Yesterday I drove almost two hours north of my home in Eugene, Oregon to my nearest IMAX theater in order to see U2 3D, the new concert film by veteran rock group U2. It was an amazing experience, not to be missed by even casual U2 fans.

U2 3D is a live concert film, shot at nine stops on the South American leg of the Vertigo Tour in 2006. Longtime U2 watchers have been able to enjoy a number of DVD releases of their shows, but the difference here is that the concerts were shot using nine pairs of Sony CineAlta cameras to produce the first-ever 3-D multi-camera live shoot. More than 100 hours of footage have been edited down to an unforgettable 85 minutes of sheer musical energy and excitement.

U2 always puts on a great live show, but to see them projected in three dimensions on a large screen gives you an experience that may even surpass actually being there. The temptation might have been to throw in a bunch of cheesy 3-D effects to wow the audience. Instead, you just get a great concert experience that makes you feel that one moment you are right on the stage with the band, and the next moment that you are on audience level, trying to see past the sea of raised hands. And yes, there are some pretty startling moments: when Adam Clayton swings his bass guitar around and it seems to protrude right out of the screen; when a jumble of projected words and phrases collapse and rain down upon the band; and when you want to ask the person in front of you to put their arms down so you can see—and then you realize they are part of the film. It is wonderfully larger-than-life. To quote the title of one of their songs, it might be “Even Better Than the Real Thing.”

The performance itself is full of vibrant energy and passion, and the sound is both loud and clean. From the opening countdown into the thunderous rock of “Vertigo,” to the acoustic prayer-as-song “Yahweh” that closes the film, it is wonderful mix of performance and technological whiz-bang effects. Of course we get some of Bono’s theatrics (which always provide a little unexpected fun) and a passionate call for world peace and co-operation between Muslims, Jews, and Christians…”all sons of Father Abraham.” Then, there is a moment at the end of “Pride (In the Name of Love)” when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is projected and read aloud. Moving stuff, indeed. And, of course, there are the brilliant and insightful lyrics, many of which explore the Christian themes which are so much at the heart of U2’s work.

As is so often the case with U2, this concert film feels like both an exercise in welcome political idealism, and a moving spiritual experience. That, wedded with a nice dose of the technological “woah!!” factor, makes this a film worth seeing, even if you have to drive two hours to find an IMAX theater.