LAKELAND, Fla. – Forget those meditative minimalists of the ’80s. U2, rebelling against myth, has resurfaced with a sensual, eye-popping, campy and playful show, adorned with unexpected European decadence and Vegas trash.
The Irish quartet’s 31-city Zoo TV Tour, its first U.S. outing since 1987, opened Saturday before 7,500 fans in the sold-out Lakeland Civic Center.
Eight magnificent tunes from U2’s ambitious Achtung Baby dominate the first half, with past hits rounding out the second, pop’s typical strategy. Surprisingly, the Achtung material — jagged, industrial, psychedelic dance/rock roaring against a visual barrage — tops even crowd-pleasing hits like “Desire,” “Where the Streets Have No Name” and “Pride (In the Name of Love).”
While leaving little room for spontaneity, the computerized visuals — projected on scores of TV monitors — magnify the music’s power. A blinding assault of serio-comic messages (“Celebrity is a job,” “Admit nothing”) accompanies “The Fly.” Random live satellite transmissions are tuned in for “Even Better Than the Real Thing.” To offset the high-tech, six painted, light-festooned Trabants (obsolete East German cars) dangle above.
Eye candy aside, sublime music drives the two-hour concert. Bono, slinky in shiny black leather, glides from passionate wails to a chilling rumble. Guitarist the Edge, against the formidable rhythms of drummer Larry Mullen Jr. and bassist Adam Clayton, remains U2’s sonic wizard.
Ironically, the highlight of this ornate spectacle is a stripped-down “Angel of Harlem” and Lou Reed’s “Satellite of Love,” played Unplugged-style on a tiny stage extending into the crowd. Even without the extravagance, U2 is too much.
© USA Today, 1992. All rights reserved.