U2 Show

This is a great well illustrated book about U2. It does cover the art of Touring. It describes how U2 has basically had a theme, that changes decade by decade. In the beginning, in the 1980's, they were basically searching for a theme through the following albums: "Boy", "The Unfogetable Fire", "October, "The Joshua Tree", "War", and the "Rattle & Hum". In the 1980's, it seems their theme was a kinda "Angry" theme, with such songs as "Bullet the Sky", "Sunday Bloody Sunday". Then in the 1990's the theme changed, and their first album of the 1990's was "Acthung Baby". And this album set the "theme" for the 1990's ablums, such as "Zooropa",and "Pop". Then in the 2000's they started off with "All That You Can't Leave Behind", and this set the "theme" that was a more Christian oriented theme, than the prior themes. It was around this time when Bono's Father died. This usured in the "Elavation" Tours of the 2000's. More albums with that "theme" followed with "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb", which includes the song "Vertigo". Overall, this is a great book, if you're a U2 fan. It covers others details of the "Art of Touring". It also covers "Tour" personnel who work behind the scenes. So if you like U2, and what I have described, you should like this book, and in that context, I recommend it. Thanks, and May God Bless!!!!

The best photographically based U2 publication since BP Fallon's 1994 book Faraway, So Close!, U2 Show follows the Irish band moving from `70s pub gigs through to gargantuan stadium bills. Lovingly detailed with candid shots backstage, Bono's early scaffold climbing antics and images from their first Australian tour in 1984, U2 Show also comes up trumps with its notation by numerous crew who have worked the lights, checked the sound and designed the stage over the years. The testimonials by everyone from Brian Eno through to Anton Corbijn prove a strong family ethos has been present in U2's inner circle from the beginning. While the pages of reports from stage technicians and sound engineers can sometimes be a little heavy going at the tail end of this tome and there's more proofing errors than a quality official book like this should contain, there's plenty of insider information that will impress fans of Dublin's finest.

This is the kind of book that any U2 fan would treasure forever. It currently has pride of place on my bookshelf and I never tire of picking it up and looking at the marvellous photography or reading the fascinating and detailed articles that cover essentially every aspect of U2's touring history that you could ever wish to know. The depth of information is amazing and presents one of the most intriguing and vivid insights to date on the finest live band in the world. What's more, the price is exceptionally good for the quality of the product. I would have expected it to be at least double or triple the price. If you are interested in U2 and haven't bought this book yet, do so now. You won't regret it.

If you have any interest in what happens to make a U2 concert happen, by the crew members, designers, and band, this is the book for you. It is not only a backstage pass to most of U2's greatest tours, it is also a technical approach to a technical process. Pictures are pretty good too, but don;t purchase this book if you want some old photos from long-gone tours; buy this book if you want to read about the tours. This would be a good book for someone interested in becoming a "roadie" or stage crew member, and all the like, for it talks a lot about how and why the tours were as they were. It will require a lot of reading, so don't thing it is a simple page turner. If you love U2, want to know more about their tours, from the inside out, this book is for you. Get ready to read!