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Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky

U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky
A red background encompasses most of the shot. In the lower left corner is a shadowy silhouette from the side of a man crouching down, holding a microphone to his mouth and a flag into the air. Written in grey text in the upper right corner are the words "U2 – Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky".
Video by U2
Released 1984 (1984)
Recorded 5 June 1983, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, Colorado
Genre Rock, post-punk
Length 55:00
Label Island
Director Gavin Taylor
Producer Rick Wurpel, Doug Stewart
U2 chronology
U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky
(1984)
The Unforgettable Fire Collection
(1985)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmovie 4.5/5 stars
The New York Times favourable
Philadelphia Daily News favourable
The Advertiser (2008) 2.5/5 stars
Pitchfork Media (2008) 9/10
PopMatters (2008) 8/10
Record Collector (2008) 4/5 stars
Rocky Mountain News (2008) A+
The Sunday Telegraph /
Sunday Herald Sun (2008)
5/5 stars

U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky is a concert film by Irish rock band U2. It was recorded on 5 June 1983 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, United States, on the group's War Tour. Originally released in 1984 on videocassette, U2 Live at Red Rocks was the band's first video release. It accompanied a 1983 live album entitled Under a Blood Red Sky, on which two tracks from the film appear. The video was directed by Gavin Taylor and produced by Rick Wurpel and Doug Stewart.

The film was arranged by U2 management to showcase the band's live act and to promote them to American audiences. It depicts the band's performance at Red Rocks on a rain-soaked evening. The concert was almost cancelled because of the inclement weather, but the band had invested in the filming with Island Records and concert promoter Barry Fey and wished to proceed with the gig. The rain and the torch-lit atmosphere of the surroundings made U2's performance dramatic. Segments of U2 Live at Red Rocks were shown in regular rotation on MTV, and were also broadcast on other television networks.

Critics praised the concert and the video, and it subsequently became a best-seller. The video, along with Under a Blood Red Sky, helped establish U2's reputation as remarkable live performers and boosted Red Rocks' stature as a live venue. A remastered edition of U2 Live at Red Rocks was released on DVD in September 2008 with previously unreleased tracks, coinciding with a remastered edition of Under a Blood Red Sky. Rolling Stone selected the film's performance of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" as one of the "50 Moments that Changed the History of Rock and Roll".

In 1981, U2 were on their Boy Tour to promote their debut album, Boy. Following their 11 May concert at Rainbow Music Hall in Denver, concert promoter Chuck Morris took the band to the nearby Red Rocks Amphitheatre—a natural amphitheatre located between sandstone cliffs in the Rocky Mountains. Bassist Adam Clayton said, "From the moment we saw it, we were thinking, 'Some day we will play here'. It was very photogenic." U2's manager Paul McGuinness had long wanted to film the group for a concert video to highlight their success as a live act and to promote them to American audiences still unfamiliar with the Irish band. Concert promoter Barry Fey, who presented U2's shows in the southwestern United States, saw the group's potential and successfully lobbied for them to perform at Red Rocks.


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