U2 – Zoo Tour – 1993

August 21st 1993 – Wembley Stadium

Supported by: Stereo MCs, Big Audio Dynamite II, Björk

U2 played two nights at Wembley and I was a bit gutted to find Utah Saints were support the previous night and tonight we had Stereo MCs and Bjork. I hadn’t enjoyed the “Zooropa” album either , which was a further worry ahead of this concert.

Oh well, should still be fun, U2 were great, Björk was an excellent performer and we would just have to see on the Stereo MCs, the jury was out on that one.

This started as a great day out, a Wembley gig on a Saturday meant we could drive down, park up and chill around town for a few hours before the concert. But, by the end of the night, U2 and I would be falling out and parting ways on “musical differences”. The supports were not really to my taste either and seemed very strange choices for the audience. Maybe Bono wanted to introduce us all to something different…….it didn’t work a very bored and talkative crowd through the two bands…..not something I generally concur with, but it wasn’t working tonight!

Stereo MCs

Very forgettable band, I guess they were an electronic dance band? Nothing for me to see here then! “Connected” was quite a good song but I remember nothing about the rest of their set.

Stereo MCs Set List (probably including)

• Step it up
• Connected
• Elevate My Mind
• Lost in Music

Big Audio Dynamite II

Why the “II”? Not entirely sure….Mick Jones was the only original BAD member left…..just a new formation.

They were a nice band to listen to on a lovely sunny day, but I don’t remember a great deal about them, bar the big hit E=MC₂

Set List (can’t remember, but would likely include)

• The Globe
• Rush
• E=MC₂ (definitely played this)

Björk

Oh dear, I don’t really like Björk, she has one or two songs I really like but generally I’m not a big fan…….having said that, I quite enjoyed listening to her today, she had a much more powerful voice than I expected, but she did seem to play quite a few quieter numbers which really don’t work in a stadium! Back to the bar……I wasn’t driving 🙂

Bjork Set List

• Human Behaviour
• Atlantic
• One Day
• Venus as a Boy
• Come to Me
• The Anchor Song
• Play Dead
• Crying
• Violently Happy
• There’s More to Life Than This
• Big Time Sensuality”
• Army of Me

U2

By the time U2 were ready to come on, the crowd was quite restless really and ready for some real rock music, which was a shame, as U2 played the most lack lustre show I’ve ever seen. I can count on one hand the times I’ve seen a good band not perform to their strengths or ability and this, for me, was one of them.

The stage set looked fantastic and it felt like it was going to be a good gig and starting with “Zoo Station” and “The Fly” felt positive, but things weren’t quite right, it still wasn’t feeling like a U2 of old.

Even the song choices were a surprise. No “I Will Follow”, “Sunday Bloody Sunday”, “Unforgettable Fire” or “Gloria”. It was a distinct move away from the early music, with a few classics still in there. “The Fly’ was played fairly early on and “New Year’s Day” was popped in the middle of some slower songs. The night never really seemed to get going

They came on to a middle stage for Angel of Harlem, Dancing Queen (ABBA) and Stay, which was about as exciting as it got, as they then just jammed the songs out. They felt like they were trying to move away from rock music into the bluesy feel that Rattle and Hum had, it wasn’t working too well for me or many around where we were seated. The impression from the crowd was we weren’t involved in the normal U2 way.

As such, I don’t remember a great deal of this gig, I know it was good and we all had not a bad time, but picking out particular moments is difficult. It was ok, a sunny day and we all sang our hearts out and Bono is one of the greatest showman to live, but oh to see them in a small hall somewhere.

I guess hearing live “Where The Streets Have No Name” and “Bullet The Blue Sky” were the highlights. The concert ended on two really slow ones and I’m pretty sure we left through “Can’t Help Falling in Love” as we were slightly falling out of love with the boys at this point.

I wouldn’t see U2 again for a while (I’m not sure they toured for a while anyway?), and I would still have to trade off having to see some of the bands I wanted to in large venues, but I know at the time, I was now desperate for some more smaller venue bands. Cheaper and more fun.

I will have a love, hate relationship with large venues and festivals all the way through my music watching days. Festivals would work better for me as you could mix the big stage with smaller stages. The stadium gigs can be ok, but they need to involve the crowd to succeed and I felt this gig lost the crowd.

U2 Set List

• Zoo Station
• The Fly
• Even Better Than the Real Thing
• Mysterious Ways
• One
• Until the End of the World
• New Year’s Day
• Numb
• Tryin’ to Throw Your Arms Around the World
• Angel of Harlem
• Dancing Queen
• Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
• Satellite of Love
• Bad
• Bullet the Blue Sky
• Running to Stand Still
• Where the Streets Have No Name
• Pride (In the Name of Love)
• Desire
• Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
• With or Without You, Love Is Blindness, Can’t Help Falling in Love