¥FOR ITS FIRSTtour of the Nineties,
the biggest rock band in the world
had one simple goal: to completely re-
inventitselfasaliveact.U2hadjust
given their sound a full-scale make-
over with 1991’sAchtung Baby–a
groundbreaking fusion of rock, pop,
electronic dance grooves and kraut-
rock–andtheyneededatourthatre-
flected their sleek, challenging new
music.“Weweredrawntoanything
that was going to give us a chance to
getawayfromtheJoshua Treeear-
nestness,” said the Edge, “which had
become so stifling.”
ThenotionofU2astheinheritorsof
rock’s social mission had been central
to their Eighties stardom. But as the
bandwaswellaware,itwasincreas-
ingly out of step with an era defined
by groups like Nirvana and Pearl Jam,ZOOTVTOUR
U
1992-93
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