The Package Arriveth
Some of you will remember this post. Not as colossal as my $200 purchase from a couple of months ago, but still exciting because it combined two of my favorite things: 007 and U2. At any rate, it arrived this evening, just before 17:00. So far I've listened to most of the 007 CD, and I've watched about half of the Vertigo Tour Live in Chicago vid.
Having watched half of the U2 vid, and having seen the rest of the lineup, I can counter the opinion of my distinguished friend and colleague, Sarah Canuck. Of the U2 performances I've seen on film, this is one of the weakest. There are some great performances, to be sure; the opening with The City of Blinding Lights is excellent, and the performances of Vertigo and Elevation are good. Unfortunately, I can detect very little connection between the band and the audience, even with Adam Clayton's uncharacteristic walk down the ovular runway.
I'm also unsatisfied with the song lineup. Sarah Canuck was ecstatic that they played so many songs from their debut album. Not only do they ignore the vast majority of their material from the '90's (eliminating Wake Up Dead Man, Stay (Faraway, So Close!), and Gone from the lineup we saw on the last tour), they play relatively obscure songs that haven't ever been a hallmark of their concert magic, Zoo Station being the one big example that comes to mind. I also would have traded any of the songs from the current album, save for the opener, for a performance of Until the End of the World; since 1991, a U2 concert has been incomplete without a performance of this song. Just as bad is the completely lackluster, overproduced version of my eponymous song, The Fly.
Like I said before, I haven't seen it all the way through, and that connection to the crowd could appear, and elements of their performances of Where the Streets Have No Name, Yahweh, and "40" could sweep me off my feet; but all indications are that U2 did not have the magic in Chicago in 2005 that they had in Boston in 2001.
The Bond CD, I like. There's not much to mess up on it, and there's not the high expectations: theme songs, some good, some very good, a couple unimpressive. I listened to almost the entire thing while reading "The Property of a Lady" from Octopussy and The Living Daylights down at a local coffee house over a couple of cups of Irish breakfast tea. And, basically, that's what went right today.
Tomorrow I've got a lot of ass to kick, figuratively speaking. Thursday Father Time and I are going on an expedition. Friday... I don't know what Friday holds at this point, but you'd better believe that you'll be kept posted.
And, for what it's worth, I'm still waiting on my miracle, even if Father Time thinks that I just need to find my Tao or my inner looking glass or something.
Having watched half of the U2 vid, and having seen the rest of the lineup, I can counter the opinion of my distinguished friend and colleague, Sarah Canuck. Of the U2 performances I've seen on film, this is one of the weakest. There are some great performances, to be sure; the opening with The City of Blinding Lights is excellent, and the performances of Vertigo and Elevation are good. Unfortunately, I can detect very little connection between the band and the audience, even with Adam Clayton's uncharacteristic walk down the ovular runway.
I'm also unsatisfied with the song lineup. Sarah Canuck was ecstatic that they played so many songs from their debut album. Not only do they ignore the vast majority of their material from the '90's (eliminating Wake Up Dead Man, Stay (Faraway, So Close!), and Gone from the lineup we saw on the last tour), they play relatively obscure songs that haven't ever been a hallmark of their concert magic, Zoo Station being the one big example that comes to mind. I also would have traded any of the songs from the current album, save for the opener, for a performance of Until the End of the World; since 1991, a U2 concert has been incomplete without a performance of this song. Just as bad is the completely lackluster, overproduced version of my eponymous song, The Fly.
Like I said before, I haven't seen it all the way through, and that connection to the crowd could appear, and elements of their performances of Where the Streets Have No Name, Yahweh, and "40" could sweep me off my feet; but all indications are that U2 did not have the magic in Chicago in 2005 that they had in Boston in 2001.
The Bond CD, I like. There's not much to mess up on it, and there's not the high expectations: theme songs, some good, some very good, a couple unimpressive. I listened to almost the entire thing while reading "The Property of a Lady" from Octopussy and The Living Daylights down at a local coffee house over a couple of cups of Irish breakfast tea. And, basically, that's what went right today.
Tomorrow I've got a lot of ass to kick, figuratively speaking. Thursday Father Time and I are going on an expedition. Friday... I don't know what Friday holds at this point, but you'd better believe that you'll be kept posted.
And, for what it's worth, I'm still waiting on my miracle, even if Father Time thinks that I just need to find my Tao or my inner looking glass or something.
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