On This Day, June 5, 1983: U2 films historic concert at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre

On This Day, June 5, 1983 …

During a stop on their War tour, U2 headlined Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre and recorded the performance for what would become their first video release, Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky. The concert was nearly canceled due to inclement weather, but the band went on and played in the rain.

The video featured a classic performance of “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” which Rolling Stone called one of the “50 Moments that Changed the History of Rock and Roll.”

The concert film went on to become a bestseller, and was crucial in cementing U2’s reputation as a stellar live act and helped make them stars. The band later released a live album, Under a Blood Red Sky, which featured eight tracks performed live during the War tour, with two songs from the same concert.

A remastered version of Live at Red Rocks was released on DVD in 2008, featuring previously unreleased tracks.

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