When the dreaded words "classic" and "legends" are thrown around, it wouldn't
be surprising to hear the names U2 and Bruce Springsteen mentioned. Both
have released "classic" albums and their live performances have been described
as "legendary". The prospect of substantial live DVD releases from each
undoubtedly had their fans salivating. I've purchased both so here's my
thoughts on them...
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: Live in New York City
U2: Elevation 2001 / Live From Boston
Both releases include 2 discs but each performer has chosen a different
approach to filling those discs. In the case of U2, they've opted to present
one full, complete show from their Elevation tour on the first disc. On the
2nd disc, they've included the bulk of the same show again, this time using
the multi angle feature. While I champion the multi-angle capabilities of the
DVD format as something every live DVD should use, U2 have chosen to use it
in an unexpected way which I'm not sure I'm completely happy with.
Instead of allowing the viewer to switch between the stage cameras, this disc
instead allows you to switch between the normal edit, a hand held camera in
the crowd (with accompanying dodgy audio) and a fixed camera in the video
directors control room. The audio of the hand held camera kept me from
watching that for very long. The control room footage is fascinating to watch, with the director barking commands at his team of cameramen (while he bops
around the room) while someone else counts through the bars of each song,
calling out "drum fill", "Edge guitar solo", "chorus" or whatever at
appropriate moments. Yes, it's fascinating to watch but it won't be the sort
of thing I expect to return to.
The Springsteen release uses the capacity of both discs much more effectively. The first disc contains the complete HBO special that was shown in the US last year. The second disc consists of 11 additional tracks, including rare
performances of obscure songs like "The Promise", "Lost in the Flood" and
"Jungleland". While I would have loved to have seen at least a few songs
with switchable camera angles on this set, given the choice between that and
more songs, I'll go with more songs every time. And when the price of the
Springsteen set is $20 less than the U2 set, I can't help but think the
Springsteen release is the better buy here.
Of course, watching a live performance is pointless if the performances are
crap. Watching both of these releases, I can't imagine that U2 or Springsteen
(accompanied by the deservedly-tagged "legendary" E Street Band) know how to
perform badly. Both seem born to strut a stage, whether it be the controlled
showmanship of Bono or the goofy mayhem of Springsteen. While a DVD
presentation of one of U2's post-Sept 11 shows in New York would be compulsive watching, this show demonstrates that the band can still deliver for a crowd
without any emotional prodding. In one sense, the presentation of the
footage from the directors room actually serves to undermine the main disc,
as you realise just how carefully choreographed the show is, even without the
big dumb props that marked their Zoo TV and Popmart tours. That's not to say
the band don't throw everything into their performance, it's just that the
moments you might enjoy as impulsive and surprising are probably anything but.
But at least you get one full show from U2. The Springsteen release is instead an edited assemblage of tracks from multiple shows at Madison Square Garden
so the occasional continuity problem is inevitable. Knowing that Springsteen
and the band usually put on a 2.5 hour show of almost non-stop music, it seems a shame that a full show couldn't have been presented on DVD as U2 have done.
Knowing that this release alters or omits key parts of the setlist that was
established over the length of the tour grates with me. Those concerns are
partly offset by inclusion of some of those missing tracks on the 2nd disc, so all is not lost.
In the hands of an ambitious director, great live performances can be turned
into dodgy live video releases. Fortunately, this is not the case with either
of the releases: both are shot very cleanly without any cheesy effects or
strange edits that would detract from the performances themselves. Both aim
for the feeling that you're right there at the front of the stage. Of course,
on video you get more than that: you get to follow Bono as he struts around
the ingenious heart-shaped walkway or you get to follow Bruce as he leads his
band around the back of the stage to greet the fans there.
Audio-wise, both discs are about as good as you could hope for. Both feature
a normal stereo track plus a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track. On the U2 disc
I occasionally felt that Bono's voice needed to be further forward in the mix
slightly but others would probably argue it sounds just fine. While the U2
mix is generally good, the Springsteen mix is probably better. Not only do you see Clarence Clemons standing stage left and Miami Steve standing stage right, that's where you hear them too. When Bruce rips into a guitar solo, you hear
it loud and clear, front and center. For both shows, the rear speakers mostly
just provide crowd ambience and some echo to give a sense of the indoor nature of both venues. Unfortunately, these venues weren't intimate jazz venues but
then, these bands don't exactly play jazz. :-)
Finally, both sets feature some "bonus" features. The most notable on the U2
release is the "making-of" documentary which I would rate as excellent. It's
well written, presented in good humour but details the whole shooting process
in an interesting way. Maybe you could criticise it for not talking with the
band themselves, but I'd argue they wisely knew the best people to talk to
about how the concert was shot were the people who did the shooting and
editing. The only legitimate quibble with the documentary is the fact that
it's on the 1st disc, which launches directly into the concert when you insert it and it initially had me wondering where the doco was buried.
The Springsteen features only one significant "extra", a documentary which
discusses the band, the tour and the NYC shows. Unlike the U2 effort, it
feels more like something that was designed to promote the band instead of
explaining how the tour came about. Including short clips of rare songs which
do not appear on either disc makes you wish they'd ditched the documentary
idea altogether and instead given us those performances in their entirety.
So, after all that, are these worth buying? Yes, certainly. Both are compelling watching and they're quality presentations of the experience of seeing these
performers in a live setting. I'm not a big fan of the origami-like cardboard
packaging of the U2 release (it's annoying and probably won't wear well) but
that's hardly reason to avoid purchasing it altogether. Assuming you're going
to enjoy the performances on each, I'd choose the Springsteen release as the
best of the two. It's cheaper, has more music and if you're careful with your
purchase, you can get the 2 track bonus CD which accompanies some copies.
