U2: PopMart Live from Mexico City (Limited Edition)
by David Mallet
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: U2Director: David Mallet
Brand: Universal Studios
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 126 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-09-18
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Island Records/Interscope/UMe
Product features:
- Since becoming wildly popular in the 1980s, Irish band U2's sound has grown from a raw, soulful rock to a more electronica-tinged, experimental brand of pop. In line with this, U2's stage act has grown into a showcase of lavish special effects, cutting-edge sound, and spectacular multimedia enhancement. POPMART features Bono and the band performing live in Mexico City in support of their 1
Movie Reviews of U2: PopMart Live from Mexico City (Limited Edition)
Movie Review: One Awesome Show
Summary: 5 Stars
I can't believe it's been nearly 10 years. I recorded the audio of this off of Showtime the night of the concert. (The first hour was simulcast on MTV.) When it came out, I got the vhs video - just in time to make a new set of cassettes, as the first ones I made had broken. And now, finally, the DVD.
I had been a fan of U2 before this night in December 1997 but this show made me a superfan. If this was an "off night", as some have said, I wouldn't have it any other way. I love this performance and I can hardly stand to hear the songs sung any other way. Either live or studio.
It took me a long time to like "Mofo", the long, strange techno dance song from the Pop album which opens the show. I used to skip over it and go directly to the more familiar "I Will Follow". Nowadays I look forward to hearing it.
You have to keep in mind, at this point in their careers, at least from my own vantage point, it looked like the band had something to prove. They'd been lambasted for years. First for being too dour and preachy, and then with Pop for being too silly and lightweight. Too "disco". Or whatever. Bono comes out with a crew cut which, to me, meant that he was starting from scratch. New growth. New beginnings.
The show really kicks in to gear, I feel, with "Gone" - which takes the album version to a new level. "Even Better Than the Real Thing" is next followed by the similarly themed "Last Night On Earth" and "Until the End of the World". Bono plays around with the lyrics here, turning "End of the World" into a confessional. He's the one at the party bringing everybody down, talking about doom and gloom - it makes more sense this way as he sees himself here, apparently, as trying to repent a little and loosen up.
Another classic, "New Years Day" - really hot version of this one, as we head over into the most excellent version of "Pride (In the Name of Love". Bono's voice is touching, more moving than usual here with this all time classic. Which leads us to "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" - again, even better than the album versions, especialy at the end with the audience singing. If I remember right, they were probably getting a cue from the MTV truck at this point, as the first hour was coming to a close. They riff around for a minute or two and it's literally spine tingling hearing Bono sing with this loud, worshipful crowd. They move into "All I Want is You", which I like live anyway because the original has all that needless movie orchestration. I could never appreciate this song until I heard it live.
A hot version of "Desire" follows, along with a haunting version of "Staring at the Sun". Bono leaves the stage as Edge takes a beautiful solo turn with the slower version of "Sunday, Bloody, Sunday".
If you had no other reason to consider buying this DVD, "Bullet the Blue Sky" on this disc is worth the 20 bucks all on its own. I out and out hated this song for some reason until I heard it here. Bono takes his time with the dramatic speaking bit and it works really well. There was something edited off the original broadcast here, as Bono started ad-libbing pieces of West Side Story. I guess they couldn't get the rights for distribution or something, but I still remember it from the original show.
"Please" is awesome here as Bono implores believers everywhere to stop worshipping for a while and "get up off your knees" and do something good in the world. Bono as modern day Old Testament prophet works for me. This segs very nicely into "Where the Streets Have No Name".
There's a short break and the band comes back with "Lemon". Still not one of my favorites but I give them props for trying to have some fun. "DIscoteque" is an appropriate followup here and "If You Wear That Velvet Dress" slows things down a little. Bono's dancing with a girl from the audience and she almost goes to sit down when the song ends but he keeps her for another one: "With or Without You". Bono's voice is breaking a little at this point in the show but it works really well with the tender lyrics. It might have been cheesy if his voice was in perfect shape.
Another short regrouping and we're back with the Batman song, which really rocks here. "Mysterious Ways" gets revamped a bit but it was so overplayed when it was new, I still can't listen to it much. Bono asks the crowd, "What do you want"? The obvious answer: "One" - which he dedicates to the late INXS singer,Michael Hutchence, who had just recently passed away, less than a month before this concert. As much as "One" was played out, it never gets old to me and this version of the song is so moving, it's irresistable.
The show closes quietly with "Wake Up, Dead Man", another in a series of quasi religious songs U2 had recorded for the underappreciated Pop album.
For me, U2 had never sounded this good and, really, though I am a self-professed superfan thanks to this special performance, I don't think they've managed to sound this good since then. I keep up with them and I buy everything they do - and some of it is pretty spectacular - but I wish they had the same level of energy and excitement they had here.
Some will no doubt disagree but I believe magic happened on this night back in 1997 and it may very well be the very best thing U2 has ever done or will ever do. When people ask me, "what's your favorite U2 album", I always say the recording from Mexico City. And coming in at a close second, "Achtung Baby".
Summary of U2: PopMart Live from Mexico City (Limited Edition)
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