U2360° at the Rose Bowl

Background

The U2 360° Tour supported the band's 2009 album No Line on the Horizon. Willie Williams, who has designed every U2 tour since 1982, conceived the 360-degree staging, with architect Mark Fisher. Williams had sketched a four-legged design near the end of the Vertigo Tour in 2006, inspired by the Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport. The stage, nicknamed "the Claw," was placed closer to the stadium's center. The tour began in 2009 with 44 shows; the Rose Bowl concert was the group's penultimate performance of that year.

Filming

The 25 October 2009 concert was streamed live on U2's YouTube channel, the first such event on the platform. Initially restricted to 16 countries, the feed was made available worldwide, drawing over 10 million viewers, the largest streaming event in YouTube's history at the time. For the Rose Bowl shoot, Krueger increased the camera count from 13 to 27, adding cameras for crane shots and audience footage. The attendance of 97,014 broke the US single-concert attendance record, previously held by U2.

Release

U2360° at the Rose Bowl was released on 3 June 2010 in the United States and 7 June in the United Kingdom. It was issued in four formats: standard DVD, deluxe DVD, super deluxe box-set, and Blu-ray Disc, the first U2 concert on Blu-ray. The standard release contains only the concert; the deluxe edition adds a bonus disc. The super deluxe box-set includes a 32-page hardback book, a limited edition 2-disc DVD, a Blu-ray with 2 hours of bonus material, a 7-inch vinyl with the previously unreleased song "Soon" (formerly titled "Kingdom of Your Love"), three U2 360° guitar picks, the Tour Programme, a limited edition numbered drawing of the final stage design, and five art prints in an embossed wallet.

The bonus disc features the documentary Squaring the Circle directed by Tom Kelly, Tour Clips directed by Cutter Hodierne, a timelapse video of a Berlin concert, and the cut opening track "Breathe" as a bonus. Additional bonus material includes music videos for "Get On Your Boots," "Magnificent," two versions of "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight," and making-of videos for "Get On Your Boots" and "Magnificent." The Blu-ray release includes bonus live features and downloadable footage from the 2010 North American and European legs.

Reception

U2360° at the Rose Bowl received generally positive reviews. The Irish Times gave it 4 out of 5 stars, praising the staging. Scotland's Daily Record said it was not U2's best "but still pretty damn good." Inthenews.co.uk compared the release to 1980s performances, noting the band compensated with a revolutionary stage and musical ability.

Andrew Mueller of Uncut praised the political aspects but called "Moment of Surrender" an "ill-chosen closer." Entertainment Weekly ranked it number one on "The Must List" and called the set "groundbreaking." Raoul Hernandez of The Austin Chronicle said the band "redeems its stillborn No Line on the Horizon" and that "U2 fires on all boosters." The Associated Press found the video release superior to the live stream, noting the band was "well-rehearsed and in good form" but Bono's voice was "audibly hoarse" on several songs.

The Sydney Morning Herald said songs from No Line on the Horizon "stand out for freshness" and called "MLK" and "One" a "lovely interlude." Cameron Adams cited "The Unforgettable Fire" and "Moment of Surrender" as highlights, calling the concert "Enormous." Q gave it four stars, stating "The Claw is indeed breathtaking" and that the songs drive the show.