Is ZooTV the Dividing Line of U2's Live Career?

I mentioned in the thread on Bad that I don't rank any live performances of the song post-ZooTV (since I consider that tour their zenith, especially when it comes to Bono's voice). That got me thinking:

Are there any songs from U2's 1980 - 1993 catalog whose post-ZooTV live performances I prefer to their (pre) ZooTV performances? Like, was their any tour after 1993 where U2 did a better job performing any song from 1993 or earlier?

Now I know the one possible exception for a lot of people is The Fly: many think the Elevation Tour's reimagining of that songs is as good as ZooTV if not better (I disagree but understand the sentiment). But otherwise, what examples are there of post-'93 live performances that are better than earlier performances of those same songs?

For my part, the only value I find in any U2 concert from 1997 on is hearing their new material live.

Thoughts?

To give some examples:

Vertigo Tour's Electric Co. < All earlier versions

360 Tour's Ultraviolet < ZooTV's version

JT30's Exit < 1987's version

E&I's Stay < ZooTV's version

I can't think of a single time when U2's post-'93 performance of any earlier song was an actual improvement.

For me the very peak of much of their 80’s output was on the Lovetown tour.Some of U2’s very best boots come from that tour (Osaka, Point Depot). I think that tour was the height of Bono’s vocals in terms of power.

For tours after Zoo TV, I would agree that they never really topped the individual song performance’s, but there are a few instances where I feel they were still in the same area code:

One and Mysterious Ways: Popmart Edmonton

All I Want is You/Never Tear Us Apart - Popmart Mexico (the Never Tear Us Apart coda really makes it)

Where The Streets Have No Name - Elevation Boston

Yeah, I would probably have to agree with you. There might be a few exceptions. ZooTV was at their best both playing and Bono's voice.

For me the very peak of much of their 80’s output was on the Lovetown tour.Some of U2’s very best boots come from that tour (Osaka, Point Depot). I think that tour was the height of Bono’s vocals in terms of power.

For tours after Zoo TV, I would agree that they never really topped the individual song performance’s, but there are a few instances where I feel they were still in the same area code:

One and Mysterious Ways: Popmart Edmonton

All I Want is You/Never Tear Us Apart - Popmart Mexico (the Never Tear Us Apart coda really makes it)

Where The Streets Have No Name - Elevation Boston

I am with you on the POPMART 'all i want is you', i would add to that 'i will follow' and possibly 'even better than the real thing'

I’ve said it before but for me they peaked with the Elevation tour.

When I did a « best of U2 live » playlist of my favorite version of each songs, I didn’t keep much from the Zoo TV tour because I think those songs were played better later on.

I kept : Love is Blindness, UV, Lemon, Daddy’s gonna pay and Dirty Day.

Songs that were played during ZOOTV that I chose to pick another version :

Bad (WAIA)
Pride (conspiracy of hope)
Sunday Bloody Sunday (JT 87)
Running to stand still (Lovetown)
Bullet (elevation)
The fly (elevation)
New year’s day (elevation)
Streets (elevation)
with or without you (elevation)
One (elevation)
Mysterious ways (elevation)
Desire (ATYCLB promo tour)
Angel of Harlem (360)
Even better (I+E)

Now don’t get me wrong, I value ZOO TV A LOT ! As a show it’s marvelous. By in terms of individual songs, I believe they did better.

I’ve said it before but for me they peaked with the Elevation tour.

When I did a « best of U2 live » playlist of my favorite version of each songs, I didn’t keep much from the Zoo TV tour because I think those songs were played better later on.

I kept : Love is Blindness, UV, Lemon, Daddy’s gonna pay and Dirty Day.

Songs that were played during ZOOTV that I chose to pick another version :

Bad (WAIA)
Pride (conspiracy of hope)
Sunday Bloody Sunday (JT 87)
Running to stand still (Lovetown)
Bullet (elevation)
The fly (elevation)
New year’s day (elevation)
Streets (elevation)
with or without you (elevation)
One (elevation)
Mysterious ways (elevation)
Desire (ATYCLB promo tour)
Angel of Harlem (360)
Even better (I+E)

Now don’t get me wrong, I value ZOO TV A LOT ! As a show it’s marvelous. By in terms of individual songs, I believe they did better.

I gotta disagree on a lot of these. One Elevation? For me Bono is at his best when he's singing with passion. One was epic on some of those early Zoo TV shows. Bono was amazing.

One Elevation isn't even in the same ballpark as this:


With or Without You was at it's best from 87 - 93. That song requires his "big" voice and he never sang it at 100% after Zoo Tv.

Angel of Harlem 360 wasn't even in the same stratosphere as it was on Lovetown.

i & e Even Better? Loss for words on this choice. Bono's voice is very far from what it was in their prime.

I mentioned in the thread on Bad that I don't rank any live performances of the song post-ZooTV (since I consider that tour their zenith, especially when it comes to Bono's voice). That got me thinking:

Are there any songs from U2's 1980 - 1993 catalog whose post-ZooTV live performances I prefer to their (pre) ZooTV performances? Like, was their any tour after 1993 where U2 did a better job performing any song from 1993 or earlier?

Now I know the one possible exception for a lot of people is The Fly: many think the Elevation Tour's reimagining of that songs is as good as ZooTV if not better (I disagree but understand the sentiment). But otherwise, what examples are there of post-'93 live performances that are better than earlier performances of those same songs?

For my part, the only value I find in any U2 concert from 1997 on is hearing their new material live.

Thoughts?

Vertigo Electric Co was the first thing which came to mind.

As for Ultraviolet, I’m partial to the guitar part during “I remember when we could sleep on stones” from ZooTV.

ZooTV Running to Stand Still will always be my favorite version. It was one of the few times that they completely changed the way a song was played live, and stands out for the fact that it was a pre-Achtung Baby song which could only have sounded that way coming from a post-Achtung Baby U2. They preserved the spirit of the song while taking it to a completely new level. I don’t think they even tried anything like that ever again, outside of different versions of songs during the recording process.

Yeah, I would probably have to agree with you. There might be a few exceptions. ZooTV was at their best both playing and Bono's voice.

I half disagree with this. Instrumentally, the band continued to improve markedly post-ZooTV. Adam and Larry upped their sophistication a lot by the time PoP was recorded (Think about later, when Adam played a “lead bass” part on 360 Crazy Tonight which ZooTV Adam wouldn’t have done), and Edge’s playing perfected a live precision which wasn’t there to the same degree beforehand.

Bono’s ZooTV voice is his live peak, though. He had begun to learn much more skill and finesse as a singer as he lost the ability to rely on power nonstop due to permanent damage from the JT tour, but the power was certainly still there. Of course, the falsetto became front and center in this era as well. Watch Sydney’s “Satellite of Love” for something you’ll never see another white rock frontman pull off so beautifully.
Bono’s technical skill as a singer has continued to grow up to the current era, unfortunately because the hardware has badly degraded and he has no other choice. If you could put his current knowledge of singing into his 1986 body, it would be incredible to hear.

Quote from: Soloyan on June 03, 2023, 07:09:57 PM

I’ve said it before but for me they peaked with the Elevation tour.

When I did a « best of U2 live » playlist of my favorite version of each songs, I didn’t keep much from the Zoo TV tour because I think those songs were played better later on.

I kept : Love is Blindness, UV, Lemon, Daddy’s gonna pay and Dirty Day.

Songs that were played during ZOOTV that I chose to pick another version :

Bad (WAIA)
Pride (conspiracy of hope)
Sunday Bloody Sunday (JT 87)
Running to stand still (Lovetown)
Bullet (elevation)
The fly (elevation)
New year’s day (elevation)
Streets (elevation)
with or without you (elevation)
One (elevation)
Mysterious ways (elevation)
Desire (ATYCLB promo tour)
Angel of Harlem (360)
Even better (I+E)

Now don’t get me wrong, I value ZOO TV A LOT ! As a show it’s marvelous. By in terms of individual songs, I believe they did better.

I gotta disagree on a lot of these. One Elevation? For me Bono is at his best when he's singing with passion. One was epic on some of those early Zoo TV shows. Bono was amazing.

One Elevation isn't even in the same ballpark as this:

With or Without You was at it's best from 87 - 93. That song requires his "big" voice and he never sang it at 100% after Zoo Tv.

Angel of Harlem 360 wasn't even in the same stratosphere as it was on Lovetown.

i & e Even Better? Loss for words on this choice. Bono's voice is very far from what it was in their prime.

I’m not using audience bootlegs. Only soundboard and mostly official recordings.

I was never a fan of « even better » live. At least the new version was bringing something to it.

Good point about Angel. Let’s say I dig this stripped down version more. But the Lovetown version of Love comes to town is on my playlist (forgot it yesterday).

Quote from: The Exile on June 03, 2023, 03:49:10 PM

I mentioned in the thread on Bad that I don't rank any live performances of the song post-ZooTV (since I consider that tour their zenith, especially when it comes to Bono's voice). That got me thinking:

Are there any songs from U2's 1980 - 1993 catalog whose post-ZooTV live performances I prefer to their (pre) ZooTV performances? Like, was their any tour after 1993 where U2 did a better job performing any song from 1993 or earlier?

Now I know the one possible exception for a lot of people is The Fly: many think the Elevation Tour's reimagining of that songs is as good as ZooTV if not better (I disagree but understand the sentiment). But otherwise, what examples are there of post-'93 live performances that are better than earlier performances of those same songs?

For my part, the only value I find in any U2 concert from 1997 on is hearing their new material live.

Thoughts?

Vertigo Electric Co was the first thing which came to mind.

As for Ultraviolet, I’m partial to the guitar part during “I remember when we could sleep on stones” from ZooTV.

ZooTV Running to Stand Still will always be my favorite version. It was one of the few times that they completely changed the way a song was played live, and stands out for the fact that it was a pre-Achtung Baby song which could only have sounded that way coming from a post-Achtung Baby U2. They preserved the spirit of the song while taking it to a completely new level. I don’t think they even tried anything like that ever again, outside of different versions of songs during the recording process.

Very good point about RTSS. Same could be said about BTBS.
I remember at the time I thought they were going to do this with every tour and they did it a bit with BTBS which evolved a lot throughout the years.
Unfortunately most songs are molded for life, now.

The Fly Boston is superior

AIWIY at Slane is better plus it doesn’t feature those hideous strings that ruin an otherwise next level song

I’d argue bullet on elevation was equal to pre ZOOTV too

I mentioned in the thread on Bad that I don't rank any live performances of the song post-ZooTV (since I consider that tour their zenith, especially when it comes to Bono's voice). That got me thinking:

I did the exact same thing too. Great minds........

I dont know if this pos of mine is relevant. But i feel that Musically and vocals wise, EVERY live u2 song, written and performed prior to the year 2000, sounded its best  before the turn of the century.

Now, Bonos vocal especially, is mostly suited to singing the songs written post 2000.

I have long since been heard saying, that yeah, Bono might well be a technically more proficient singer this past 15 years or so, but he is nowehre near as raw, powerful and as soulful, as he was from the start, up till and including the Zoo TV Tour. Just my opinion.

I dont know if this pos of mine is relevant. But i feel that Musically and vocals wise, EVERY live u2 song, written and performed prior to the year 2000, sounded its best  before the turn of the century.

Now, Bonos vocal especially, is mostly suited to singing the songs written post 2000.

I have long since been heard saying, that yeah, Bono might well be a technically more proficient singer this past 15 years or so, but he is nowehre near as raw, powerful and as soulful, as he was from the start, up till and including the Zoo TV Tour. Just my opinion.

Bono has always been a changing vocalist.

The gap from Boy to Unforgettable Fire is enormous.

By Achtung Baby his voice had already been altered.

And it kept evolving…

Whatever Bono is going through, his voice has a lifespan of roughly 3 years, then it morphs into something else.

Rough ride.