U2 is one of the most iconic and influential rock bands of all time, having released 14 studio albums and played countless unforgettable live shows since forming in 1976. With so many amazing concerts over their decades-long career, it can be challenging to determine which U2 gig reigns supreme. Some standout tours include the Joshua Tree Tour in 1987, supporting their career-defining album of the same name, and the Zoo TV Tour in the early 1990s, featuring their ironic and eclectic Achtung Baby era. Their Elevation Tour shows in 2001, performed in smaller, more intimate venues, also produced some legendary performances. As U2 continues evolving their live show with cutting-edge staging and politically-charged themes, fans passionately debate which concert definitively captures the band at their best. There are many factors involved in evaluating a show, including setlist, venue, historical significance, and the band’s energy and stage presence on a given night. By analyzing fan reactions, critical reviews, bootleg recordings, and speaking with those who attended multiple shows across the decades, we can break down the evidence and build a case for which U2 concert stands above the rest.
Joshua Tree Tour Era
The Joshua Tree Tour took place in 1987 in support of U2’s smash hit album The Joshua Tree, which featured career-defining singles like “Where the Streets Have No Name” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” This was the first time U2 headlined stadiums in the US, playing to massive audiences reflective of their skyrocketing fame. The tour’s setlist leaned heavily on The Joshua Tree, playing most of the album each night alongside their earlier hits. Visually, the stage featured a large Joshua tree-shaped screen, establishing an epic atmosphere at huge venues like the Rose Bowl and Madison Square Garden. The opening leg in the US and Europe from April to July were widely praised, with Rolling Stone calling the band “awe-inspiring” in their ability to connect with large crowds.
Many consider their show at Madison Square Garden in New York on November 13, 1987 the peak of the Joshua Tree Tour. Occurring six months into the tour, the band had fully settled into the larger venues and honed their setlist. Bono was in peak theatrical form, draped in his iconic leather jacket, embracing his role as rock frontman in the big city. Even the cantankerous New York press admitted U2 had won over the 18,000 fans in attendance that night. The high point was the haunting “Exit” into an explosive “Bullet the Blue Sky,” capturing the band at their most urgent and political. Other top shows from the Joshua Tree Tour include the final two at Sun Devil Stadium where they shot the music video for “Where the Streets Have No Name,” as well as their homecoming shows in Ireland in late July where they first premiered future classic “I Will Follow.” Overall, the Joshua Tree Tour represented the band stepping confidently into the limelight, embracing rock stardom without losing their alternative edge.
Zoo TV Tour Era
After the massive success of The Joshua Tree, U2 made a dramatic left turn into electronic rock and blistering cynicism with their 1991 masterpiece Achtung Baby. The accompanying Zoo TV Tour captured the band’s new ironic detachment and futuristic electronica. Lasting from February 1992 through November 1993, Zoo TV was an elaborate multimedia spectacle mocking the overload of mass media. Multiple stages, video screens, and sets created a bombarded, postmodern environment satirizing TV evangelism, war, fame, and greed. Bono played several new outlandish characters like “The Fly” and “Mirror Ball Man” in keeping with the tour’s themes. Their setlists drew heavily from Achtung Baby but also included lots of newer experimental material.
The Zoo TV shows at Sydney Football Stadium over four nights in November 1993 generated particularly rapturous responses for their explosive energy and sharp political commentary. Occurring near the end of the mammoth tour, the band had fully incorporated the multimedia overload into a tight, hyperactive performance. Bono achieved peak theatricality with his ironic personas and mid-song rants about current events. Supporting their great new material, the concerts were both provocative and exhilarating. While less consistent than the Joshua Tree shows, the Sydney Zoo TV gigs captured U2 as risk-takers at the peak of their powers.
Other standout Zoo TV shows include their final one at Tokyo Dome in December 1993, where fans got a bonus acoustic set called “Zoo TV Unplugged” with loose, intimate versions of b-sides and rarities. Their homecoming shows at Dublin’s Croke Park in August 1993 were also Zoo TV highlights, where U2 grappled with their conflicted relationship with fame among family and friends. While the elaborate multimedia experiment didn’t always work across the lengthy tour, Zoo TV at its best showcased U2 as a revolutionary band for the emerging information age. The Sydney shows captured that peak.
Elevation Tour Era
After revisiting more earnest rock territory with mixed results in the late 90s, U2 regained their peak powers with 2000’s All That You Can’t Leave Behind. The accompanying Elevation Tour saw them return to arenas for a more intimate, spirited setting to showcase new classics like “Beautiful Day” alongside their hits. Lasting from March 2001 through December 2001, Elevation focused on guitar-driven rock energy and heartland anthems, foregoing elaborate stages and characters. Critics praised the shows as U2’s most passionate and uplifting since the Joshua Tree era. Though not as historically significant as Zoo TV, fans rated the Elevation shows very highly for their setlists, casual vibe, and the band’s inspired commitment.
Within the consistently impressive Elevation Tour, consensus points to their four shows at the intimate Earl’s Court Arena in London in August 2001 as the peak. At just under 20,000 capacity, Earl’s Court compelled U2 to craft a special setlist spanning their entire career not always possible in bigger venues. The UK fans reciprocated with ecstatic energy from start to finish each night across the relatively stripped down, circular stage. Playing after a hiatus following the death of Bono’s father, the concerts also had deeply emotional undertones. The spine-tingling peak came when Bono led the crowd in a heartfelt “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” in tribute to his father. Other Elevation Tour highlights include their passionately received NY area shows in May, their victorious Slane Castle homecoming gig in Ireland in August, and the uplifting post-9/11 shows in October featuring rarities and poignant tributes. However, the Earl’s Court run remains the Elevation Tour’s defining moment and U2’s early 2000s peak.
Recent Tours (Vertigo, 360°, Innocence + Experience)
U2’s tours since the mid-2000s have continued their pursuit of cutting edge stadium spectacle, social consciousness, and performing their most beloved songs with inspiration. While these tours boast amazing shows in isolation, fans generally don’t place them among the band’s all-time peaks. The Vertigo Tour in 2005 supporting How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb delivered pulsating energy and great setlists inside high-tech LED cages, but doesn’t have singular epochal shows compared to their 80s and 90s peaks. The 360° Tour in 2009-2011 featured the awe-inspiring CLAW stage that allowed 360-degree surrounded viewing and pyrotechnics, but became increasingly formulaic over two years on the road. That said, their 360° shows did reach unbelievable heights at venues like the Rose Bowl.
The Innocence + Experience Tour in 2015 commemorated Achtung Baby’s anniversary alongside new material from Songs of Innocence. Using a divided arena stage, the tour was praised for its ambition and technological spectacle continuing U2’s innovative legacy. Shows in Paris, Vancouver, and their hometown Dublin stood out among consistent excellence. While highlights of the recent tours rate among U2’s individual best gigs, they have yet to produce definitive full tours or singular shows rising to the iconic level of their late 80s/early 90s peak. Fans remain eager to see if they can recapture that enduring magic again on future tours. For now, Joshua Tree in 1987 and Zoo TV in 1993 still represent the live pinnacles of U2’s brilliant decades-spanning career.
Conclusion
With so many amazing contenders, definitively crowning U2’s single greatest concert is no easy task. However, weighing the full evidence of setlists, reaction, historical importance, and intangible magic, their November 13, 1987 show at Madison Square Garden stands above the rest. Coming six months into the historically pivotal Joshua Tree Tour, their MSG show found U2 in peak form channeling America’s excitement around their seminal album. The setlist captured them fully evolved into worldwide rock icons able to electrify stadiums with the still fresh Joshua Tree material. While Zoo TV and Elevation also have strong cases, Madison Square Garden in 1987 saw U2 strike the perfect balance of tight musicianship, bold theatricality, exhilarating anthems, and heroic cultural import. For one night in the worlds’ most famous arena, it all came together into a career-defining exhibit of legendary rock glory during the band’s definitive peak era. U2 would continue chasing that magic in the decades to come, achieving many more amazing milestones and concerts. But Madison Square Garden in November 1987 towers as their ultimate live triumph.