Would an Achtung Baby/ZOO TV 30th anniversary tour work?

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bono2017

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Would an Achtung Baby/ZOO TV 30th anniversary tour work?

I guess I have my doubts about it because Achtung Baby while being U2's second most successful album is behind the Joshua Tree in its wide appeal. While die hard fans may before it, it does not have the appeal that Joshua Tree does among more casual fans and the general public.

Another thing is that Achtung Baby/ZOO TV had a futuristic theme. Cable TV, satellite aided, 24 hour news, and what it meant for society was the theme as well. Doing it again in 2022 would not have the same effect that it did in 1992. I suppose you could attempt to do a tour that would have a futuristic theme for 2022, but then it would not be ZOO TV.

I've started to think more about this though with the extension of the Joshua Tree tour and the fact that the Songs Of Experience album and its tour won't be happening until 2018/2019. You then have them working on Songs Of Ascent album and it fits in the time frame that they could take time out to do 30 anniversary tour for Achtung Baby/ZOO TV. Then after it finish up Songs Of Ascent and the tour for that. All of that takes you to sometime in the mid-2020s.
 
Why wouldn't it ? Let Willie Williams go to town again with the visuals and the stage. Internet, social media, and Trump, it could work greatly.

If they felt the need to play all of JT, why not extend the same to AB ?
 
lol, instead of phoning him, they could tweet at Trump every night

That wouldn't be the same as the phone calls. It was essentially a crank call from the stadium to the White House phone operators or in other countries to various people, even private citizens. Its a lot more fun when you get an unsuspecting person on the phone with 50,000 people. Easier to do in those days with most people not having caller ID back then. Hell, I was still using rotary phones back in 1992 and did not even have an answering machine.
 
Another thing is that Achtung Baby/ZOO TV had a futuristic theme. Cable TV, satellite aided, 24 hour news, and what it meant for society was the theme as well. Doing it again in 2022 would not have the same effect that it did in 1992. I suppose you could attempt to do a tour that would have a futuristic theme for 2022, but then it would not be ZOO TV.

They could do it in the sense of "we were right motherfuckers".

If there were to be an anniversary tour, I expect it would be for Achtung Baby the album, not ZooTV the tour. A tour would likely have some callbacks to ZooTV, but nobody outside the diehards remembers the name of the tour or what it featured.

I doubt they'd do it, but if they did it would certainly reverse the touring pattern of the JT anniversary - it would travel more widely in Europe than North America. And maybe we'd fucking get it in Australia too. Adam could even miss one night in Sydney for old times' sake!
 
People finally getting to hear Acrobat and So Cruel live would make the reception to Red Hill Mining Town and Exit look like Vertigo x2 or In A Little While.
 
Yes please. WGRYWH is easily in my top 5 songs I want to hear live but haven't yet.
 
They'll just end up playing Acrobat on the piano, with canned horns in the background.
 
In which supermarket aisle would one find canned horns?
 
It's my favorite album of all time, so I hope they decide to do it. They can definitely take my money for that one.
 
Yeeeeeees. :drool:


That was an incredible book. It'd be interesting to see how drastic the difference would be on the road these days.

I'd love to see a tour of Achtung Baby as its my favorite album of all time. I'd love it even more if it was an AB/ Zooropa tour. I'm pretty much a lock for at least 10 shows, especially if they're indoor shows. I'd have to sell my car but it'd be worth it.

I'd love it even more if they got back into the vibe of those days and had fun with it.
 
YES!

maybe just being biased because it is my favourite album and I would be even more excited about it than JT30 tour, but I don't see how it wouldn't work....
 
Good God yes. The war horses are monsters live, the rarities are monsters live, and the deep cuts are emotionally devastating. It's an album that flows better than The Joshua Tree since it has more tonal variation and isn't frontloaded. I haven't put thought into whether they should recreate Zoo TV staging or do something new, but Achtung Baby is an album that is begging to be played live in sequence.
 
they'll do it and the closer each night will be Little Things...



...cause the new album still won't be finished by then (edge's fault)
 
I don't know. JT they can play with sincerity, could they do AB/ZooTV without the irony? I feel like if they played the irony, they would look desperate, but if they didn't, would it work?

The concept is appealing, but I just don't know. :shrug:
 
Can't imagine that would be very interesting in comparison to the original, unless you want to read about Bono gorging himself at various restaurants around the world.

You're saying that like Bono hasn't been doing that since about, oh, the War Tour. Soddin' mountain goat.
 
I don't know. JT they can play with sincerity, could they do AB/ZooTV without the irony? I feel like if they played the irony, they would look desperate, but if they didn't, would it work?

The concept is appealing, but I just don't know. :shrug:

I think it fits even better now than JT does.

as Ax says, they were right. You promote the "we were fucking right all along" angle in interviews and then play up the staging again for the digital age.
 
Can't imagine that would be very interesting in comparison to the original, unless you want to read about Bono gorging himself at various restaurants around the world.

3 chapters dedicated to Claycourt's museum visits and blow by blow descriptions of Larry's weekly Botox injections and monthly face lifts.
 
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