For all of their innovation in the studio, it is impossible to fully grasp U2’s body of work without considering their live show. They are the posterboys for arena rock, which is less a genre than it is a touring designation, and a cursory look at any of their live shows will show you why. Even if you don’t consider their inventive use of multimedia elements (see: ZooTV, US 360º Tour, their recent residency at The Sphere), the electricity of the four Irishmen is often enough to captivate crowds in the tens of thousands.
On Under a Blood Red Sky, their first live record, they hadn’t yet become the entertainment juggernauts they would pupate into. However, the energy the group brings to the stage is palpable through the speakers.
The tracklist is a little surprising—only three songs are present from the recently released War, while two non-album singles fill in the A-side. “Party Girl” specifically seems an odd inclusion for two reasons. First, it was a B-side rather than a proper single. Second because the Edge very noticeably loses his place during his solo, and is saved by Bono yelling “guitar hero!” and leading the crowd in a wordless singalong of the solo’s melody.
But the song selection isn’t enough to distract from the power of the group. While they never shied away from studio embellishments, Under a Blood Red Sky proves that they didn’t really need them. Granted, it’s only The Edge that has a significant change, as many of his album parts are built with overdubs, but the songs never sound anemic. Rather, the more minimalist arrangements somehow create even more space in the songs, which already sounded huge. Of special note is the live version of “40,” their de facto finale for years. This version features Edge on Bass and Adam on guitar, and each member leaves the stage individually while the crowd continues singing.
The real impact of Under a Blood Red Sky though was in its companion film, which documented one of their three performances at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The performance in question was nearly canceled due to rain, but U2 decided that since they already hired the camera crew, they might as well go through with it. It proved to be a powerful image, and the video of the group performing “Sunday Bloody Sunday” in a storm found constant replay on the fledgling MTV, launching U2 into the next echelon of notoriety.