In this week’s edition of Dusting ‘Em Off, Staff Writer Josh Terry revisits Under A Blood Red Sky, U2’s mini live album, for its 30th anniversary. Three decades later, the record serves as a time capsule of a much smaller band with unparalleled aspirations — just four young Dubliners caught amidst a rainy day in Colorado. Of course, it’s become something far greater than that.



It’s 2013, and U2 has long established itself as a worldwide brand, almost as recognizable as McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, or Apple. In fact, U2 was near-indistinguishable from Apple in the mid-aughts with their U2-themed iPod and Spanglish-stained “Vertigo” soundtracking the iPod commercials. Yet even in their humble beginnings in 1976, the long-haired Dublin teenagers consisting of Paul “Bono” Hewson, Adam Clayton, David “The Edge” Evans, and Larry Mullens Jr. wanted to be the biggest band in the world. After a string of three albums, they embarked on their first ever tour in 1983 as full-time headliners, supporting their latest and most-acclaimed album yet, War. The live album from that tour, Under A Blood Red Sky, celebrates its 30th anniversary this week. It documents a band on the brink of stardom but without elaborate stage setups or world leaders on speed-dial. It would go on to sell millions of copies, pushing U2 to be the huge rock band they had pretended to be.

Releasing their debut Boy in 1980, U2 differentiated themselves from their influences, with a soaring collection of autobiographical songs dealing with the loss of innocence and specifically, the loss Bono’s mother, who passed away in 1974. Though emotionally resonant on songs like “I Will Follow” and “Out of Control”, lyrically Boy wasn’t all there yet—mainly due to Bono taking cues from Iggy Pop, who would improvise lyrics while performing. Still, Boy was an auspicious start to what would be a behemoth of a career, with the press already rapturous about the quartet. Their follow-up, October, briefly let the air out of their bubble. While it had its moments, it was marred by stolen lyrics sheets and music just weeks before recording. Because of this, October felt unfinished. In 1983, their third record, War, was the statement U2 was trying to make, and it boosted them to a #1 spot on the British charts and a steady top 20 position on the US charts throughout the year.

Beginning an infatuation with the American landscape, evident on later releases like The Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum, U2 looked to their Denver tour stop to record and videotape a concert at Red Rocks, an especially scenic venue placed in a rock structure just outside of Denver. The tour hit a snag as it was pouring rain before the show—so much so that cancellation was a possibility. In fact, openers The Alarm and Divinyls didn’t even play. Having too much money put into the production, U2 pressed on even though only a little over half of the sold-out crowd showed up. What followed was a rousing performance—typical of U2—one that Rolling Stone ended up placing in its Top 50 Moments in Rock History.

Surprisingly, Under The Blood Red Sky takes its recordings from three separate concerts. “Gloria” and “Party Girl” were the only songs recorded at Red Rocks, while the rest were later recorded in Germany, and only “11 O’Clock Tick Tock” recorded at a stop in Boston earlier that year. It was a smart move to condense the set and release only a mini-LP. Instead of putting out a full concert, the band carefully chose 8 songs that represented their promising early discography. It’s sequenced out of order, with “Gloria”, a cut taken from the later half of the Red Rocks set, placed as opener. It fits, as it opened October, but more than that, the song serves as a perfect example of Bono’s exceptional ability to work a crowd—so much so that it’s possible to hear the audience singing along to its Latin-sung chorus. It’s easy to make fun of U2 for their sermons and severity, but this soaked Colorado audience was eating it up—and having a hell of a lot more fun than the cynics. The album even featured two B-sides, “Party Girl” and “11 O’Clock Tick Tock”, but it’s hard to tell considering the crowd reaction and the band’s energetic performances, which make it easy to visualize Bono strutting on stage.

Renowned producer Jimmy Iovine worked the eight tracks on Under A Blood Red Sky. Perfectly adept at capturing the intensity and church-like atmosphere of U2 shows, Iovine blended the crisp instrumentations with the euphoric sounds of the raving audiences. Like on most U2 releases, The Edge stands out with his shimmering, minimalist guitar inspired by the wizardry of Pink Floyd and Television. On “I Will Follow”, U2’s first Boy single, and Under The Blood Red Sky selection, the Edge proves he’s the foundation of the band with his driving riffs, filling space with highly textured atmospherics. Given the extent to which the War tracks stand out compared to their earlier material, it’s no surprise that “New Year’s Day” is one of the most memorable offerings off the EP. Also, in an album full of anthemic, fist-pumping rally cries, “Sunday Bloody Sunday” still hits the heaviest, with Bono giving the song the emotional gravitas it deserves. War closer “40” ends Under A Blood Red Sky, with Clayton’s rolling bassline and Bono’s pastoral vocals, ending on a fitting note with a crowd sing-along.

Footage of the full Red Rocks gig was released a year later on VHS as U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under A Blood Red Sky. MTV caught on to the emotional performance of “Sunday Bloody Sunday”, featuring Bono waving a white-flag as a statement to end the conflict in Northern Ireland, and it received constant rotation throughout the year. Watching the tape, Bono exudes charisma, though the severity with which he takes himself makes the performance a bit overwrought—especially in light of the goofy ’80s hairstyles sported by the band. In an unintentionally hilarious moment, Bono gleefully yelps, “Do you know who this is? This is The Edge!” before a guitar solo on opener “Out of Control”; then two songs later on “An Cat Dubh”, Bono introduces Adam Clayton, “This is the bass player!” Even with these moments, the performance is charming and enlightening, especially knowing the otherworldly status of the band now. It’s easy to imagine this band selling out stadiums worldwide after their scenic, torch-lit set to half an audience in Colorado.

After Under The Blood Red Sky, U2 continued their speedy rise with The Unforgettable Fire and The Joshua Tree, the latter of which remains their highest-selling record to date. Though U2 is still a commanding live band even after a musically lackluster 2000s, they’re arguably even better live now considering the expansive, elaborate light shows and gaudy structures backing their performances. Now 30 years old, Under A Blood Red Sky serves as a welcome reminder of a more modest group—one that seems a tad understated compared to the pretentiousness displayed on their 1988 concert film Rattle and Hum. They still had the excellent flag-waving anthems and a little bit of the pomposity, but then they didn’t have the record sales or the worldwide support to back them up. It works because to those burgeoning Irish rockstars, all that didn’t matter.