On November 7th, 1983, U2 released the fantastic live album, Under a Blood Red Sky, an 8 song live album that defined U2 as a live act (yet people were still surprised when U2 played Live-Aid 2 years later). The album consists of live recordings from three shows on the band’s “War Tour”
A live recording that features real danger. When U2 played Red Rocks Amphitheatre outside Denver on June 5th, 1983, the weather was so terrible that less than half the sold out crowd showed up, and both opening acts (the Alarm and Divinyls) canceled over safety concerns. That did nothing to deter U2 and especially Bono. In 2004, guitarist The Edge told Rolling Stone that Bono “scared the shit out of me” by climbing a lighting rig to wave a white flag during “The Electric Co.,” coming close to live wires. But the real lightning came from this live album, concert film and the fog-shrouded “Sunday Bloody Sunday” music video. Even though most of Under a Blood Red Sky’s album tracks came from shows in Boston and Germany, the Red Rocks visuals stand as U2’s last moment of young, ragged glory before mega-stardom set in. “It was a benchmark,” said Adam Clayton.
You can watch the accompanying concert film “U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky“, whose release helped establish U2’s reputation for putting pathos into their live performances, and one particular performance—that of the track “Sunday Bloody Sunday”, is considered by some to be of the greatest moments in Rock and Roll.
Tracklist:
Gloria
11 O’Clock Tick Tock
I Will Follow
Party Girl
Sunday Bloody Sunday
The Electric Co.
New Year’s Day
40″
The Fat Angel Sings 