U2 – SAITAMA SUPER ARENA 2019 2ND NIGHT: MULTIPLE IEM RECORDING

Description

Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan 5th December 2019

It claims to be a “premium stereo soundboard with a perfectly balanced mix of uncompressed in-ear monitor recordings used by Bono and The Edge onstage.” Whatever it is… it sounds superb!

　The Japan performance of the historic masterpiece reproduction tour “THE JOSHUA TREE Tour 2019.” The first in-ear monitor recording, which allows you to experience the scene with completely official sound, is now available on a permanent preservation press 2CD.

　This work permanently preserves the “December 5, 2019: Saitama Super Arena Performance.” It is an IEM recording provided by an overseas U2 researcher. Several IEM sound sources from Japanese performances appeared in 2019, but this work is completely different from any of them. It is an impactful album with perfect stability and balance, on the level of an official work.

　The Great Masterpiece Reproduction Tour took place from 2017 to 2019, but it was an irregular period with other activities in between. First, let’s take a look at the overview of the activities at that time and take a closer look at the position of this work.

●2017: “JOSHUA TREE Tour 2017”
・May 12th – July 1st: North America #1 (21 performances) ←*CHICAGO 2017, etc.
・July 8th – August 1st: Europe (12 performances) ←*TWICKENHAM STADIUM 2017, etc.
・September 3rd – October 4th: North America #2 (10 performances)
・October 7th – 25th: South America (8 performances) ←*SAO PAULO 2017 1ST NIGHT IEM MATRIX
●2018: “EXPERIENCE + INNOCENCE Tour”
・May 2nd – November 13th (60 performances)
●2019: “JOSHUA TREE Tour 2019”
・November 8th – 27th: Oceania (8 performances) ←*MELBOURNE
November 30th + December 1st, 2019 : Singapore (2 shows)
; December 4th + 5th: Japan (2 shows); ★Here★
; December 8th-15th: Asia (3 shows).

[Completely official! Bono + Edge multiple IEMs]
　This is U2 from 2017 to 2019. The tour recreating the masterpiece “THE JOSHUA TREE” originally began as a special project in 2017, the 30th anniversary of the album’s release. After garnering rave reviews in North and South America and Europe, the tour was followed by the “EXPERIENCE + INNOCENCE TOUR,” with a second leg in 2019. It has now expanded to Asia/Oceania, with the long-awaited Japan performance finally coming to fruition.

　This album will bring that Japan concert directly into your brain. It’s not just IEMs, but “multiple IEMs” that mix Bono and the Edge’s IEMs. IEMs are essentially the monitor audio sent to the earphones used by band members onstage. Typically, IEM recordings are made from individual band members’ monitor mixes, which can lead to biased listening, with that band member’s instrument being overly loud or the click track or countdown being nasal. However, this album mixes the IEMs of the two main band members, eliminating any bias that might cause any particular instrument to stand out. The entire ensemble is recorded with a balanced sound, without any staff instructions, countdowns, or click sounds. This is an extremely polished musical work.

　What’s more, the sound is superb. The vocals are breathtaking, right at your ears, and the guitar’s delay and picking details are crystal clear. The bassline and drums are vividly rendered, from the onset to the fading of each note, while maintaining the overall balance. Despite its raw, raw quality, it feels as if you’re listening to an official release. This is the kind of work that only comes from mixing the IEMs of Bono and Edge, the band’s two main pillars.

[A full show that recreates history beyond THE JOSHUA TREE]
　This fully official sound depicts a full show where a century’s greatest album is brought to life live. However, in reality, it was more than just a “reproduction of a classic album.” To recall its meaning, let’s take a look at the set contents.

●Opening
: Sunday Bloody Sunday
●Chronological section
: Irish October: Gloria (★)
, WAR: New Year’s Day
, Flame: Bad, Pride (In The Name Of Love)
, Joshua Tree (all songs): Where the Streets Have No Name, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, With or Without You, Bullet the Blue Sky, Running to Stand Still, Red Hill Mining Town, In God’s Country, Trip Through Your Wires, One Tree Hill, Exit, Mothers of the Disappeared
, Cry of the Soul: Desire
●Encore:
Acton Baby: Even Better Than The Real Thing, Ultraviolet (Light My Way), One
, Others: Elevation, Vertigo, You’re the Best Thing About Me (★), Beautiful Day, Love Is Bigger Than Anything in Its Way
*Note: Songs marked with “★” are songs that changed daily and were not performed on the first day in Saitama.

…And that’s how it went. The highlight of the main set was the full rendition of “THE JOSHUA TREE” in the middle. However, what’s great about U2 is that they don’t just play the entire album. The album rendition is conceptually constructed before and after the rendition, and the entire show expresses the golden history of U2.

　The key point is the chronological order. Although the opening song is “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” the set then plays the killer songs from “OCTOBER,” “WAR,” and “THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE” in chronological order. It provides a digest of the journey leading up to the masterpiece “THE JOSHUA TREE.” After reproducing the entire album, “Desire” from the next album, “RATTLE AND HUM,” is inserted, brilliantly recreating “U2’s journey in the 1980s” throughout the entire set.

　And the encore was “U2 After That.” Although this is not in strict chronological order, it will end with a selection of masterpieces from “ACHTUNG BABY” to their latest work at the time, “SONGS OF EXPERIENCE.”

　　The complete rendition of “THE JOSHUA TREE” alone is historic, but the golden ’80s are condensed to encompass it, and the encore mobilizes the next 30 years. This tour was not just a nostalgic tune, but a major spectacle spanning U2’s entire career. This work is a live album that allows you to fully enjoy the Japanese performance with fully official sound.

　This is a superb “official replacement” album that should have been officially produced. Please enjoy it anytime, anywhere with the 2-CD press that will forever convey the brilliance of the album.

★Multiple IEM recordings of the “THE JOSHUA TREE” re-release tour in Japan “December 5, 2019: Saitama Super Arena Performance.” This completely unreleased sound source, provided by an overseas U2 researcher, mixes Bono and Edge’s IEMs. With absolutely no clicks or counts, this fully official-grade sound combines a vivid on-site feel with perfect balance, allowing you to enjoy a full historical show centered on the reproduction of a classic album. This is an absolute substitute for the official album.

Disc:1 (71:07)
1. Intro / The Whole of the Moon (The Waterboys song)
2. Sunday Bloody Sunday
3. Gloria
4. New Year’s Day
5. Bad
6. Pride (In the Name of Love)
7. Where the Streets Have No Name
8. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
9. With or Without You
10. Bullet the Blue Sky
11. Running to Stand Still
12. Red Hill Mining Town
13. In God’s Country

Disc:2 (76:22)
1. MC
2. Trip Through Your Wires
3. One Tree Hill
4. Exit
5. Mothers of the Disappeared
6. Desire
7. Elevation
8. Vertigo
9. Band Introductions
10. Even Better Than the Real Thing
11. You’re the Best Thing About Me
12. Beautiful Day
13. Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
14. Love Is Bigger Than Anything in Its Way
15. One