1994 concert video by U2
Zoo TV: Live from Sydney
is a
concert film
by Irish
rock
band
U2
. It was shot on 27 November 1993 at
Sydney Football Stadium
in
Sydney
, Australia, during the "Zoomerang" leg of the group's
Zoo TV Tour
. Directed by
David Mallet
, the concert was televised worldwide via
pay-per-view
, and was released on
home video
in May 1994 on
VHS
and
Laserdisc
.
U2 faced difficulties with booking their November 1993 concerts in Sydney, as the
Sydney Cricket Ground Trust
originally rejected the band's application to book Sydney Football Stadium.
John Fahey
, the
Premier of New South Wales
, personally intervened to allow the shows to take place. U2 and the production crew used the 26 November concert as a dress rehearsal for the official filming the following day. Matters were complicated when bassist
Adam Clayton
was unable to perform on 26 November due to an
alcoholic blackout
, forcing his bass
guitar technician
Stuart Morgan to fill in. It was the first time a member of U2 had missed one of their concerts since their earliest days; Clayton recovered in time for filming of the 27 November show. The group initially planned to produce a January 1994 "triplecast" of the concert with
MTV
to offer it from different perspectives on three different channels, but they ultimately cancelled it.
Zoo TV: Live from Sydney
received favourable reviews from critics and won the
Grammy Award for Best Music Video, Long Form
in 1995. It received
sales certifications
of double platinum in Australia, and platinum in the United States, the United Kingdom, Argentina, and Brazil. In 2006, it was re-released on
DVD
, while also being issued as a
live album
entitled
Zoo TV Live
to subscribers of U2.com.
Planning and filming
[
edit
]
U2 faced difficulties with booking their November 1993 concerts in Sydney, Australia, where they wanted to stage a worldwide television broadcast to end the
Zoo TV Tour
. In early August 1993, after the
Sydney Cricket Ground Trust
rejected the band's application to perform at the
Sydney Football Stadium
in November, lead vocalist
Bono
publicly questioned the city's viability as a candidate to host the
2000 Summer Olympics
; the trust's decision was made despite allowing concerts by
Madonna
and
Michael Jackson
to be held at
Sydney Cricket Ground
in November. U2 manager
Paul McGuinness
faxed all 29 members of the Sydney Olympics 2000 Bid Committee to inform them of the situation.
[1]
John Fahey
, the
Premier of New South Wales
, personally intervened to allow the Sydney concerts to take place, and an announcement was made on 15 August confirming them. Tickets went on sale on 23 August.
[2]
The band's two November 1993 concerts in Sydney were filmed on consecutive nights as part of the television broadcast. The 26 November concert was staged as a rehearsal for the production crew in advance of the official filming the following night.
[3]
However, bassist
Adam Clayton
, who began drinking excessively on the latter stages of the tour, was unable to perform on 26 November after experiencing an
alcoholic blackout
.
[4]
The band ruled out canceling the show, since it was the only opportunity for the production crew to do a dry run of the filming.
[4]
[5]
Bass
guitar technician
Stuart Morgan filled in for Clayton instead, marking the first time a member of U2 had missed a concert since their earliest days. Clayton recovered in time to play the 27 November show,
[3]
which was broadcast in the United States on tape-delayed
pay-per-view
.
[6]
U2 originally planned to produce the concert with
MTV
for a January 1994 "triplecast" that would have offered three different perspectives of the show on three separate television channels. After realising they had not fully developed the concept, the group cancelled the "triplecast", denying themselves income that was supposed to make the Pacific leg of the tour profitable.
[7]
Years later in a
Rolling Stone
interview, Bono discussed the concert and its significance to the band. Clayton's absence the previous night had caused a real issue within the band, and they were all wondering what the long-term impact would be. Bono said he was unsure that they would ever play live again ? he realized during the show that it could be the band's last live performance.
[8]
Release
[
edit
]
All tracks played on that night appeared on the video, with the exception of "Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World", which was played between "Numb" and "Angel of Harlem". Many speculate it was omitted because of a controversy about Bono sharing a glass of champagne with an underage girl on-stage, while others believe that the band was unsatisfied with their performance.
[9]
However, producer Ned O'Hanlon stated in an online chat in 1996 that the concert was too long and needed to be cut for the video release.
[10]
There was controversy in
Japan
after the video aired on television; in August 2007, Zoo TV set designer
Willie Williams
confirmed that no offensive phrase towards Japan was ever part of the Zoo TV show, and that it was simply a figment of a reporter's imagination after viewing the hundreds of random words displayed during the song.
[11]
In reality, the words displayed were shown in the following sequence ? BOMB /
WHORE
/ ULTIMATELY / JAPAN / CHAOS / I / WANT / IT / NOW ? which caused the reporter to mistakenly "see" the reported offensive phrase.
[12]
After being broadcast on TV, the show was first released in May 1994 on
VHS
and
Laserdisc
.
Zoo TV: Live from Sydney
was one of the first titles slated for release in the DVD format in 1997/1998, and previews for it appeared on PolyGram DVDs of the time. But the PolyGram release was canceled. It was released on 18 September 2006 under the Island Records label. The DVD was released in a one- and two-disc edition, similar to the DVD release of
Vertigo 2005: Live from Chicago
. Both editions featured the concert in its original 4:3
aspect ratio
, remixed with
Dolby Digital
5.1,
DTS
5.1, and
PCM
Stereo audio.
The "super deluxe edition" and "Uber edition" of the
Achtung Baby
20th anniversary reissue, which were released in November 2011, contain
Zoo TV: Live from Sydney
as one of four bonus DVDs.
[13]
To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the band's 1993 album
Zooropa
, on 12 July 2023 the
Zoo TV: Live from Sydney
concert was live streamed globally.
[14]
Critical reception
[
edit
]
Zoo TV: Live from Sydney
received favourable reviews from critics. Reviewing the VHS release, Richard Harrington of
The Washington Post
said, "Though not better than the real thing, this is a solid approximation of U2's long-running, state-of-several arts world tour, the one that set technological standards that
Pink Floyd
and
the Rolling Stones
will be hard-pressed to match." He judged that "Occasionally, frenetic editing undermines U2's intentions, which are both entertainment and challenge", but thought that overall "this film captures a great band in great, definitive performance".
[25]
Brett Thomas of
The Sun-Herald
said, "The sheet vastness and technological gadgetry of the Zoo TV tour presents an obvious problem when transferring it to the small screen, so this video may be less effective for those who didn't see the production first hand. But as far as producing an engrossing, stirring rock concert, U2 show they have few peers."
[23]
Mark Brown of the
Orange County Register
called it "the real thing ? more than two hours of glorious, uninterrupted U2 concert footage". Brown said, "throughout you get the front-row spectacle of the stunning Zoo tour. Most music videos are hard to watch more than once; this one demands repeated viewing."
[26]
Catherine Applefeld of
Billboard
said, "The 28 cameras that were employed... at first blush might seem a bit excessive, but just minutes into this video masterpiece, viewers will be praising the merits of each and every one." Applefeld described the show as "A veritable blizzard of hi-tech artistry" and thought the set list covered the band's repertoire well.
[27]
Amy Linden of
Entertainment Weekly
said, "Although U2 is in fine musical form... the emphasis... isn't on the band's chops, but rather on their chips (as in computers)". She thought that the tour's "high-tech hoopla slowly eats away at what is actually a powerful performance" and that the group used video cliches with a "pretentious smugness".
[17]
Reviewing the DVD re-release, Andrew Perry of
The Daily Telegraph
said, "U2's Zoo TV extravaganza is widely regarded as the greatest rock tour ever staged. This full concert... should amaze anyone who missed it." Perry praised the group's performances, saying, "U2 deal out their early stadium classics and
Achtung Baby
-era novelties with equal majesty".
[28]
Bernard Zuel
of
The Sydney Morning Herald
called the Zoo TV Tour "the most spectacular show the Irish band (or any act, for that matter) had staged". He added, "Perhaps appropriately, seeing this concert on TV may be a better way of taking it in than seeing it in the flesh."
[29]
Daniel Durchholz of the
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
said, "On DVD at last, 'Zoo TV' chronicles... one of the most ambitious tours ever", adding that it "can't really capture how overwhelming the 1992 show was in person, but it's still pretty mind-blowing".
[22]
Randy Pitman of
Video Librarian
called the concert a "
tour de force
performance" and said "this landmark concert from one of the premier rock bands of the past quarter century is highly recommended".
[24]
Stuart Derdeyn of
The Province
said, "They don't make tours like this anymore", praising performances of songs such as "Mysterious Ways" as well as the DVD's bonus materials. He concluded, "If the point the band was trying to make was that we should watch less TV, it failed. If it was trying to predict the even more image-heavy assault on the future, bang-on, lads."
[20]
Neal Hayes of
PopMatters
called the DVD a "must-purchase for U2 fans" and said that even non-U2 fans "will find much to appreciate, and maybe even love, on this disc". He praised the audio and video quality as well as the bonus materials, and said that the concert "shows a band at the absolute height of its power" musically.
[19]
Brent Simon of
IGN
said that the concert "serves as ample, extravagant evidence of [U2's] overwhelming talent", calling it "an undeniably great show, superbly captured", despite "stylistic directorial flourishes that sometimes come off as too affected".
[18]
Andy Greene of
Rolling Stone
said of their Zoo TV performance, "The resulting sensory overload remains a high point in the band's history."
[21]
Track listing
[
edit
]
- Show Opening
- "
Zoo Station
"
- "
The Fly
"
- "
Even Better Than the Real Thing
"
- "
Mysterious Ways
"
- "
One
"
- "
Unchained Melody
"
- "
Until the End of the World
"
- "
New Year's Day
"
- "
Numb
"
- "
Angel of Harlem
"
- "
Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
"
- "
Satellite of Love
"
- "Dirty Day"
- "
Bullet the Blue Sky
"
- "
Running to Stand Still
"
- "
Where the Streets Have No Name
"
- "
Pride (In the Name of Love)
"
- "
Daddy's Gonna Pay for Your Crashed Car
"
- "
Lemon
"
- "
With or Without You
"
- "
Love Is Blindness
"
- "
Can't Help Falling in Love
"
DVD bonus materials
[
edit
]
The two-disc DVD release featured the following bonus features on disc two:
- Bonus Tracks
- Documentaries
- A Fistful of ZooTV
- ZooTV ? The Inside Story
- Trabantland
- Extras
There are three easter eggs. These are: all three parts of the
Interference
documentary from the 1992
Achtung Baby
video release; a 75-second video of war-themed warning drills; and a
time lapse
video of the Zoo TV stage being constructed and disassembled, set to the band's song "Some Days Are Better Than Others".
Audio release
[
edit
]
Zoo TV Live
|
---|
|
|
Released
| 18 November 2006
|
---|
Recorded
| 27 November 1993
|
---|
Venue
| Sydney Football Stadium (Sydney, Australia)
|
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Genre
| Rock
|
---|
Length
| 118
:
31
|
---|
Label
| U2.com
|
---|
|
|
The music from
Zoo TV: Live from Sydney
was released on a two-disc album titled
Zoo TV Live
, also known as
Zoo2Live
. It was released exclusively to subscribing members of U2.com on 18 November 2006. The album features 25 tracks, including all 22 songs performed in the video, plus a track for the show opening audio, the Macphisto speech, and a bonus track of "
Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World
", recorded in New York for the Zoo TV Special in August 1992.
[30]
Charts and certifications
[
edit
]
Weekly charts
[
edit
]
|
Year-end charts
[
edit
]
Certifications and sales
[
edit
]
|
References
[
edit
]
Footnotes
- ^
Thomas, Brett (8 August 1993). "U2 sends a rocket to Sydney".
The Sun-Herald
. p. 5.
- ^
Thomas, Brett (15 August 1993). "U2 ? zooming into Sydney and ending with style".
The Sun-Herald
. p. 124.
- ^
a
b
McGee (2008), pp. 169?170
- ^
a
b
McCormick (2006), pp. 255?256
- ^
Flanagan (1996), p. 404
- ^
Wilman, Chris (29 November 1993). "U2 Fans Get a Close-Up of Bono".
Los Angeles Times
. p. F10.
- ^
Flanagan (1996), p. 401
- ^
"Review of U2: Zoo TV ? Live in Sydney"
. Bullz-Eye
. Retrieved
10 March
2007
.
- ^
"Videography FAQ"
. Archived from
the original
on 22 April 2015.
- ^
"Highlights from the Ned O'Hanlon Conference (featuring Edge)"
. 28 January 1996. Archived from
the original
on 9 July 2011.
- ^
Paul Rowlands (2 December 2006).
"Nine Things You Possibly Didn't Know About U2 and Japan"
. Interference.com
. Retrieved
18 December
2008
.
- ^
"Video text of The Fly"
. U2 Station. 2 May 1992
. Retrieved
23 November
2007
.
- ^
"Twenty Years of Achtung Baby"
.
U2.com
.
Live Nation
. Archived from
the original
on 26 February 2012
. Retrieved
13 August
2011
.
- ^
Lane, Lexi (5 July 2023).
"U2 Will Honor The 30th Anniversary Of 'Zooropa' With A Limited-Edition Vinyl And A Global Livestream Event"
.
Uproxx
. Retrieved
8 July
2023
.
- ^
Miller, Jonathan.
"Zoo TV: Live from Sydney [Video] ? U2"
.
Allmusic
. Retrieved
2 April
2021
.
- ^
Herzog, Kenny (October 2006).
"DVD Reviews: U2 ? Zoo TV: Live from Sydney"
.
CMJ New Music Monthly
. No. 143. p. 49.
- ^
a
b
Linden, Amy (20 May 1994).
"Same to U2"
.
Entertainment Weekly
. No. 223. p. 70
. Retrieved
25 March
2021
.
- ^
a
b
Simon, Brent (26 October 2006).
"Zoo TV: Live from Sydney Review"
.
IGN
. Retrieved
25 March
2021
.
- ^
a
b
Hayes, Neal (21 November 2006).
"U2: Zoo TV, Live from Sydney [DVD]"
.
PopMatters
. Retrieved
25 March
2021
.
- ^
a
b
Derdeyn, Stuart (19 September 2006). "DVD of the Week: U2: ZOO TV Live from Sydney (Island)".
The Province
. p. B4.
- ^
a
b
Greene, Andy (5 October 2006).
"U2 - Zoo TV Live From Sydney"
.
Rolling Stone
. No. 1010. p. 77. Archived from
the original
on 31 March 2009
. Retrieved
12 August
2011
.
- ^
a
b
Durchholz, Daniel (26 December 2006). "Good rockin' tonight".
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
. pp. D1, D3.
- ^
a
b
Thomas, Brett (29 May 1994). "U2: Zoo TV - Live from Sydney".
The Sun-Herald
. sec. This Week, p. 42.
- ^
a
b
Pitman, Randy (January 2007).
"U2: Zoo TV?Live from Sydney"
.
Video Librarian
. Vol. 22, no. 1
. Retrieved
5 April
2021
.
- ^
Kempley, Rita; Harrington, Richard (9 June 1994).
"New on Video"
.
The Washington Post
. p. C7
. Retrieved
5 April
2021
.
- ^
Brown, Mark (10 July 1994). "Fans can help stop concert lawlessness".
Orange County Register
. p. F8.
- ^
Applefeld, Catherine (21 May 1994).
"Video Previews: U2, 'Zoo TV: Live From Sydney,' PolyGram Video, 120 minutes, $19.95"
(PDF)
.
Billboard
. Vol. 106, no. 21. p. 61
. Retrieved
5 April
2021
– via World Radio History.
- ^
Perry, Andrew (7 October 2006).
"DVD reviews"
.
The Daily Telegraph
. sec. Art, p. 16
. Retrieved
5 April
2021
.
- ^
Idato, Michael;
Zuel, Bernard
(18 September 2006). "New releases; DVD & Video".
The Sydney Morning Herald
. sec. The Guide, p. 9.
- ^
"ZOO2LIVE - U2 LIVE IN SYDNEY"
.
U2.com
. Retrieved
3 December
2018
.
- ^
"Official Music Video Chart Top 50"
.
Official Charts Company
.
- ^
"Official Video Chart Top 100: 10 April 1994 - 16 April 1994"
.
Official Charts Company
. Retrieved
18 June
2020
.
- ^
"Top Video Sales"
(PDF)
.
Billboard
. Vol. 106, no. 27. 2 July 1994. p. 92
. Retrieved
18 June
2020
– via World Radio History.
- ^
September 2006 "Austria Top 40 ? Musik-DVD: 29 September 2006"
(in German).
O3 Austria Top 40
. Hung Medien.
- ^
"U2 ? Zoo TV - Live from Sydney [DVD]"
(in French). Ultratop.be. Hung Medien.
- ^
"U2 ? Zoo TV - Live from Sydney [DVD]"
(in Dutch). Ultratop.be. Hung Medien.
- ^
"Musik Video Top-10: Uge 39 ? 2006"
(in Danish). Hitlisten.NU.
- ^
"U2 ? Zoo TV - Live from Sydney [DVD]"
(in Dutch). Dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien.
- ^
"Zoo TV Live From Sydney"
(in Finnish).
Musiikkituottajat ? IFPI Finland
. Retrieved
19 June
2020
.
- ^
"Offiziellecharts.de ? U2 ? Zoo TV - Live from Sydney [DVD]"
(in German).
GfK Entertainment Charts
.
- ^
"Archivum ? Keres? - el?ado/cim szerint"
.
Slagerlistak.hu
(in Hungarian).
Association of Hungarian Record Companies
. Retrieved
23 August
2020
.
Select:
DAL/ALBUM CIM,
type:
Zoo TV Live
into the search box, and click "Kereses"
.
- ^
"DVD: Classifica settimanale WK 39 (dal 25.09.2006 al 01.10.2006)"
(in Italian).
Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana
.
- ^
"ZOO TV Tour-Live From Sydney | U2"
.
Oricon
(in Japanese)
. Retrieved
8 July
2020
.
- ^
"Top 20 DVD Musical: Week 38, 2006"
(in Spanish). Top 20 DVD Musical.
PROMUSICAE
.
Select Year
: 2006,
Week as
Semana: 38,
Then click on "Search Charts"
.
- ^
"Veckolista DVD Album ? Vecka 39, 2006"
(in Swedish).
Sverigetopplistan
.
- ^
"U2 - Zoo TV - Live from Sydney [DVD]"
.
hitparade.ch
. Retrieved
18 June
2020
.
- ^
"Music Video: Top Music Videos"
(PDF)
.
Billboard
. Vol. 118, no. 40. 7 October 2006. p. 57
. Retrieved
18 June
2020
– via World Radio History.
- ^
"U2 ? Zoo Tv - Live from Sydney"
(in French). Classement Officiel des ventes de DVD Musicaux.
Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique
.
- ^
"ARIA Top 50 Music DVD for 2006"
.
Australian Recording Industry Association
. Retrieved
31 January
2021
.
- ^
"Jaaroverzichten 2006: Muziek-DVD"
.
Ultratop
(in Dutch). Hung Medien
. Retrieved
1 August
2020
.
- ^
"Rapports Annuels 2006: DVD Musicaux"
.
Ultratop
(in French). Hung Medien
. Retrieved
1 August
2020
.
- ^
"Jaaroverzichten ? DVD Music 2006"
.
Dutch Charts
(in Dutch). Hung Medien
. Retrieved
1 August
2020
.
- ^
"Arslista DVD Album, 2006"
(in Swedish).
Sverigetopplistan
. Retrieved
1 August
2020
.
- ^
"Arslista DVD Album, 2009"
(in Swedish).
Sverigetopplistan
. Retrieved
1 August
2020
.
- ^
"Discos de Oro y Platino"
(in Spanish).
Camara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas
. Archived from
the original
on 31 May 2011.
- ^
"ARIA Charts ? Accreditations ? 2006 DVDs"
(PDF)
.
Australian Recording Industry Association
.
- ^
"Brazilian video certifications ? U2 ? Zoo TV: Live from Sydney"
(in Portuguese).
Pro-Musica Brasil
.
- ^
"LE CIFRE DI VENDITA 2006"
(PDF)
(in Italian).
Musica e dischi
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 6 January 2014
. Retrieved
14 March
2014
.
- ^
"Certificaciones"
(in Spanish).
Asociacion Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas
.
Type
U2
in the box under the
ARTISTA
column heading and
Zoo TV from Sydney
in the box under the
TITULO
column heading
.
- ^
"British video certifications ? U2 ? Zoo Tv - Live in Sydney"
.
British Phonographic Industry
.
- ^
"American video certifications ? U2 ? Zoo TV - Live in Sydney"
.
Recording Industry Association of America
.
Bibliography
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Studio albums
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Compilations
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Extended plays
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Live albums, fan-club
releases, and other albums
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Videos and films
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Concert tours
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Performances
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Lists
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Tribute albums
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Related
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