Source: FM broadcast recording
Disc 1: (68:22)
Disc 2: (64:35)
Location: Kosovo Stadium, Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegowina
Date: September 23, 1997
Bootleg title: Disconnect
Bootleg label: Moonraker
Catalogue #: Moonraker 247/248
Artwork: Yes
Comments:Track 9 on the first disc has some slight tape flutter at 0:26, which is on the original pressing of this bootleg.
Review: "One of the better shows from the PopMart Tour. Bono's voice cracks up a bit, but
the band makes up for it. This is one of the nicest bootleg I've seen; it's almost
perfect! The concert is very emotional. You definitely feel that playing Sarajevo
was very important to the band. Highlights include "Gone," "Sunday Bloody Sunday,"
"Where The Streets Have No Name," "Miss Sarejevo," and "One." This is the best
version of "One" I've ever heard; Edge's guitar is blistering and Bono's speech in
the end ("To be united is a great thing, but to respect differences perhaps an even
greater thing. So for the city of the future, Sarajevo! City of the Future! Sarajevo!
City of the Future!") always gives me goose bumps! Bono's voice breaks after about 6
songs, but it holds up through the show except for "With Or Without You," when he
really struggles. The whole band plays incredibly well, and Bono makes up for his lack
of voice with emotion and intensity. You really feel for him, because you can tell how
frustrating it is for him not to be able to give Sarajevo his best. The crowd helps him
out though; singing along with (and for) Bono when he can't throughout the entire show.
In fact, determination and the crowd's generosity end up creating an atmosphere probably
more intense than it otherwise would have been. This is a beautiful concert and will
definitely stand as one of the most memorable in U2's career. This CD has front and back
inserts. The liner notes feature a Reuters report of the event, with a brief history on
Bono's promise to go perform there and complete '97 PopMart tour dates. The booklets
features lots of Pop-era pictures. Clever use of colors and design makes this 16-page
booklet well worth looking. Both CD's have cool graphics on them. The packaging is
extremely well done, it might as well have been an official release. Considerable time
has been spent on layout, graphics, text and photos. It really is beautiful. At Sarajevo,
Bono may have lost his voice mid-way through, but U2 have found theirs. Relying on a
bedrock of older concert pleasers, The Edge's guitar shines through and Larry Mullen
drums even sound heavier. As Bono predicted after the lame start of the Pop Mart tour,
U2 need a warm up period to get their act together and this evening's song selection
bears that out. They've strategically placed all their new 'Pop' sounds in-between old
songs. Opening the show with a recording of "Pop Muzik" segueing into their live
rendition of "Mofo" then hotfooting to the safety of "I Will Follow" gives the new songs
a foundation. "Staring At The Sun," the best tune on 'Pop,' is played acoustically to
emphasize melody and is then followed immediately by an acoustic version of "Sunday
Bloody Sunday," with The Edge singing and playing it solo. The crowd enthusiastically
joins in. The other high point of is when Bono sings snippets of Talking Heads' "Life
During Wartime" (with a terribly relevant lyric "This ain't no party, this ain't
no disco, this ain't no foolin' around") inside U2's "Discotheque" makes an immediate
connection with the crowd. And when the show slacks with a tediously slow "If You Wear
That Velvet Dress" from the new album, U2 know how to salvage proceedings when The Edge's
guitar lines lead into "With Or Without You." They also come away from Sarajevo with their
rep intact but probably less wealthy than before. U2 spent $1 million to set up their mega
show far he Bosnians and charged low ticket prices to attract the 50,000 crowd. Bono has
been using U2 concerts as far back as the Mac Phisto (Zooropa) shows to attack the West
for failing to stop the Bosnian war. When he tells the crowd he wrote "Miss Sarajevo"
for them, they scream gratefulness. PopMart has been about caricaturing the commercialism
that's prevalent in pop by being a megahype itself and finally U2 have managed to stand
inside that market and yet to be untainted. At least their rock 'n' roll attitude is intact,
if their new music is less exciting. When they close the show with "One." U2 are at their
bravest ("Have you come here for forgiveness?... Have you come here to play Jesus?") making
clear their uncertainty, but also connecting with their Christian roots. It's a reminder
that their music has always stood for something. Whoever chose the title for this bootleg
has shown that bootleggers can get straight to the heart of the matter. Throughout their
recent shows, U2 have been fighting to stay relevant and DISCONNECT is anything but about
their failure to communicate. The way DISCONNECT has been recorded, with the crowd noise
always engaging in the mix, makes this a happening event despite Bono's voice breaking at
times. Probably the most relevant U2 gig in recent times and the one to get for a taste of
PopMart '97. A nice bootleg." /TTC
Generation:
1-01 Pop Muzik Intro
1-02 Mofo
1-03 I Will Follow
1-04 Gone
1-05 Even Better Than The Real Thing
1-06 Last Night On Earth
1-07 Until The End Of The World
1-08 New Year's Day
1-09 Pride (In The Name Of Love)
1-10 I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
1-11 Stand By Me
1-12 All I Want Is You
1-13 Staring At The Sun
1-14 Sunday Bloody Sunday (Edge on vocals and acoustic guitar)
1-15 Bullet The Blue Sky (includes I Want To Live In America)
2-01 Please
2-02 Where The Streets Have No Name
2-03 Lemon (Perfecto Mix) Intermission
2-04 Discotheque (includes Life During Wartime)
2-05 If You Wear That Velvet Dress
2-06 With Or Without You
2-07 Miss Sarajevo (with Brian Eno)
2-08 Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me
2-09 Mysterious Ways
2-10 One
2-11 Unchained Melody