U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under A Blood Red Sky - Legacy

Legacy

U2 Live at Red Rocks is often cited as a watershed moment in U2's history, one that established their reputation as an exceptional live act. In the liner notes to the remastered version of the film, music journalist Anthony DeCurtis wrote, "this concert set goals for U2 that might have daunted any other young band. But in the shadow of their wild ambitions at Red Rocks, these four boys met, once again, the men of their future, and became who they would become." The band's performance of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" from the film has been cited by Rolling Stone as one of the "50 Moments that Changed the History of Rock and Roll". The magazine said, "he sight of Bono singing the anti-violence anthem 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' while waving a white flag through crimson mist (created by a combination of wet weather, hot lights and the illumination of those crags) became the defining image of U2's warrior-rock spirit and—shown in heavy rotation on MTV—broke the band nationwide." Director Gavin Taylor said that the video "kick-started their career" and "fired them like a rocket into the sky". In 2009 Relix named U2's performance at Red Rocks the 24th-best concert of all time. The Denver Post said the concert affirmed Red Rocks Amphitheatre's status as a premier outdoor venue. Rocky Mountain News said that the concert was "Easily one of the most famous, acclaimed concerts of the 1980s (if not all time)", and said that people who have visited the Amphitheatre ever since have been disappointed to learn that the pyres are not part of the venue and were only used for the U2 concert. Music biographer Dave Thompson said the concert "transformed U2 ... into a very successful rock band", and that without U2, "Red Rocks would be just another smartly lit amphitheater".

Prior to the recording sessions for the band's 1984 album The Unforgettable Fire, U2 wanted to work with Brian Eno on the album; however, Eno assumed that they were an "uninteresting rock band", and he was not interested in working with the group. He changed his mind after watching the film, and ended up producing The Unforgettable Fire, as well as several other U2 records, alongside his sound engineer Daniel Lanois. These subsequent records include The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, and All That You Can't Leave Behind, which are among the band's most successful.

In June 2007 a U2 tribute band named Under a Blood Red Sky performed a note-for-note recreation of U2's performance at Red Rocks. That same week, the City of Denver unsuccessfully attempted to convince U2 to return to Red Rocks. During the PopMart Tour in 1997, Bono stated that he would consider returning to Red Rocks with U2, due to low ticket sales for their Denver concert at Mile High Stadium. In a 2008 interview, Barry Fey said that he had questioned U2 about performing at Red Rocks again, to which they replied, "Absolutely not". On both occasions, Fey responded that U2 could never top their original performance and that returning to Red Rocks would be "foolish" and "a no-win situation" for the group.