Under a Blood Red Sky (Live) [Remastered]

By 1983, U2 had developed a reputation as being one of the most ambitious and soul-stirring live acts in the world. While its studio albums certainly expressed the great breadth of the band’s sound and vision, it seemed time for U2 to let those that hadn’t yet made it to the arena find out what they were missing. Sure enough, landmark tunes such as “Gloria,” “New Year’s Day,” and “Sunday Bloody Sunday” immediately gain more aggression and sound more anthemic as they’re paraded out in front of gushing fans who spur the band’s adrenaline to impressive performance heights. While much attention is deservedly paid to Bono and his histrionic gestures and quantum faith in music as a healer of the scars, this live collection spotlights the band’s much underrated rhythm section, as bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. anchor these songs with a ferocity that enables the band to tear it up even when handling a song as sweet and yearning as “40.”