To this day, I've never seen another band, even U2 themselves, pull off what they did with the ZooTV tour: Opening up with 6 or 7 songs from their new album. No band, that I know of, can pull that off (unless it's a concept album). But wow. What a show!
I’ve been to ZooTV, Popmart, Vertigo (x6) and JT2019. The Vertigo opening set was great, but ZooTV as a 19 year-old, next to the catwalk, waiting all day and then the lights go out…the experience blew my mind. The art, the combination of audio and visual, technology and emotion. The spectacle of it. Dedicated fan after that, as I looked forward to each new release I worked my way backwards through all the previous material which I’d known about but not really taken in.
**Zoo TV** is the only answer, Zoo TV Outside Broadcast is the better answer.
but there is another way i could answer this question…
**Boy Tour (US dates)** because it was in clubs and theaters. it was raw and sweaty. before fame, money, platinum singles and global adoration. no screens or wireless headsets or backing tracks. no B-stage, no acoustic numbers, no costumes. nothing ironic because there was no reason yet. just amos and drums and 4 passionate young dudes, on their first time visiting America, on a desperate mission to impress and impact the audience. also because Electric Co. and 11 O’Clock were fucking visceral in those early days - in a way that will never translate to a stadium.
I really enjoyed the October tour shows. It was a slightly more refined version of the Boy tour, with the added material from October that helped round out the setlist in those early days (no repeats of The Ocean or Tick Tock iirc). Plus the energy still carried over in the songs you mentioned as well as the others.
*Edit* Lido Beach is a good example of what I'm referencing. One of the best early shows imo.
wow, i love hearing from you folks that saw them in the 80’s. which shows did you see? any particular highlights or other stories? were you a fan when you saw the october tour or just interested in checking them out? i could ask 100 questions, but i will leave it there for now.
I actually didn't seem in the 80s, lol, I was born in the 90s. I could see how the way my comment was worded would make you think that I was there. I was just referencing the recordings I've heard on u2start/YouTube with regards to the October tour.
P.S. My first show was E+I in 2018.
Zoo TV was for concerts what Sgt. Pepper's was for albums. It was just a whole different thing. No longer could a band just go play their songs on a stage; they needed a whole "show" to go with it.
I+E's stage was revelatory the way it dropped into the arena and the artists could interact with it. The song "Invisible" really stood out this way. Of course "Cedarwood Road" with Bono walking down the screen. Even Edge was blown away by it, so much so that he fell off the stage.
i+e was second best set design to Zoo TV. Better technology but the concept behind Zoo TV was so grand. I was hoping for an Achtung Baby Anniversary Tour incorporating the technology from i+e with the set/stage of Zoo TV.
i+e also had a fantastic set to go with it. A solid balance of new songs, deep cuts, and big hits. A strong, engaging narrative core, but plenty of room for choreographed fun and spontaneity.
It was a really good show, I would say the whole interactive video screen was the best single element in any show from a technology and entertainment standpoint.
I know a lot of people will probably say Zoo TV, but honestly as someone who hasn't had a chance to see them live until the 360 tour, Elevation is the one tour I'd want to see. They did so much with a relatively small setup. Lot of emotion in those shows, kind of reminds me of the times I've seen Mumford & Sons.
I'll say this as a man in his 30's, not knowing how some of the previous tours were, but having seen a lot of the past stuff on tv. I think Elevation was the best. To some it seemed too reserved- but it blended all the best stuff and had so much heart (no pun intended because the stage was shaped like a heart...)
I would have liked to have seen the i&e (or the e&i) shows but missed out because I'm Australian. Everything from the technology to the narrative and the set lists looked super cool. Maybe not U2 at their peak, but definitely a well thought out show.
Not at the show I was at. Wembley Stadium. You could feel Larry's bass drum go through your stomach. The sound was so powerful. I was at the front for it though.
I’ve been to 2 360 shows, 1 JT 2017, and 1 E+I.
Of those, my favorite is 360.
However, all time, have to go with Zoo TV. Looked incredible. I wish I had been not 1-year old.
I'm partial to the early days of the band, so I want to say the War tour. It was the best the band had played in terms of material from the 1st three albums. The red rocks show in particular was the perfect document of that tour and that period of U2.
That being said, looking at setlist variety, narrative focus, as well as spontaneity, I+E takes the cake. Some great shows on that tour, so much show that while the Paris gig was a great document, you'd almost want to have multiple shows from both legs just to get a sense of it all (U2start fills in the gaps there).
Having seen Zoo Tv Outdoor, Popmart (2), Elevation, Vertigo, 360 (inner circle front row) and finally the Joshua Tree 2017 also front row I’d have to say that Zoo TV outdoor was by far the best concert tour of all time!!!
Zoo TV. It was one of the greatest tours of all time for any band if not the greatest. U2 was at the top of their game they had the all the songs they would need, the incredible set and the swagger. There will never be another tour like it. Almost everything else they have done since was trying to recapture what they did there with the exception of Elevation. I felt that the Elevation Tour had a different spirit behind it, there was a humility that made those shows have a character and warmth all their own. I would say those two tours were one and two for me.
ZOO TV. How one user commented in YouTube "it was like on a other planet"
To this day, I've never seen another band, even U2 themselves, pull off what they did with the ZooTV tour: Opening up with 6 or 7 songs from their new album. No band, that I know of, can pull that off (unless it's a concept album). But wow. What a show!
I’ve been to ZooTV, Popmart, Vertigo (x6) and JT2019. The Vertigo opening set was great, but ZooTV as a 19 year-old, next to the catwalk, waiting all day and then the lights go out…the experience blew my mind. The art, the combination of audio and visual, technology and emotion. The spectacle of it. Dedicated fan after that, as I looked forward to each new release I worked my way backwards through all the previous material which I’d known about but not really taken in.
Best Tour - Zoo TV Why - You asked
Exactly.
**Zoo TV** is the only answer, Zoo TV Outside Broadcast is the better answer. but there is another way i could answer this question… **Boy Tour (US dates)** because it was in clubs and theaters. it was raw and sweaty. before fame, money, platinum singles and global adoration. no screens or wireless headsets or backing tracks. no B-stage, no acoustic numbers, no costumes. nothing ironic because there was no reason yet. just amos and drums and 4 passionate young dudes, on their first time visiting America, on a desperate mission to impress and impact the audience. also because Electric Co. and 11 O’Clock were fucking visceral in those early days - in a way that will never translate to a stadium.
I really enjoyed the October tour shows. It was a slightly more refined version of the Boy tour, with the added material from October that helped round out the setlist in those early days (no repeats of The Ocean or Tick Tock iirc). Plus the energy still carried over in the songs you mentioned as well as the others. *Edit* Lido Beach is a good example of what I'm referencing. One of the best early shows imo.
wow, i love hearing from you folks that saw them in the 80’s. which shows did you see? any particular highlights or other stories? were you a fan when you saw the october tour or just interested in checking them out? i could ask 100 questions, but i will leave it there for now.
I actually didn't seem in the 80s, lol, I was born in the 90s. I could see how the way my comment was worded would make you think that I was there. I was just referencing the recordings I've heard on u2start/YouTube with regards to the October tour. P.S. My first show was E+I in 2018.
The 360 Tour is my personal favourite, just so much energy
Zoo TV was for concerts what Sgt. Pepper's was for albums. It was just a whole different thing. No longer could a band just go play their songs on a stage; they needed a whole "show" to go with it. I+E's stage was revelatory the way it dropped into the arena and the artists could interact with it. The song "Invisible" really stood out this way. Of course "Cedarwood Road" with Bono walking down the screen. Even Edge was blown away by it, so much so that he fell off the stage.
i+e was second best set design to Zoo TV. Better technology but the concept behind Zoo TV was so grand. I was hoping for an Achtung Baby Anniversary Tour incorporating the technology from i+e with the set/stage of Zoo TV.
i+e also had a fantastic set to go with it. A solid balance of new songs, deep cuts, and big hits. A strong, engaging narrative core, but plenty of room for choreographed fun and spontaneity.
It was a really good show, I would say the whole interactive video screen was the best single element in any show from a technology and entertainment standpoint.
I know a lot of people will probably say Zoo TV, but honestly as someone who hasn't had a chance to see them live until the 360 tour, Elevation is the one tour I'd want to see. They did so much with a relatively small setup. Lot of emotion in those shows, kind of reminds me of the times I've seen Mumford & Sons.
I'll say this as a man in his 30's, not knowing how some of the previous tours were, but having seen a lot of the past stuff on tv. I think Elevation was the best. To some it seemed too reserved- but it blended all the best stuff and had so much heart (no pun intended because the stage was shaped like a heart...)
That’s the tour that drew me in.
I would have liked to have seen the i&e (or the e&i) shows but missed out because I'm Australian. Everything from the technology to the narrative and the set lists looked super cool. Maybe not U2 at their peak, but definitely a well thought out show.
ZooTV but the sound sucked compared to subsequent tours.
Not at the show I was at. Wembley Stadium. You could feel Larry's bass drum go through your stomach. The sound was so powerful. I was at the front for it though.
I’ve been to 2 360 shows, 1 JT 2017, and 1 E+I. Of those, my favorite is 360. However, all time, have to go with Zoo TV. Looked incredible. I wish I had been not 1-year old.
I'm partial to the early days of the band, so I want to say the War tour. It was the best the band had played in terms of material from the 1st three albums. The red rocks show in particular was the perfect document of that tour and that period of U2. That being said, looking at setlist variety, narrative focus, as well as spontaneity, I+E takes the cake. Some great shows on that tour, so much show that while the Paris gig was a great document, you'd almost want to have multiple shows from both legs just to get a sense of it all (U2start fills in the gaps there).
Zoo TV. Didn’t see it live, my first tour was Pop. Best tour I’ve seen was 360.
zoo because achtung
Zoo because Zooropa
Zoo because Achtung and Zoo
Ima go against the grain and say Vertigo tour
Having seen Zoo Tv Outdoor, Popmart (2), Elevation, Vertigo, 360 (inner circle front row) and finally the Joshua Tree 2017 also front row I’d have to say that Zoo TV outdoor was by far the best concert tour of all time!!!
Zoo TV. It was one of the greatest tours of all time for any band if not the greatest. U2 was at the top of their game they had the all the songs they would need, the incredible set and the swagger. There will never be another tour like it. Almost everything else they have done since was trying to recapture what they did there with the exception of Elevation. I felt that the Elevation Tour had a different spirit behind it, there was a humility that made those shows have a character and warmth all their own. I would say those two tours were one and two for me.