My friend hates ZOO TV Sydney

[The_acrobat]

I have a friend who got into U2 around ATYCLB and became a FAN around HTDAAB. Tonight, we were sitting around my house and I stuck in ZOO TV Sydney, just to show him what U2 once were. He hated. He's seen Red Rocks, Rattle and Hum, Mexico, Slane, Boston, and Chicago... and he liked all of those. But he hated ZOO TV. He said the show was corny, and that they were just trying to hard. And I have to say, I agreed with him.

People say Popmart was U2's production overdoing their performance. But really, Popmart didn't have all the extra stuff that Zoo had. Popmart just had a really big screen, but it was just a very physical desire that added to the show. I guess ZOO TV just seems very dated to me... much moreso than U2's performance videos of the 80s. Anybody else agree? Disagree? Hate me?

 

[doubleU]

I think in a way you had to live through that experience to really understand what they were doing. I think context plays a big part.

They were the first to ever incorporate video screens in such a manner. Which everyone did to an extent after that.

But the whole show was about irony. Many have said that U2 killed irony in art with that tour.

The show was brilliant in every count. It had great songs, it pointed out the ridiculousness of the big media production that life had become, and was still able to make some very intimate times.

 

[Axver]

I think ZooTV was easily U2's worst tour, so I naturally agree.

 

[biff]

Why "corny"?

 

[jacobus]

ZOO TV was U2s best tour. POPMART and LOVETOWN were nearly the same quality.

 

[tommycharles]

I think ZooTV was easily U2's worst tour, so I naturally agree.

The show was meticulously rehearsed and timed.
They said/did the same things every night.
There was only one semi-major setlist shakeup in 2 years.
The band almost became session musicians, playing the songs exactly the same way, every night.

and yet the product was *that* good, it doesn't matter how manufactured it came across as (even if the manufacturedness was the point, it's a little bit like that Motorway Madness idea - you can be as ironic as you want to, but it doesn't change what you're doing). The bits that you're so sick of? Were freaking brilliant to begin with. So...yeah, it may be boring listening to various Zoo shows and not being able to tell them apart, but as a whole it's fantastic.

 

[bono_man2002]

The audio is enough to make anyone hate that Video.

But as for Zoo TV being the worst tour ever

 

[WalkOn21]

I think I have to agree with your friend. I find the ZooTV versions of the greater part of the songs the most boring live versions. Plus, Bono is just trying to hard. Nothing is 'natural' anymore.

 

[Ellay]

You have to remember that when people when to see Zoo TV, many were seeing U2 perform for the first time in a way that was a million miles apart from the eighties U2. So perhaps varying the setlist greatly on the first couple of legs, wouldn't have been a good idea.

(And actually, by zooropa 93, many new songs and concepts had been introduced anyway)

 

[Axver]

and yet the product was *that* good, it doesn't matter how manufactured it came across as

I disagree with that, and I'm not just disagreeing because the setlist hardly changed. Here's a list of reasons why I dislike ZooTV that may help to explain my prior post:

1. Song selection, which can be split into two points:
a). The new songs, most of which I don't like a whole lot. And the lack of Acrobat was and still is criminal.
b). The old songs. Mainly hits. Nothing pre-UF until the third leg, and only one pre-War song for the whole tour (and sparsely played at that!). Well, to be fair, Party Girl showed up rarely too but I know many people think of it as being War era rather than pre-War.
2. The order of the sets. To me, it's too much like New Songs --> Old Hits --> Encore. I don't like that.
3. The performances of the songs themselves, though to be fair, there are some notable exceptions, such as Love Is Blindness, Dirty Day, Running To Stand Still, and the definitive Bullet The Blue Sky. I really dislike the acoustic set though, Desire with all the effects is a weak gimmick compared to when Edge would shred on Lovetown, WOWY's demise into suckdom began on ZooTV, Pride naturally was bad, et cetera.
4. Too much focus on 'cool' visuals and effects, not enough on music. Now, I know some people here love that stuff, but personally, I'm going to hear a rock concert, as in music. Couldn't care less about the visuals. I really think the screens should be primarily utilised to provide the people up the back with the chance to see the band decently.
5. I didn't like some of the acting either. It puts me off. MacPhisto was genius, though.

I know I'm going to get flamed and I know I'm going against a huge majority opinion, but I don't particularly care. If you ask me, the eighties tours were far superior with much better tunes.

 

[Axver]

But as for Zoo TV being the worst tour ever

Well, here's why I think all the other tours are better:

Boy/October/War/UF Tours: Better tunes, high energy and spontaneity, no distracting and pointless visuals.
JT Tour: Bono's voice is even stronger and more powerful compared to the earlier tours and the song selection is generally exceptional.
Lovetown: Pinnacle of U2. I really don't care if anyone agrees, but I think the five minutes of One Tree Hill on 1989-12-26 was when U2 peaked and they haven't topped it since.
Popmart: The new songs are better and translate live better than Achtung's songs did. Mofo, Gone, Please, Discotheque, HMTMKMKM - that sort of stuff owned.
Elevation: Song selection generally wasn't so great but it had some gems, and it was more focused on the music (even if that music sometimes stank, like Stuck In A Moment, In A Little While, acoustic set, One).
Vertigo: Some great selections here, shame about the hits (especially the higher quantity as the tour's progressed), possibly the best the band's sounded in a long time. Certainly not on a par with the War, JT, or Lovetown Tours, though.

 

[liamcool]

Originally posted by doubleU
They were the first to ever incorporate video screens in such a manner. Which everyone did to an extent after that.

No, they weren't, Pink Floyd did it at least 20 years before (first time Pink Floyd used a video screen - 20th January, 1972 - the first performance of Dark Side Of The Moon. So, that statement you made is wrong by a fair amount.

 

[Ellay]

Popmart: The new songs are better and translate live better than Achtung's songs did. Mofo, Gone, Please, Discotheque,

I totally disagree with this statement.

Zoo station, The fly, Mysterious Ways, One, Love is Blindness, Even better than the real thing ???

get right out of town.

 

[Sken]

I guess none of you have been to a ZooTV show.

 

[doubleU]

No, they weren't, Pink Floyd did it at least 20 years before (first time Pink Floyd used a video screen - 20th January, 1972 - the first performance of Dark Side Of The Moon. So, that statement you made is wrong by a fair amount.

They were the first to ever incorporate video screens in such a manner.

 

[Sken]

They were the first to ever incorporate video screens in such a manner.

And done it far better than any band ever has. Simply the best stage show every created for any musical act, Popmart being second best and I'd be kind in saying Pink Floyds Pulse would probably come in a distant third.

 

[Axver]

I totally disagree with this statement.

Zoo station, The fly, Mysterious Ways, One, Love is Blindness, Even better than the real thing ???

get right out of town.

Zoo Station: Nice enough intro but it's not an outstanding, spectacular song.

The Fly: Agreed, great.

Mysterious Ways: Saved by the excellent extra live solo. But the dancing girl? I'm coming to see a rock show, not a choreographed dancing show. If I wanted to see choreographed dancing with music, I'd go see the Backstreet Boys. Of course, Mysterious Ways has its sexual side, but we don't need some dancing girl to give us the hint, and I think her presence utterly obliterated the spiritual side of the song, the side I find far more interesting.

One: Sucks no matter what way you cut it. The only version of the song I can stand to play is the 1997-09-23 Popmart Sarajevo performance.

Love Is Blindness: One of U2's best live songs and a high point of the tour. I'll definitely grant you this one.

Even Better Than The Real Thing: non-remarkable. I'm not fussed either way.

So that's 2/6. Not a good showing for the supposed holy grail album/tour combo.

 

[MumblingBono]

Bashing ZooTV


No offense to the younger audience, but you really had to be there.

 

[marshall faulk]

Zoo TV is not my favorite tour - and does look a little dated now - but I do think it was the most ambitious and artistically challenging tour the band has ever done by far. The setlists were somewhat static - but to throw 6-8 brand new songs at the audience right out of the gate was daring - it could have killed the show had the music not been so strong.

I also agree with the comments about understanding the context of the tour - Z00 TV was 180 degrees different than anything U2 had ever done before - the contrast was incredible for anyone that last saw the band on JT/Lovetown tours. That alone made it noteworthy.

More importantly though, Zoo TV was done at time media / politics / news were being transformed in a significant way and in real time. The Gulf War was being brought into our homes worldwide as it happened (like a video game), the Berlin wall had just fallen and a new post Cold-War era was beginning. Now all of this seems "normal", but U2 was trying to capture the moment/era - and I think they did that better than any other artist at the time.

Musically I think JT / Elevation / Vertigo will stand up better over time - BUT, in the moment and at the time Zoo TV was U2 at their best.

 

[Aygo]

I disagree with that, and I'm not just disagreeing because the setlist hardly changed. Here's a list of reasons why I dislike ZooTV that may help to explain my prior post:

1. Song selection, which can be split into two points:
a). The new songs, most of which I don't like a whole lot. And the lack of Acrobat was and still is criminal.
b). The old songs. Mainly hits. Nothing pre-UF until the third leg, and only one pre-War song for the whole tour (and sparsely played at that!). Well, to be fair, Party Girl showed up rarely too but I know many people think of it as being War era rather than pre-War.
2. The order of the sets. To me, it's too much like New Songs --> Old Hits --> Encore. I don't like that.
3. The performances of the songs themselves, though to be fair, there are some notable exceptions, such as Love Is Blindness, Dirty Day, Running To Stand Still, and the definitive Bullet The Blue Sky. I really dislike the acoustic set though, Desire with all the effects is a weak gimmick compared to when Edge would shred on Lovetown, WOWY's demise into suckdom began on ZooTV, Pride naturally was bad, et cetera.
4. Too much focus on 'cool' visuals and effects, not enough on music. Now, I know some people here love that stuff, but personally, I'm going to hear a rock concert, as in music. Couldn't care less about the visuals. I really think the screens should be primarily utilised to provide the people up the back with the chance to see the band decently.
5. I didn't like some of the acting either. It puts me off. MacPhisto was genius, though.

I know I'm going to get flamed and I know I'm going against a huge majority opinion, but I don't particularly care. If you ask me, the eighties tours were far superior with much better tunes.

Naturally, I disagree with almost all the post. This was a 'all or nothing' tour, so it's natural that the band took those options or leaving back the hits that made the breakthrough - like SBS, TUF, NYD... - but they're a mainstream band and not all the hits could be left behind. It's comprehensible why they didn't play songs like "I will follow", "Gloria", "Out of control" or "Sunday bloody sunday" (this one was played just once, wasn't it?).
I do not condemn the overwall of the tour big thing: the screens, the Bono acting, that exagerated and spectacle thing. That's the coming to the shameless showbusiness criticizing it. It was necessary to happen in the music history.
And come on... Bono's characters are great! I love them!
I only complain about the quality of some performances: EBTTRT and One are very bad live versions in this tour IMO, they sound forced, not natural and exageratedlly raw. But about the acoustic set, I like it. Not a big thing, but it was good to break the intense climax of the show.
But I have to admit that the concept of the tour is genial, almost maquiavelic, not gonna even tell why, you all know it!
I was glad to see the ZooTv encore on the last tour, it was a good idea.

 

[Ellay]

Personally I think One on BP Fallons Zoo Radio is one of the best ever performances of the song.

Much prefer it to one on the last two tours.

 

[zoopop]

Bashing ZooTV


No offense to the younger audience, but you really had to be there.

Completely agree. It was my first U2 show and I was 14 years old. I was in complete during the show. From the sound (new sound), production, and just the way the band looked & acted. It was an over the top rock n roll show. And thats what U2 was going for. And by them playing 8 new songs from the begining was a bold statement of the new dream.

Setlist was very static though. But remember, ZooTV was in an era where fans didn't have access to read what the setlist was everynight. And U2 wasn't the most sober band on this tour

 

[zoopop]

Personally I think One on BP Fallons Zoo Radio is one of the best ever performances of the song.

Much prefer it to one on the last two tours.

That CD rocks!! Every song on that is . Best MW intro ever.

 

[SunBloc]

To me, more than any other tour, Zoo TV would have to be Bono's opera (THE set to end all sets, the characters, the irony, the whole production). It was a huge production, probably over-produced. But in the eighties, this was not really a bad thing to do. I think ZOO TV was great, given its context & am impatiently waiting for the DVD!

 

[tommycharles]

"Sunday bloody sunday" (this one was played just once, wasn't it?).

Myth!
The band is always going on about Bono refusing to sing this song in the 1990s... well he sang it plenty of times on Outside Broadcast and the early part of Zooropa.

 

[susanp6]

My fav tour EVER and the first time i saw them

 

[Catman]

Your friend is an IDIOT!





I kid, I kid Odd though, because personally, I think it's the greatest tour... EVER. And I'm not just a blind follower of U2, either. My favorite song isn't made by them, neither is my favorite album (but overall, they can't be topped ), but ZooTV... it's just something else entirely. I've seen Sydney and the concert itself flows like a coherent piece of work in itself. It compliments the Achtung Baby album perfectly.

POPmart, while interesting, failed in this regard, IMO. While playing, the stage and setups didn't seem to amount to much... very disjointed. I feel, from what I've seen, that Lovetown is 2nd best, with War and Vertigo following close behind.

 

[J_NP]

I kind of got a little confused , wasn't the initial subject zootv sydney , now people start to show their complants about zootv ?

IMO the problem of the sydney's concert is that 1st they were in the very end of the tour , after 2 years of tour , that kinda makes them a little tired .

And the 2nd , I think the main is the Zoroopa ZOOTV was a whole different thing , and it was even deeper in the zoomerang leg , which was the one of Sydney . A lot of hits and great songs were left behind , it's not that I'm saying that the zooropa songs are necessarily bad , but I'll rather see others ones live. Like Lemon I love that song , its great Bono and Edge singin together and all , and there was a great energy in sydneys perfomance , but I'd rather 1000 times see UltraViolet , same goes for Desire instead of Daddys.....

I think that if people got a video of like the Outside Broadcast , they would see how great Zootv was , with that great encore with Desire , UV , wowy played like the good ol days , also the hits like Haven't found.... Bad .

But now people people are even bashing One or the acoustic set , that for me were always some of the highlights of the show.

 

[ImOuttaControl]

I totally disagree with this statement.

Zoo station, The fly, Mysterious Ways, One, Love is Blindness, Even better than the real thing ???

get right out of town.

I think you're forgetting Until The End of the World--the performance on the Best Of DVD is

Also, I think that Ultraviolet was awesome live.

 

[RademR]

zoo tv was u2's best tour and the greatest tour ever.

incredible