Under a Blood Red Sky (1983)
1. Gloria 2. 11 O'Clock Tick Tock 3. I Will Follow 4. Party Girl 5. Sunday Bloody Sunday 6. The Electric Co. 7. New Year's Day 8. 40
Long before U2 became global titans—before the stadium tours, the massive LED walls, and the grandiose Vegas-level spectacle—they were something far simpler: a lean, hungry band playing to rain-soaked fans at places like Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado. And it’s this early, unembellished version of the group that’s captured on Under a Blood Red Sky—a live album that remains, oddly enough, the only officially released full(ish)-length concert document in their vast catalog.
The album is both modest and momentous. Just eight tracks, recorded at various shows on their 1983 tour, with the bulk drawn from the band’s first three albums. The performances, though, are anything but slight. This is U2 at their rawest and most impassioned—without the benefit of elaborate staging or production wizardry. Just four musicians on a dark, misty stage, playing their hearts out to a rabid crowd.
It begs the question: why only eight tracks? Even in 1983, that felt slim. Branded at the time as a “Mini-LP,” Under a Blood Red Sky clocks in at well under a full album’s length. One wonders if the record company simply didn’t believe a live set from a then-up-and-coming Irish band warranted more. It’s especially frustrating when one considers that the full concert video—shot at Red Rocks—features a broader and even more exhilarating setlist.
Still, what’s here is gold. Gloria bristles with its signature fire, I Will Follow is delivered with the nervous energy of a band trying to win over every last doubter, and Sunday Bloody Sunday positively explodes—perhaps the definitive performance of that song in any format. Even the unreleased-at-the-time material (such as 11 O'Clock Tick Tock) holds its own, cementing the group’s live reputation as something serious.
There’s very little polish here, and that’s exactly what makes it so vital. The album captures a moment in time, a snapshot of U2 in transition—from cult favorites to full-fledged contenders. It’s both intimate and electric.
One can only hope that, someday, a proper expanded edition is issued—something that finally does justice to the full Red Rocks performance and gives fans the complete experience. Until then, Under a Blood Red Sky remains a tantalizing glimpse of what it sounded like before the band began aiming for the rafters—and instead, played as if the rafters might come crashing down.