Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12488 in DVD
• Released on: 2001-11-26
• Rating: Exempt
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Colour, DVD-Video, Live, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 107 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
After the huge lavish spectacles of previous tours, U2 decided to tone things down a bit for Elevation, which accompanied their All That You Can't Leave Behind album. Just as the album marked a return to a simpler more stripped-down sound, so the live shows did away with the glitter-ball lemons and huge stadiums, returning to smaller venues and all-together more intimate shows. From the small stage with its heart-shaped walkway, and a minimum of special effects, the emphasis is on the music, and from start to finish Elevation provides a welcome reminder of what a great band U2 are. Recorded in Boston, the show features a healthy mixture of new and old tracks, which--considering they were written over the course of two decades--sound as fresh and relevant as ever. From classics such as "Sunday Bloody Sunday", "Where the Streets Have No Name" and "I Will Follow" right up to instant favourites such as "Beautiful Day" and "Elevation", every track is stunningly executed. If you saw the concerts, this is a worthy lasting souvenir, if you didn't, watch this recording and you'll be kicking yourself that you didn't go.

On the DVD: With the full concert on the first disc, the second one contains a wealth of superb extras. For starters there's the "Another Perspective", which enables you to watch the concert from alternative points of view--the "Fancam" (from the heart of the crowd ensconced within the heart-shaped walkway) and the "Directorcam" (from the production office where director Hamish Hamilton creates his masterpiece). There's also a Road Movie, which gives a time-lapse photography look behind the scenes of a day on the road, and an insight into how to turn an empty, cold impersonal indoor arena into an intimate, spectacular concert venue. It also includes some alternative live takes of some of the key tracks from the album, including a fantastic performance of "Beautiful Day" from the rooftops of Dublin. With the concert offered in a choice of sound ratios (Dolby 5.1, PCM Stereo) the songs sound even greater. As concert DVDs go, Elevation is a definite benchmark. --Helen Marquis

DVD Description
Tracklisting:

Elevation
Beautiful Day
Until The End Of The World
Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of
Kite
Gone
New York
I Will Follow
Sunday Bloody Sunday
In A Little While
Desire
Stay (Faraway, So Close)
Bad
Where The Streets Have No Name
Bullet The Blue Sky
With Or Without You
The Fly
Wake Up Dead Man
Walk On

Aspect: 4:3
Sound: Dolby 5.1, PCM Stereo
1 Hour 46 mins Live Concert
Language: English

Synopsis
One of the most famous rock bands in the world, Ireland's U2 have refused to accept their incredible success with complacency and laziness. Rather than stagnating and continuing to pump out songs based on a formula that has proven amazingly popular, the band continue to grow and innovate, taking a particular interest in the possibilities of technology. ELEVATION is a concert film which captures Bono and the boys live in Boston in 2001. Directed by Hamish Hamilton with 20 cameras, the film is an interactive experience which lets the viewer dictate different perspectives and angles of viewing. U2 perform 19 of their best tunes, including "I Will Follow," "Sunday Bloody Sunday," "Until the End of the World," and "Beautiful Day."

Customer Reviews

Takes you back to a moment that you don't want to get out of
For those not lucky enough to have seen the tour in person, this gives a better insight into the raw emotion of a U2 gig than either ZOO TV or PopMart ever could. As you watch, you feel as if you can reach out and touch Bono or The Edge so palpable is the involvement you feel.

All the old faves are here, from Bad to a stunning version of "Sunday Bloody Sunday", which gives a feeling of what we missed at the Arnheim gig, where the whole crowd sang along. Even the newer songs have a special meaning live, none more so than "Stuck in a moment" and "Elevation" (which saw us drowning out the band - imagine that, 20,000 people drowning out U2's PA)

Whatever you're involvement with U2, from hardened fan to casual listener, after watching this you are left in no doubt that this is the biggest band on the planet and anytime you want to question that, they will be more than happy to prove it to you.

ENJOY

Simply Brilliant
Ive seen U2 three times now, from Zoo TV through Popmart and now Elevation 2001. I thought they were absolutely brilliant on this last tour because of its full on 'concentration'if you like.. on their music rather than the visuals of the past tours. This DVD quite simply proves that fact right from the off. Bono knows how to work the crowd, and the band as always, deliver. Bono is the only rock showman (of a dying breed) left now i reckon, he does it very well. Every song has that extra edge (pun not intentional) about it, from 'Elevation' itself right through to the finale of 'Walk on'. The standout performances are (in my opinion) 'Bullet The Blue Sky', U2's attack on gun culture in the U.S.A. ...look out for a fab lyrical outburst from Bono on there, and the other track that stands out, is the rolling thunder that is 'The Fly' a great intro that suddenly bursts into life with that hard-hitting guitar riff giving the track an extra dimension. But I could say something about all the tracks on this DVD. 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' always superb, 'Desire' with the band altogether at the front of the 'heart' brilliant. 'I Will Follow' rocks to the rooftops and beyond. 'Kite' which for me ranks with the greatest song of the nineties, that is 'One' from Achtung Baby, is just class. You can't go wrong buying this. A brilliant band, in superb form, proving that they are still way ahead of everyone.

Relive the elevation
I have been eagerly awaiting the release of this DVD ever since I experienced Elevation 2001 live at Earl's Court in August of this year. While I had seen U2 live before, in Zooropa 93, Elevation was a vastly superior show, and one which has much greater resonance in my memory.

So, while this is a five-star DVD - great sound, picture, good tracklisting (but sadly no "One"), and lots of extra features - it doesn't even come close to capturing the experience of seeing this band live on their most recent tour.

That obviously sounds like a cliche - when does a concert video ever replicate the experience of a concert? But I think it is especially true in this case. I have seen videos of tours that I have attended, and have often thought that they captured the atmosphere pretty well. But Elevation 2001 was on a wholly different plane for me - it reached pinnacles of ecstasy and emotion, and was a genuinely spiritual experience. No concert video could ever match that.

Having said that, the DVD is one of the few ways I have of reliving the experience, and there is no doubt that U2 has power even on the small screen. So to all of those who see the DVD and think that it looks amazing, you're right - this is a great DVD.

But believe me, it's nothing compared to the real thing.