Under a Blood Red Rocks Sky

Summer weather along the front range of the Rocky Mountains can be very unsettled.  It’s not unusual for a violent afternoon thunderstorm to roll in from the West.  When the weather comes in from the East, things really get strange.

Heavy fog is one of the results of an Easterly storm that pushes up against the foothills.  Since the Red Rocks Amphitheater sits right on the foothills overlooking Denver, it is prone to much dramatic weather.  I remember waiting in the fog with my friend Ken Kohl on August 5, 1979 for a Joni Mitchell concert.  The fog was so thick, we couldn’t see the stage from our seats.  Ultimately, the concert was cancelled and rescheduled the following day indoors at the Denver Coliseum.

The most amazing night in the fog was June 5, 1983 when U2 was scheduled to play Red Rocks.

The concert was part of a star-studded summer of concerts sponsored by my radio station KBCO.  We had set up a live studio at Red Rocks where Doug Clifton would be broadcasting live, giving updates on traffic to the show, backstage interviews with the band, and a live broadcast of part of the show.

Around 4:30, Doug let us know that the show was being cancelled due to the fog.  The show would be rescheduled for an indoor show at the CU Events Center for the next day.

The problem was, however, that U2 had planned to film the Red Rocks concert for an upcoming film.  They had hired a full crew with video equipment and a sound truck.  Since they were all set to film, it was decided they would still go ahead with the project.

The entire bottom part of the Red Rocks Amphitheater was general admission and to get a good seat, ticket holders started showing up by noon.  At the time of the cancellation, there were already several thousand fans sitting in the seats.

At 5:00, Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen walked out on stage and treated the audience to one of the most memorable U2 concerts ever.

The fog was thick, and the stage lights gave the stage a eerie glow.  U2 performed a short set of their tunes and the entire concert was captured on film.  The storm front that brought in the fog made the air cold enough that you could see Bono’s breath when he was singing.

The film was released as U2 Under a Blood Red Sky.  If it had been a typical beautiful summer night in Colorado, the film wouldn’t have been nearly as stunning as it is.  This one concert film is responsible for making many new fans for the fledgling band.  It gives new meaning to the term “Fogheads.”

Links to videos of that magical night:
Part 1
Part 2