Staring at the SON

Is Chris Martin really the spiritual son of Bono,
and
will Coldplay inherit U2's title as "the best band in the world"?


If I were to base it on both lead singers' charismatic voices,
the anthemic crowd-pleasing songs,
their incomparable rapport with their fans,
and these DVDs,
two of the best live concert videos
to come out in recent years,

the answer would have to YES.




The U2 DVD captures the band at a resurgence;
"All That You Can't Leave Behind" had just been released,
an album that many consider to be the best by Bono and the boys
since "The Joshua Tree" more than a decade earlier.

After explorations into electronica during much of the 1990s,
U2 reverted to their guitar rock roots in 2001,
and in doing so,
they not only grabbed an armful of Grammy awards,
but more importantly,
quenched the thirst of long-time fans like myself
for the "real sound" of the band.

This concert has arguably the best version caught on tape,
and definitely the most romantic performance of
my. favorite. song. ever:

WITH OR WITHOUT YOU



A couple of years later,
a band that sounded not unlke U2 became the hottest act in rock.

Flush with the success of "A Rush of Blood to the Head",
their follow-up to the debut album "Parachutes",
this concert captures COLDPLAY at a point in their career,
pre-Gwyneth Paltrow, pre-showbiz intrigues,

when Chris Martin and company
were playing their songs with sheer joy and pure exuberance,
enjoying, with their mesmerized audience, quite literally,

a rush of blood to the head,
brought about by an unbelieving realization that their band
had suddenly become a worldwide phenomenon.

You must watch this DVD for the sublime version,
bathed in sunny lemon lighting,
of ........ what else?

YELLOW