertigo Tour.

With footage shot at nine concerts during the 4th and 5th legs of the Vertigo Tour in South America/Australia in early 2006, the film utilizes cutting edge "3ality" technology featuring high definition, multi-camera rigs, real time filming with zoom lenses, robotic control and integrated digital processing. The result was nothing short of breathtaking and from the moment the title of the film dropped down in front of me, so close I felt as if I could reach out and touch it, I was totally hooked. The first few minutes of the film the cameras sweep around frequently, from the top of the jam-packed stadium all the way down to the stage, hovering over Larry Mullen's drum kit, behind Bono's microphone stand and peeking over the heads of the fans as beer sprayed and arms waved. And I felt like I was right in the middle of it.

At various points during the show the cameras would come in tight on one of the band members, such as guitarist The Edge, standing six stories tall, and when he walked towards the camera you literally felt like he was going to burst out of the screen. It was like having him do a solo for you in your living room, except if your living room was the size of a small building and he was the size of King Kong. Having played the drums I also enjoyed watching Larry Mullen's technique in high definition, such as the way he used the timpani (kettle drum) at the begining of "Where the Streets Have No Name." I noted to Reggie that the picture detail was so good that I could actually read the name (Gretsch) off of the neck of Bono's guitar at one point. And with the audio in 5.1 Surround Sound there were literally times when I could have sworn that audience members in the back were cheering when it was actually crowd noise from the film.

Highlights of the show itself included a rousing version of "Miss Sarajevo" with Bono in full operatic tenor out on one of the curving walkways that came out from the main stage. It was also pretty cool when the cameras swept over to and then hovered over The Edge as he played keyboards during "New Year's Day." You could not have had a better view if you were sitting next to him while he played. Awesome. The way that the filmmakers integrated the video screens with the actual performers was neat, too, like when Bono would be singing with his video screen likeness right next to him.

When the show ended, Reggie and I talked about how neat it would have been to see past U2 concert films such as "Rattle and Hum" or "Under a Blood Red Sky/Live at Red Rocks" in 3D. We also agreed that the bar has been raised for all concert films that come out after this one, a truly amazing visual and audio experience that any U2 fan must seek out at once. Seriously, drop what you're doing right now and go to the nearest IMAX theater. You'll be glad you did.

U2 Set List - U2 3D

Vertigo
Beautiful Day
New Year's Day
Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own
Love and Peace or Else
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet the Blue Sky
Miss Sarajevo / Reading of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Pride (In the Name of Love)
Where the Streets Have No Name
One

First encore
The Fly
With or Without You

Second encore/End credits
Yahweh