After U2’s Sphere shows celebrated Achtung Baby, the band will keep the party going with a new live EP from their iconic ZooTV Tour.
The band has announced a new five-track live EP called ZooTV Live in Dublin 1993. It will include the tour’s opening number, “Zoo Station,” and conclude with the penultimate song of the show, “Love Is Blindness.”
In the middle of those tracks are two more Achtung Baby songs, “Mysterious Ways” and “Tryin’ to Throw Your Arms Around the World,” and one from Zooropa, “Stay (Faraway, So Close!).”
The recordings are taken from “one of the two” U2’s ZooTV Tour shows on August 27 and 28, 1993, in their hometown of Dublin, Ireland. This show closed out the band’s fourth leg of the tour. They played shows on August 27 and 28 at RDS Arena.
After that, the band embarked on the fifth and final leg of the tour. The fifth leg visited Oceania and Japan with shows in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan.
ZooTV Live in Dublin 1993 will be released as a 12-inch vinyl on yellow vinyl as well as CD. The EP will also be released on digital platforms.
The ZooTV Tour was monumental for U2. It was in support of their Achtung Baby album (and subsequent Zooropa album once it was released). The band completely reinvented themselves for the tour.
Gigantic TV screens surrounded the stage as images projected behind the band. U2 placed a heavy emphasis on their new material. Each show featured at least nine songs from Achtung Baby. The opening six or seven songs (depending on the leg of the tour) would all be from Achtung Baby.
The band recorded Zooropa, which included songs like “Stay (Faraway, So Close!)” during the tour. In turn, they also incorporated it into their setlist in 1993.
Bono took on a new persona while on stage during the tour. He opened the show as “The Fly,” named after their Achtung Baby song of the same name. “The Fly” was an egotistical, leather-clad singer with bug-eyed sunglasses.
His other personas evolved throughout the tour. Bono portrayed a televangelist at one point called the “Mirror Ball Man” as well as “MacPhisto” (which was revived on the Experience + Innocence Tour).
The ZooTV Tour remains one of U2’s most significant moments. It was their reboot after the lukewarm reception to Rattle and Hum and the LoveTown Tour. While U2 has put on bigger shows, like the 360 Tour, ZooTV revolutionized the game.
Has U2 played Achtung Baby live since?
U2 is coming off a 40-night residency in Las Vegas at the Sphere, during which they performed Achtung Baby in full every night. Perhaps it is a little surprising that the live EP does not feature any of U2’s performances from the residency. Instead, they opted to go further back in time.
From September 29, 2023, to March 2, 2024, U2 played at the Sphere. They were the first artist to perform at the high-tech Las Vegas venue. Bono, the Edge, and Adam Clayton were joined by Bram van den Berg for the residency. Larry Mullen Jr. had to miss it.
