All language subtitles for U2 Live At Red Rocks 1983

I really believe that tonight
we'll go and make history,

at some level,
as a record of this group

and three years of our careers...
well, it's three albums, it's more years.

And I think this venue, because this is...

This is not Europe.

This is a real statement
about this particular part of the country.

Denver, Colorado, I mean...

I think it's beautiful.

I don't know. Do you think it's gonna light up?

I don't know. I think so.

Probably far more reflects the band
and the mood of our songs.

Because, had the sun shone,

you know, this band probably
would have looked like another band.

We might have laid back in it.
You know what I mean?

I mean it's not really U2,
lying on the beach or whatever.

And after all,
we've recorded in the snow before, so...

It's kind of dismal in Ireland, you know,

drizzly and stuff, so,
they'll be able to relate to this weather here.

It's great, the rain's great.

Well, you know,
it's kind of put a damper on things

but I think once the music
gets going it's gonna be fine.

It's gonna be great,
it's gonna be an excellent concert.

We'll still have the same problem.

When Bob Dylan did it,
they called it Hard Rain.

and made a movie,
and that's what you've got right here.

So you're all a part of history.

Thanks for bearing with us.
Hold on. God bless you.

Ladies and gentlemen,

a warm Red Rocks welcome please.

From Dublin, Ireland... U2I

It was in 1983 that I had the greatest pleasure

to direct U2 live at Red Rocks
in Denver, Colorado.

It was the most extraordinary concert, I think,
I've ever directed in my entire career.

It was very, very special.

I had previously met, for the very first time,
U2, at a concert in Gateshead,

the south of the Tyne
beside Newcastle Upon Tyne,

and they were a support band,
alongside Lords Of The New Church

supporting The Police and it was the first time
I'd ever come across them.

And they had this spectacular performance
with a tremendous amount of energy

and subsequently I met their manager,
Paul McGuinness,

and he had had this dream, as it were,

of producing U2's big show in Red Rocks,
in America, in Colorado.

As you can see, the weather conditions
that we faced were absolutely atrocious

and we went across with a very small crew
under the leadership of a chap,

a guy called Malcolm Gerrie
who's been a lifelong friend of mine.

And Malcolm Gerrie
was the producer of The Tube

which was a well-known
rock show in the Northeast of England

and he and Paul McGuinness
became good friends

and that's how it all happened
in the first place, actually.

And when I look at these pictures
after all these years, it's quite amazing.

I haven't seen some of these pictures for...
well, since 1983.

What a memoryl And what a concertl

It was very, very nearly cancelled

because the weather conditions
were so absolutely appalling.

And it was only
because U2 themselves,

the band and Paul McGuinness,

and everyone involved
took so much appreciation

from the fact that these fans
had trudged through the Rocky Mountains

in abominable weather and they were
just determined not to let them down.

And Barry Fey, the promoter, said,
"You're all a part of historyl"

And I can tell you,
those words became very, very true.

I think the most extraordinary
thing about the concert, I have to say,

was the fact that there was every chance
it was going to be cancelled.

This was...

I mean this was the beginning of U2's very,
very long journey to absolute fame.

It was the most incredible journey
and this is, I would suggest,

virtually where it started.

They weren't particularly well known
in the States, they weren't a wealthy band.

I don't think the record company were wealthy.

Barry Fey, the promoter, dug his heels in

and said, you know,
"I think this band is great," and...

particularly after the concert
had been recorded, and...

I remember there was...people were saying,
"This concert is too good for you.

"You're not going to get it."

There were names, and people were saying,

once they'd seen a small
promotional package of this, that, you know,

"You're not going to get it.
It's... This is so special."

That's how they felt about it.

They felt that something had happened
at Red Rocks and they were a part of it.

The promoters, Barry Fey and Chaz, they were
absolutely cock-a-hoop by the whole thing.

But it was so different.

I don't think America
had actually seen a concert

shot in such a raw and basic situation.

Hence the reason they said, you know,
"You can't point those cameras at the lights."

They wouldn't have done that.

They'd have said, "You can't do that.

"It goes against all technical etiquette."

It was, relatively, a small venue.

Now you're going to say,
"No, there's more than that,"

but I think there was something
in the 5,000 region.

And when you talk about Wembley,
you're looking at 90,000.

And I mean, you know, the venue was full.

It's a pilgrimage.
To reach that venue is a very, very long walk

and those fans were virtually...

When they went to the venue in the afternoon
before the concert, they were pilgrims.

That's all I can say about them.

They just walked and walked
and walked through the rain and the mist

and were soaking wet when they got there.

We, fortunately,
had four wheels to get there with

but 90% of the fans actually walked.

And I think this is one of the reasons why Bono
and the band, with hearts as big as theirs,

decided they weren't going
to let anybody down

and come what may, they were going to play

to those people who had taken the effort
to actually get there,

and give them a show and a performance
to remember, and they did, I can tell you.

I think, they felt they were going to give
the fans something really, really special.

Don't forget, this was the first time,
if you like, that U2 had performed in America

and this was the time when the fans saw
something really, really special.

More than just a concert.
As the press said in the following day,

they couldn't decide whether
it was a rock concert or a religious gathering,

which was extraordinary.

We also, with our end of the recording,
had a safety problem

because naturally
we had a major video scanner

and there was water pouring into cables

and down other cables and pipes,
and so on and so forth.

So it was quite...
We were quite concerned.

The Americans were quite concerned.

The people who were providing us
with the video truck were concerned.

But you know, it was just...

It's difficult to describe actually
the emotions and the feelings on that day

because, you know, Malcolm Gerrie
and myself and the small crew from the UK

plus the American crew that was there,

had put a huge amount of work
into producing this concert.

And I can tell you,
we weren't going to go away easily.

During the concert, and I think
it was Sunday Bloody Sunday,

there were huge flames
on either side of the stage

on the big stone pillars
which gave a most amazing effect

especially from the helicopters.

I'm sure it was either the band's,
or somebody to do with the band's,

I mean, it certainly wasn't my idea,
but it did look absolutely spectacular.

I was very surprised on the day
of the recording

that we were able to fly the helicopter.

But as the weather came in and the fog
and mist came down,

it was very, very, very last minute touch and go

whether or not that helicopter
was going to be able to fly.

You remember that the venue
is a very, very high altitude

and the air is pretty
thin up there, I can tell you.

And it was just amazing that
that helicopter actually did fly

and I will be ever grateful
to the guys that flew that helicopter

because it created a most stunning opening

and some stunning shots during the concert.

The last time I probably sat
and watched this film or this video would be

I don't know, 15 years ago,
and it's quite extraordinary.

It's also extraordinary
that anyone who's watching this

will notice that there are streaks that are burnt
onto the tube, onto the picture.

And it was something that we did,
when we did The Tube in England.

We used hand-held cameras
and they were tube cameras

and I don't want to get too technical
for the viewer

but you'll notice all these streaks on the screen
are what they call "burns"

and the American technicians
were very, very, very annoyed with us

but I felt there was no way
I was going to be able to capture

the immediacy or the energy
of their performance

without using hand-held cameras,

and you can see them in the background,

hand-held cameras as we did on
The Tube for generations

but the Americans
were not happy, I can tell you.

Now we have digital cameras
which are absolutely fine

but in those days a tube camera would...

the light source would burn
onto the front of the tube

and it would leave a trail,
you can see it all over.

But in a way, it just seemed to me
to be part of the whole magical event.

This was very much of the period
of when this was shot

that even if you did this in the studio

at Tyne Tees Television on The Tube,

the same thing happened.

And it was... If anybody
has a memory of tube cameras

or the way television was in those days,

that was how it was and to try and paint it out
would spoil the moment.

It's warts and all.

I mean the fact that
this was only shot on six cameras

is indicative of just how much energy
there was from both the crew,

the video crew, and the band.

I mean, their actions made it look as if it had,
you know, 15 blinkin' cameras.

They were everywhere
and their performance was just electric.

Adam Clayton and The Edge.

Tremendousl

I Will Follow is one of my favorite songs.

Obviously, Sunday Bloody Sunday.

I mean, actually, if you look at the set list

and you go through the songs
that they performed on that night,

I don't think that there's a single song in there

that you wouldn't say, "Blimey, that is brilliant."

"That is...
Actually, that could be one of my favorites."

You know, every song could be a favorite.

Just before U2 came on, I actually....
The truth really hit me.

There was I, a director, who worked for Tyne
Tees Television in Newcastle Upon Tyne,

was suddenly jetted off by Malcolm Gerrie
and The Tube to Denver in Colorado.

I don't think I'd been abroad more than about
two or three times in my life

and was faced with doing, or directing,

a concert that was like, beyond all my dreams

and I was absolutely scared witless.

But I had a good crew and, you know,

if you've got a good team around you
and you can manage your team

and befriend everyone or as many as you can,
it all helps.

And, you know, I've got a lot to thank
the people who worked with me on this show

and particularly the band and the cameramen
who gave some of these brilliant shots.

You know, they're shots to die for, really,

to show the relationship
between Bono and the crowd

and that's why I decided that we'd build
a thrust in front of the stage,

so there could be that relationship
and I think it really worked.

The very first time I'd sort of set foot
in that venue,

apart from the rocks that were either side,

the stage area was just extraordinarily boring

and I thought, "How on earth are we gonna
make this look exciting?"

And having known what Bono and the band
had done at Gateshead previously,

I just said, you know, "What we really need
is to put a thrust in front of the stage,

"build the stage up to a meter high

"and let him get in
and communicate with the audience,"

and so when you take shots
like we're seeing there,

you can see that relationship
and it just really, really kicks in

and that is just magical footage.

It's not them and the audience,
it's the band with the audience.

When we decided
to pick the crew for the concert,

I actually took from, Newcastle, from The Tube,

two cameramen and the guy
that's taken this shot is one of them.

And they were, if you like,
two of the key cameramen.

So I had one of my cameramen
from Newcastle on Bono, which was that shot.

And the other one was on the other side
on Adam Clayton

and they were actually the main cameras.

Unfortunately, I never had a camera
that was sort of dedicated to the drummer

which, in today's terms,
you would always have that.

And the American guys did the wider shots
which were quite easy to follow

and they would just shoot the nice pictures

and I would put those shots in
in postproduction

but these sort of shots were from the guys
that I knew and respected and worked with.

When we do the postproduction...

First of all, I... When I'm looking at pictures...

I had spent 1 4 years as a cameraman
operating a camera

and I know what a cameraman,
his job or her job is.

And it is to make the most exciting
and intimate pictures that you can

and I'm a great believer in
if you have the right people around you

and you know their capabilities
and you know their talents,

you don't have to tell them exactly what to do.

Like a shot, like that,
I couldn't take a better shot than that.

And it's just, you know,
it's their talent, it's their job,

is to make pictures and to make them exciting

and then if you have a band like U2,
the whole thing just comes together.

It becomes so easy, the band are performing,

the cameramen are performing
and everything is just fantastic.

The venue's there,
the location's there,

the mist is there,
the rain is there, the audience is there.

What more could you wish for?

And Bono's performance, electric.

Bono's breath...

All added every single part of this concert.

The rough hand-held shots,

the roughness, the rawness, the energy,

you know, there's nothing perfect.

It's not...
All these shots aren't beautiful,

they're not perfect but, by God,
they've got such a lot of emotion and energy.

OK, they're a bit wobbly, who cares?

It's... That was how it was.

Well, it's interesting...

A number of years after I'd done this concert,

I was in Australia,
and U2 were playing in Australia

and I was directing
the Australian Music Awards

and they were doing a concert.

Now, unfortunately,
they couldn't give us time to come across

to be recipients of an award
that they were given in Australia.

And I eventually learned actually, at the time,

that their concert was being covered
by 28 cameras

and I thought to myself,
"Hang on. What is this about?"

And every single camera was being recorded
onto its own record machine.

And to me, this is like, if you want to make
the difference or call the change,

I mean this is a home video
to a 26-camera shoot,

which would be, you know,
perfect in every way

but I don't think we'd have a fraction of
the energy and the commitment from the band.

I mean, these shots here are just amazing.

And the band's commitment and relationship
with the audience in 1983 like that

was to be seen to be believed.

I was doing a show in New York
and they were playing at the Yankee Stadium

and I went to see them there.

It was a different tour but it was in New York

and it was just cameras, like, for dog and man

and I thought,
"Well, hang on, there's only four on stage."

"What do you do with the other 22 cameras?"

When we got back to Newcastle,

the deal that had been arranged
with Paul McGuinness and the band

was that, because it cut both ways,

we could show the entire concert
on The Tube as a Tube Special

and we were very, very excited about that.

But unfortunately,
because there was only myself,

Malcolm Gerrie
and two cameramen who went across,

we were all members of the same union
and of course, when we got back to Newcastle,

there were all the other unions
like the electricians' union,

and the NATKE union,

the props and stage people said,
"We weren't represented over there,

"so we're blacking the whole thing."

So the concert was blacked
by the unions and at the end of the day,

we were only allowed to show,
by the grace of the unions, 15 minutes.

And that was that.

It wasn't a great deal for The Tube

and it wasn't a great deal for U2

because U2 and Paul McGuinness

obviously looked upon
The Tube broadcast in the UK

as being, like, really good promotional material.

If he was going to be able
to show this concert in its entirety

on Channel 4 in The Tube slot,

it was, "Wahey," you know.

Nothing wrong with a bit of promotional
material for the band

but it was...it was spoilt.

So it wasn't good for Paul,

it wasn't good for the band
and it wasn't good for The Tube.

When Channel 4 opened,

they were looking for a program
for young music fans

and they came to Tyne Tees Television

because we had a bit of a history
of doing good music television

and there was a chap called Mike Bolland
from Channel 4

who was the Commissioning Editor

and Jeremy Isaacs
who was the head of Channel 4

and Malcolm Gerrie and Andrea Wonfor

got themselves together
and a marriage was made,

a marriage was made in heaven

and Channel 4 decided
that Tyne Tees Television, City Road,

Newcastle upon Tyne would be the venue

for Channel 4's flagship music program

which was transmitted
every Friday night live from 5:30 to 7 o'clock

and it was presented and introduced by two
of the most great people in television,

Jools Holland and Paula Yates.

And believe you me, it ran for five years

and just about every single band on earth

wanted to play The Tube

from ZZ Top to Twisted Sister to Cliff Richard

to Tina Turner to Elton John and back again

and it was because of The Tube
that my entire career was in music concerts

and I have, a lot to thank The Tube for.

The Tube was probably
one of the most groundbreaking

live television programs
in the UK at the time.

Bands who performed on The Tube...

All right, we didn't have
the biggest TV audience in the world

but I can tell you that if a band
performed live on The Tube

and the fans liked what they saw,

the sales of that band,

their music would be certainly reflected
the following day, on the Saturday

in the shops with brilliant sales.

The Tube was groundbreaking in so much as,

first of all and most importantly, it was live.

Secondly, all the bands that performed
on The Tube, performed live.

In fact, that was an edict
that Malcolm Gerrie insisted on.

So what you saw was exactly what you got.
It was no frills.

It was live music and live television
and that was ground-breaking in the 80s.

This is just amazing.

I mean, where would you get pictures like this?

Heavens above. Just incredible.

I'm not blowing my own trumpet here,

I'm just saying, you know,
without the people that were around me,

without the weather conditions,
without his performance,

it wouldn't have been anything.

But it's just absolutely stunning.

The energy expounded there...
It's just brilliant.

It's now getting,
dusk towards dark

and if you're directing
an outdoor concert,

daylight is much, much less exciting

than when it's dark.

But, believe it or not,

with this particular concert,
because of the mist and the drizzle,

even the daylight
had its own magical appearance.

And of course now,
as you're going into the dark

where the lights, and the lighting
begin to read on camera,

you start getting
an entirely different look,

which is just superb.

His body heat in that temperature

created those amazing shots.

Heavens above.

Lighting directors
would spend a fortune

trying to create the effect
of what looks like smoke

but in fact all these effects of the lights

was because of the mist and the drizzle.

Now, about halfway through the concert,

I have to say
that Bono actually left the stage,

disappeared
for about two or three minutes

and appeared on one
of the big towers on the left of the stage.

How he ever did that
I just will never know

because when we were there
doing the recce

and deciding
how the stage was going to be built,

the oxygen in the air
was very, very thin.

You only had to walk a few steps

and you were almost breathless.

and yet Bono had fought his way
through somewhere,

how he did it, I do not know,
and climbed up.

And then performed
for the length of time he did

under those circumstances,
it was just a miraclel

He must be so fit.

Then, anyhow.

Yes, it's another one of those moments
that the director says,

"Well hang on, where's he gone?"
And nobody knows.

It was a bit like in Gateshead

where he suddenly climbed
the rigging on the stage

and just disappeared.

And we discovered him half way
up the rigging, the lighting gantry.

Amazingl

The lighting at the venue
was done by Willie Williams,

the lighting designer-stroke-lighting director

and it was all his own work.

Now there is a classic shotl A classic.

The shot that we've just seen
is an absolute classic shot,

which eventually became
the cover of the album.

I mean, stunningl
It really is stunning.

As I say, I haven't seen it
for so many years.

And I can't believe
how simple and raw it is.

And emotive.

This, that we're looking at

could never ever, ever be repeated, everl

This will go down,
and as I say, not just because of me

but because of everything,
this will go down in rock-and-roll history.

And their performance, I think,
was absolutely spot on.

And the music was fantastic.

I'm seeing stuff that I've, you know
I can't remember since the edit.

And that wasn't one
of these fancy lipstick cameras,

it was a heavy hand-held jobbie.

You can see it on the left of the frame,
there he is.

That was another thing,
we didn't really...

It never bothered us
that cameras were in shot.

Because, you know...

in 2008, you know people
are so so now familiar with cameras,

and their own home video cameras,

that you don't have to worry
about them being in shot,

they just expect them to be there,
because how else do you get those shots?

I don't think people
even notice them anymore.

As I said earlier, I think

this set list
was such a cracker of a set list

with so many songs
that it was so difficult to say,

"Well, actually,
that was my favorite song or that was."

They were all so brilliant.

I seem to remember that piano
had a really, really nice sound to it.

When this show was finished,

I think we all went out for dinner, actually,

with Paul and Malcolm
and the cameramen and the band.

And I was just...

I actually thought to myself,

"Have I really seen what I've seen?"

I mean, look at that rain coming downl

And it was only until...
not really until I got into the edit,

that I actually began to realize

just what exactly we had captured.

I mean, everything was just
almost unreal at the time.

And then when you could take stock
of what had actually happened,

you slowly...

it slowly began to dawn on you

that this was no ordinary rock concert,
that's for sure.

To actually get to the end of this,

you never knew what the next minute
was going to bring as far as weather.

I mean, we could have had something
horrendous happen on that evening

and we could have had
to have gone and re-rigged

and done the next show in Boulder
at their follow-up concert

for the fans that actually didn't come
to this particular concert.

And that would have been a nightmare

to have had to have re-rigged
and got everything set up

for the concert the next evening.

As it happened,

the next day I basically
went straight into the edit suite

because they wanted to see
what we actually had.

So I did a very hot edit
and a short promo

for people to have a look at and see
what we'd managed to get recorded.

I think when they finished this concert,
they came off stage.

I didn't actually see them
when they immediately came off stage.

I didn't seem them
until we went out for dinner.

But I think we were all so pretty shell-shocked
about what had happened

that it didn't seem to be
the main topic of conversation.

It was just like, you know, "What a reliefl"

We've done it.

And Bono, he was very, very positive
and very favorable.

But on this occasion,

when we first went to Denver
and we first arrived there,

we actually became quite good friends.

Leading up to the concert,

we would, you know, sit
in Bono's bedroom or Adam's bedroom,

and, you know, chat and talk
about what was to happen

and what was going to go on
and so on and so forth.

We were just like a bunch of friends.
It was really nice.

I thought they were great guys.

Not only great musicians
and talented performers,

but nice people.

The sound, as I understood it,

because I'm not an engineer, as it were,

but it was multi-tracked,

and the sound mixer
was a chap called Steve Lillywhite.

While we were...
After we had done the concert,

we were moved out of Denver

to a place called Caribou Ranch,
which was in the Rocky Mountains.

And in Caribou Ranch
there was a sound studio

and that's where Steve Lillywhite
mixed the sound.

I was busy in the edit suite
working away until four o'clock in the morning,

and then trying to drive up to Caribou Ranch
and find my way on my own

in this hired American car,
not having a clue where I was going to,

while Steve Lillywhite was mixing the sound.

My production assistant
and one of my cameramen

went out horse riding
while I was working my jolly little socks off.

And it would have been nice
to have gone horse riding

with an American stetson on
and going "Yee Haal"

When I was in Denver
doing the picture edit,

we did two versions.

We did version one,

which was essentially
for the UK TV broadcast,

which, as I said earlier,
didn't actually happen.

So the...
It was an hour version, an hour long,

and that became
the VHS sell-through version of the concert.

But at the same time I was there,

I edited the entire concert.

And this is probably the first time
I've seen the concert in its entirety

and I can't wait to actually sit down
and have a proper viewing of it.

So this is the entire, full-length version

of what happened at Red Rocks.

And I can't wait,

I really cannot wait
to sit down and watch it through.

And I know I'll get my old buddies,
a couple of the old cameramen

and Malcolm Gerrie,
who were actually there,

and Liz Treadway,
there with me on the day and sit them down,

and give them a nice big glass
of champagne or wine, and say,

"Well, this was history."

And perhaps some chocolate cake.

I think, prior to U2 playing this concert,

the only way
that the fans knew about them

was from their radio plays.

And I think that says a huge amount
about the quality of the band.

The fact that because of radio

that they had created
such a huge following of fans

that actually then physically
wanted to see them perform.

Is this when he dances
with that girl out of the audience?

During this sequence,
actually, I do remember

that Bono had said to me, you know,

"This does look OK.

"It doesn't look awkward
in any way, shape or form."

And that's why I decided
to put some of the action

with the girl
that he brings out of the audience

and turn it into slo-mo,
I seem to remember.

Because he was very concerned
that it looked awkward.

That was another glorious little moment.

When he was on his way off
and suddenly the band strike up

and the look of glee on his face
to make a return.

No, you can't dance, off you gol

The movement...
When you look at the pictures...

Obviously the camera there,
that we're looking at now

was static and not hand-held.

But because they are so energetic
within the frame,

you forget that the camera
is actually moving.

Because their energy
and their movement within the frame

is so, you know, exaggerated.

It's just really so good.

And I hate to say that myself.

I keep saying it,
it's not because of me that it is so good.

Do you know,
I think they would have played

till the next day without stopping
if they had a chance.

And it didn't need any fancy set, you know.

How long to sing this song?

This is definitely one of my favorites.

Obviously been a great hit for him.

But like I say, no fancy set.

Bit of carpet on a wooden stage,

you know, and it's all there.

It is an amazing song this, amazing.

You're not going to say
that Adam Clayton is on the lead guitar?

The Edge is on the bass?

Now I think it happens here
where he sort of...

The lights go out on him

and we get another shot of him from
a different angle, which is extraordinary.

It's somewhere around here.

He comes in and does an extra verse.

This is where Bono just,
sort of, like, appears.

From nowherel

I think it's here somewhere.

Therel Wowl

Well, what can I say?

It's brought my memories just flooding back
from all those years ago.

And how joyous it's been
to see that again.

Fantasticl Absolutely fantastic.

I shall treasure that for many,
many years to come.