Dear U2 (Regarding the upcoming DVD 'U2360° at the Rose Bowl')

Read my reviews of opening U2 Chicago shows last September here and here.

Dear U2:
You have done a damn fine job of documenting your history (both good and bad) and almost never purposely hide something (including Bono's mullet from 1983, you can see it in all of its glory on the Under A Blood Red Sky DVD which came out a few years ago). It's incredibly admirable from every tour since 1983 (with the exception of the 1984-1985 The Unforgettable Fire tour) has been documented in a visual format and with the release of the Rose Bowl DVD, every tour will be available for purchase on DVD. But can you please tell us why every release seems to have at least one song missing? The Slane DVD from 2001 added "Mysterious Ways" as a bonus track, the Chicago Vertigo DVD omitted "Party Girl" even though it was performed during both shows that were filmed. The Zoo TV DVD omitted "Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World", four songs were cut from the Boston 2001 dvd, the Vertigo Milan show was cut in half and paired with a special edition of an album that was difficult to find and the 1987 concert included in The Joshua Tree box set omitted the opening song, "Stand By Me".

For a band of your size and stature, you have handled your legacy and your recorded output better than anyone. However, it's frustrating to see you come so close to perfection and then blow it. Now with the release of the Rose Bowl DVD, it's come to our attention that the show's opener, "Breathe" will be omitted from the DVD but available on a deluxe (and more expensive) 2 disc version. Why?

I understand that some DVD's get shifted and songs get dropped for the 5.1 sound, alas, it's cutting up your legacy and leaving an imperfect and incomplete document for the remainder of time to be viewed. Plus, over 10-million people watched the YouTube broadcast of this show, so it's not like people won't realize that a song is missing. More importantly, "Breathe" is one of the better songs on your last album. If you had to cut a song for the 5.1 sound, why not "Boots", easily one of the worse singles of your career.

I love you guys and you come so close to perfection, why not go that extra step and secure history the way it happened? You wouldn't cut out a family member from pictures, would you?

Sincerely,
Tony Kuzminski

Full Press Release For U2360° at the Rose Bowl

U2: U2360° at the Rose Bowl will be heading to Blu-ray and DVD on the following dates:
UK on June 7 2010
US on June 3, 2010 (both through Mercury Records)


Captured live in front of 97,000 fans at Pasadena’s Rose Bowl in 2009 in support of their tour for the Grammy-nominated album No Line on the Horizon, the full-HD production utilized 27 HD cameras and was directed by Tom Krueger who had previously worked on U23D, the first live action 3D concert movie taken from U2’s Vertigo Tour.

The release will be available in four different iterations:

Single-Disc Blu-ray Edition (includes exclusive BD Live bonus feature. Video footage from the forthcoming 2010 US and European Tour will be continually updated to your player via the BD Live feature on the disc.) SRP $21.95:

Track list:

Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
Mysterious Ways
Beautiful Day
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of
No Line On The Horizon
Elevation
In A Little While
Unknown Caller
Until the End of the World
The Unforgettable Fire
City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight
Sunday Bloody Sunday
MLK
Walk On
One
Where The Streets Have No Name
Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
With Or Without You
Moment Of Surrender
Single-Disc DVD Edition SRP$14.95:

Track List:

Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
Mysterious Ways
Beautiful Day
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of
No Line On The Horizon
Elevation
In A Little While
Unknown Caller
Until the End of the World
The Unforgettable Fire
City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight
Sunday Bloody Sunday
MLK
Walk On
One
Where The Streets Have No Name
Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
With Or Without You
Moment Of Surrender
2-DVD Deluxe Edition SRP $21.95:

Featuring the live concert (same tracklisting as above)

Plus:

Squaring The Circle: Creating U2360 Documentary
U2360° Tour Clips
Bonus Track ‘Breathe’ (Live At The Rose Bowl)
Berlin Timelapse Video
Videos:

Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight (Animated)
I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight (Live At Barcelona)
The Making Of ‘Get On Your Boots’ Video
The Making Of ‘Magnificent’ Video
2-DVD Super Deluxe Box Set SRP $39.95:

Contains live concert plus:

2 DVD
24 page book
Poster
Set-list
Replica Tour Programme
7″ Vinyl