Like Achtung Baby , the 1992–1993 Zoo TV Tour was a break with the band’s past. In contrast to the austere stage setups of previous U2 tours, Zoo TV was an elaborate multimedia event. It satirised the pervasive nature of television and its blurring of news, entertainment, and home shopping by attempting to instill “sensory overload” in its audience. The stage featured large video screens that showed visual effects, random video clips from pop culture , and flashing text phrases, along with a lighting system partially made of Trabant cars. U2 were known for their earnest performances in the 1980s, but the Zoo TV performances were intentionally ironic and self-deprecating. Bono performed as several over-the-top characters, including the leather-clad egomaniac “The Fly”, the greedy televangelist “Mirror Ball Man”, and the devilish “MacPhisto”. Prank phone calls were made to US President George H. W. Bush , the United Nations , and others. Live satellite link-ups to war-torn Sarajevo caused controversy. Zoo TV was the highest-grossing North American tour of 1992, earning US$67 million .
Zoo TV Tour
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