achtung baby 30th anniversary tour

The greatest up-lifting record of all U2 history

ACHTUNG BABY

Achtung Baby at 30

Special vynil edition.

Island Records, Interscope and UMe announce the 30th Anniversary Edition release of Achtung Baby, with special Standard black vinyl release, along with a Deluxe colour vinyl with Achtung Baby (2018 Remaster) and Achtung Baby (Unter Remixes) also available digitally

30 Years Merchandise

Special collectible offical edition.

EXCLUSIVE on U2 online store a great new selection of orginal and revisited collectibles from the 90's storm of Achtung baby

U2 Back in Berlin

June 2022 release // preorder, achtung baby uber deluxe, 20th anniversary edition.

Limited numbered Box Set with 10 discs including Achtung Baby album, b-sides and re-workings of previously unheard material recorded during the Achtung Baby sessions plus 4 DVDs and a pair of Bono's sunglasses

/ NEWS & EVENTS

Upcoming event ..

Events, news, rumors, all about U2 most iconic album of all time

Trabant Art Installation in Berlin

The new achtung baby 30th anniversary edition with 30 track, dave fanning celebrates a u2 classic, zoo tv tour opening from 1991, zoo tv live in sydney from 1993.

‘U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere’ Dates Announced

THE WORLD’S BIGGEST ROCK BAND WILL LAUNCH THE WORLD’S MOST CUTTING-EDGE VENUE – WATCH  HERE

Sphere, las vegas, register for ticketmaster verified fan now through wednesday 10am et at  u2.ticketmaster.com.

Sphere Entertainment Co. and Live Nation today announced dates for  ‘U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere’ , a first-of-its-kind live music experience which will see the world’s biggest rock band launch the world’s most cutting-edge venue, Sphere at The Venetian in Las Vegas. Watch  HERE . The long-awaited confirmation of dates comes after  U2 dropped the ultimate sneak peek – to a mass global audience – with  a Super Bowl commercial  back in February which let fans know that the band will return to the stage later this year for a special run of shows marking their first live outing in four years.

The following dates have been announced:

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8

Bono and The Edge recently gave Apple Music’s Zane Lowe a sneak preview tour of Sphere and a glimpse into their ideas as they begin to create these shows. U2: The Zane Lowe Interview is now available  HERE .

TICKETS:  Tickets for this run of shows will be in high demand, therefore Verified Fan will be used to ensure more tickets get into the hands of fans who want to go to the show, not buyers looking to resell them. 

• Fans can register now for the Verified Fan presale  HERE . Fans who previously signed up for Verified Fan for U2 are automatically registered for the opportunity to participate in the presale.
• Registration for Verified Fan will close Wednesday, April 26 at 10am ET.
• Fans who are selected to receive an access code will be able to participate in the Verified Fan presale starting Thursday, April 27.

Tickets start at $140 and will reflect all-in pricing. This means the ticket price listed is the full out-of-pocket price inclusive of taxes and fees. The larger capacity at Sphere allows for 60% of tickets to be priced under $300 and there will also be a limited number of premium priced tickets per show.

U2.COM PRESALE :  U2.com subscribers will have first access to tickets through  Ticketmaster   Request , open now until Wednesday, April 26 at 10am ET. During this period, U2.com subscribers can sign into their Ticketmaster account, pick up to 3 shows and rank in order of preference, request up to 4 tickets and select the type of tickets preferred. To complete their request, fans will enter payment details and will only be charged if the request can be fulfilled. Requests will only be fulfilled for up to one show and up to 4 tickets. Fans will be notified via email of their request status, and if fulfilled will be provided a link to claim their tickets.

GENERAL ONSALE:  If any tickets remain, they will be sold during a general onsale starting Friday, April 28 at 10am at  Ticketmaster.com . On sale times will vary, check the Ticketmaster listing for more information. 

DETAILS ON GENERAL ADMISSION FLOOR TICKETS:  In an effort to help minimize resale and keep ticket prices at face value for fans, GA floor tickets for U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere will be restricted from transfer. They may only be resold at the original purchase price.

Fans will still have protection against unforeseen circumstances. Those who purchase tickets and are no longer able to attend their show will be able to sell their tickets at the price they paid using the Ticketmaster Face Value Exchange. More information on how the Ticketmaster Exchange works is available  here .

RED ZONE :  At each U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere performance, 50 tickets to experience the show from an exclusive VIP riser will be made available for purchase benefitting (RED), the organization founded by Bono and Bobby Shriver in 2006 to fight AIDS and the injustices that enable pandemics to thrive.

  “We’re so grateful once again to U2 for their generosity. And we’re very excited that each U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere performance will feature an iconic (RED) Zone, which lets fans choose (RED) and save lives while enjoying the show with an excellent view of the stage”, said Jennifer Lotito, President and COO of (RED). “Over the years, U2’s generosity has delivered nearly $23 million for (RED)’s fight to end AIDS. Thanks to U2 and U2 fans everywhere for helping (RED) make preventable and treatable disease preventable and treatable for everyone.”

VIP :  Vibee, the new music-led destination experience company founded by Live Nation, is the exclusive Hotel Package and VIP Experience provider for U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere. Vibee has fans covered from the minute they arrive. The range of elevated hospitality packages may include premium concert seating; hotel rooms at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, the only resort attached to Sphere; priority entry into the U2:UV Fan Portal, an immersive, cutting-edge installation and pop-up shop at The Venetian; limited edition U2 memorabilia; nightclub access; bespoke concierge service and more. 

Citi Cardmembers Have Special Access to Vibee VIP & Hotel Packages now through May 3 at 10pm. For complete details visit  www.citientertainment.com . 

For complete date, ticket and Vibee VIP & Hotel Package information visit  https://u2.ticketmaster.com . 

‘U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere’  is the band’s latest ambitious creative project and will see them work once again with longtime U2 creative collaborator and show director Willie Williams. It follows the massive success of the band’s acclaimed Joshua Tree 30th anniversary stadium tour which was seen by over 3.2 million fans worldwide and their 2018 eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE indoor tour which played to a combined audience of 1 million across Europe and North America.

Acknowledged as the best live act in the world, U2 have always – since their earliest days, including the industry-defining ZOO TV Tour which broke the mold in 1991 – consistently pushed the boundaries of live performance, with ground-breaking stage shows that embrace the latest in technology and innovation. The announcement that the band will be the first musical act at Sphere, the next-generation entertainment medium that dominates the Las Vegas skyline, is fitting for a show from the world’s most thrilling live band. 

Bono, The Edge and Adam said,  “U2 hasn’t played live since December 2019 and we need to get back on stage and see the faces of our fans again. And what a unique stage they’re building for us out there in the desert… We’re the right band, ACHTUNG BABY the right album, and Sphere the right venue to take the live experience of music to the next level… That’s what U2’s been trying to do all along with our satellite stages and video installations, most memorably on the ZOO TV Tour, which ended in Tokyo 30 years ago this Fall. 

Sphere is more than just a venue, it’s a gallery and U2’s music is going to be all over the walls.”

The Edge added –  “The beauty of Sphere is not only the ground-breaking technology that will make it so unique, with the world’s most advanced audio system, integrated into a structure which is designed with sound quality as a priority; it’s also the possibilities around immersive experience in real and imaginary landscapes. In short, it’s a canvas of an unparalleled scale and image resolution and a once-in-a-generation opportunity. We all thought about it and decided we’d be mad not to accept the invitation.”

Sphere is a next-generation entertainment medium that will bring wonder to the world and redefine the future of live entertainment.  Sphere’s 22 nd  century technologies include a 16K x 16K LED display inside the main venue bowl that wraps up, over, and around the audience, creating a fully immersive visual environment. Sphere Immersive Sound, the world’s most advanced concert audio system, delivers crystal-clear audio to every seat in the house. Multi-sensory 4D technologies will enhance the storytelling experience so guests can “feel” the experience – such as the rumble of thunder or the feeling of a cool breeze. ‘U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere’ will tap into this cutting-edge technology, allowing fans to experience something completely new.

U2 is acknowledged as one of the best live acts in the world. Formed in Dublin in 1978, the band were marked out by their drive and ambition from the beginning. U2 has toured the globe countless times, released 14 studio albums, sold over 170 million albums and won numerous awards, including 22 Grammys and Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience award. U2 were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005 and have twice been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song: in 2003 for ‘The Hands That Built America’ for Gangs of New York, and in 2014 for ‘Ordinary Love’ for Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. U2’s fourteenth studio album Songs Of Experience – the companion release to 2014’s Songs Of Innocence – was released in December 2017 debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200, setting U2 apart as the only band in history to have topped the chart in four successive decades. In 2018, the U2 hit the road with the eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE Tour, an arena production which saw the band continue to push the creative boundaries of technology and engineering. And following 2017’s acclaimed stadium run with The Joshua Tree Tour – the record-breaking smash hit tour celebrating the band’s seminal 1987 album The Joshua Tree – The Joshua Tree Tour took U2 to New Zealand, Australia, and Japan, as well as bring “the biggest band in the world” (The Guardian) to Singapore, Seoul, Manila and Mumbai for the very first time. In November, 2019, the band released a track in collaboration with A.R. Rahman titled ‘Ahimsa’, which was performed live at Mumbai’s, D.Y. Patil Stadium. In 2020, SiriusXM and U2 announced the launch of U2 X-Radio, a complete immersion into the work and influences of the band from the Northside of Dublin, all curated by U2. And in May 2021, Bono and The Edge collaborated with Dutch DJ Martin Garrix to create the track ‘We Are The People’ the official anthem for the UEFA 2020 European Football Tournament. 2021 also saw the release of a new U2 song ‘Your Song Saved My Life’, which featured on the original motion picture soundtrack for the animated feature film ‘Sing 2’. Songs Of Surrender – a collection of 40 seminal U2 songs from across the band’s catalogue, re-recorded and reimagined for 2023 in sessions spanning the last two years – was released on Friday March 17th and debuted at #1 in the UK and Ireland.  It also charted at #1 on 5 U.S. charts and in the Top 5 of the Billboard Top 200 chart. 

About Sphere 

Sphere is a next-generation entertainment medium that will bring wonder to the world and redefine the future of live entertainment. A venue where the foremost artists, creators, and technologists will create extraordinary experiences that take storytelling to a new level and transport audiences to places both real and imagined. The venue will host original Sphere Experiences from leading Hollywood directors; concerts and residencies from the world’s biggest artists; and premier marquee events. The first Sphere venue is currently under construction in Las Vegas and is expected to open in fall 2023. It will be a new Las Vegas landmark, powered by cutting-edge technologies that ignite the senses and enable audiences to share experiences at a never-before-seen scale. More information is available at  thespherevegas.com . 

About Live Nation Entertainment

Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the world’s leading live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, and Live Nation Sponsorship. For additional information, visit www.livenationentertainment.com .

The full length Super Bowl trailer announcement for  U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere  can be viewed  HERE .

For U2 (US): Kristen Foster / [email protected]

For U2 (UK/Ireland): Brídín Murphy Mitchell / [email protected]

For Sphere: Mikyl Cordova / [email protected]

For Live Nation: Monique Sowinski / [email protected]

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U2 Announce Dates for 2023 ‘Achtung Baby’ Las Vegas Residency

U2  just announced five shows in Las Vegas as part of their new "U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere Las Vegas" concert residency this fall.

The Irish rock band will open the new sphere-shaped music and entertainment arena Sphere at The Venetian Resort with the program based on their classic 1991 album, Achtung Baby . The residency was already announced; the dates are newly revealed. (More dates are likely to be added, Rolling Stone  said.)

See the shows so far near the bottom of this post.

U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere is the band's latest ambitious creative project and will see them work once again with longtime U2 creative collaborator and show director Willie Williams, a press release explains.

It follows the huge success of U2's  Joshua Tree 30th anniversary stadium tour which was seen by over 3.2 million fans worldwide and their 2018 "eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE" indoor tour which played to a combined audience of 1 million across Europe and North America.

READ MORE: Metallica's Lars Ulrich Looks Up to U2

"U2 hasn't played live since December 2019 and we need to get back on stage and see the faces of our fans again," the band said on Monday (April 24). "And what a unique stage they're building for us out there in the desert. … We're the right band, Achtung Baby  the right album, and Sphere the right venue to take the live experience of music to the next level."

The U2 members added, "That's what U2's been trying to do all along with our satellite stages and video installations, most memorably on the 'ZOO TV Tour,' which ended in Tokyo 30 years ago this fall."

However, U2's  Larry Mullen Jr.  won't be a part of the dates . The band has already named his replacement . Watch a trailer below.  Get U2 tickets and more info here.

U2 Vegas Residency Trailer

Underneath the dates, see a list of rock and metal bands touring in 2023. Get  Loudwire's newsletter and  Loudwire's app  for rock and metal news.

U2 Las Vegas Residency Dates 2023

Sept. 29 – Las Vegas, Nev. @ Sphere Sept. 30 – Las Vegas, Nev. @ Sphere Oct. 5 – Las Vegas, Nev. @ Sphere Oct. 7 – Las Vegas, Nev. @ Sphere Oct. 8 – Las Vegas, Nev. @ Sphere

Bono 'Stories of Surrender' Book Tour 2023

April 26 – New York, N.Y. @ Beacon April 28 – New York, N.Y. @ Beacon April 29 – New York, N.Y. @ Beacon May 3 – New York, N.Y. @ Beacon May 4  –New York, N.Y. @ Beacon May 7 – New York, N.Y. @ Beacon May 8 – New York, N.Y. @ Beacon May 13 – Naples, Italy @ Teatro San Carlo

Your Guide to Rock + Metal Bands Touring in 2023

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How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Fly: U2’s ‘Achtung Baby’ at 30

In 1991, U2 risked tearing down the structure they built in the 1980s with the release of Achtung Baby and made a phoenix-like return to rock god status.

U2 bashing is the low-hanging fruit of music criticism. Over 40 years removed from their emergence, millennials best know the aging rockers as the band that invaded their iTunes without permission. The band might be next to irrelevant to Generation Z. And yet here we stand at the 30th anniversary of one of their biggest and best albums. To commemorate the anniversary of a U2 album outside the confines of their hardcore fandom might invite tsk-tsking or test the indulgence of those influenced by Nick Hornby’s character, Rob in High Fidelity , who lumped the band into the “five groups that would be shot come the musical revolution.”

On 18 November 1991, U2 released their seventh studio album, Achtung Baby , and performed what can be called, with only a tad bit of exaggeration, a phoenix-like return to rock god status. That seems an audacious statement to make about a band a mere four years removed from the release of The Joshua Tree , an album consistently listed as an all-time classic and one that made them the biggest band in the world at the time. I was by this point a convert to the Church of U2, a serious fan. And I refused to listen to Achtung Baby for several years.

I saw U2 live for the first time in my early 20s while they were in their mid-20s. Before the advent of dramatic video and light shows that would become the staple of arena and stadium rock concerts, the overly earnest band from Dublin moved crowds on the sheer power of focused righteous indignation that bordered on hubris. As a suburban young adult inflamed by the state of the world but apprehensive about public action, the band was my vicarious vanguard.

The world-changing earnest righteousness of their early sound reaches its culmination in 1983’s War , perhaps the purest distillation of post-punk U2 with its apocalyptic imagery and odes to hope and redemption driven by a military cadence and the Edge’s soaring guitar. The addition of Brian Eno in 1984’s The Unforgettable Fire brought atmospherics to the band’s bravado untapped before his involvement. On 13 July 1985, during the band’s Live Aid set at London’s Wembley Stadium, Bono went off script and stage in a 12-minute rendering of “Bad” that introduced scores of viewers to the sheer power of U2’s live performances.

The Joshua Tree bloomed in this fertile soil—a classic, once in a career album that propelled the band from an up-and-coming contender to rock juggernaut. They had combined their burning passion for meaning, for justice, for—dare we say it—righteousness with a maturing sound that could fill arenas while maintaining the feel of a love feast.

It was in the follow-up, Rattle and Hum , that chinks began to emerge in their armor. The double album appeared as an unresolved argument between releasing a live album from the American tour or an EP featuring the band’s dalliance with American roots and blues. Some saw it as an arrogantly indulgent attempt to introduce an American audience to their musical legacy. As the 1980s came to a close, U2 was experiencing a crisis of identity.

In 1990, the band took the last commercial flight into a divided Berlin shortly before the wall came down and reunification began. With a team including Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, Steve Lillywhite, and Flood, U2 thought a recording residency at Berlin’s Hansa Studios might provide the jolt to start over again. Hansa was where producer Eno had made magic in the 1970s with David Bowie , resulting in the “Berlin Trilogy” of albums.  Much of the mythos about their 1991 release has become mundane mantras. “The sound of four men chopping down the Joshua Tree.”

“We spent the ’80s throwing rocks at everyone else,” Bono opines in the documentary From the Sky Down that accompanied the 20th anniversary of the 1991 album. “Now we were throwing rocks at ourselves.” (It might be worth considering that not all rocks targeted the band as the title “Achtung Baby” might be read as  a subversive wink at Bowie’s “Thin White Duke” persona from the Berlin sessions and the dalliance with fascist imagery.)

It is not that myth-making is inappropriate. After all, what is rock music if not an exercise in myth-making? One can drill down into questions of the minutiae as to how consequential the details around the recording were. There were some breakthroughs in Berlin, but most of the album was recorded and formed back in Ireland. What is interesting to me now is what I resisted so vigorously then—the radical departure from image and sound they had spent a decade constructing.

A band that broke through on the strength of soaring stadium rock hymns were now looking at reworking their sound with heavy influences from EDM and industrial music. They were familiar with the “Madchester” movement and wanted to create music suitable for dance clubs. Such a move was not unprecedented as bands like the Rolling Stones had given the nod to the disco beat on Some Girls , but no listener of that album would find the sound to be unrecognizable to what had preceded it. 

But the opening sounds of “Zoo Station”, the first track off Achtung Baby, are nothing short of jarring. A faint beat is tapped out with sounds like a wrench on a pipe before the left channel assaults you with industrialized guitar licks answered by fuzzed-out percussion from the right channel. By the time Bono’s vocals—altered to mimic singing through a bullhorn—proclaim, “I’m ready to let go of the steering wheel”, you know they already have. 

It is a stunning opening that immediately throws the gauntlet down and clears the slate. The pace barely slows as the Edge careens into “Even Better Than the Real Thing” while we eavesdrop on an attempted seduction in Bono’s guttural plea for “one more chance to satisfy”. The realization that we are the target sets in as he croons, desperately pleading to the reluctant fan. 

In From the Sky Down , Bono and the Edge indicate the initial reluctance of bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. to their plans for sonic disruption. Yet, the brilliance of this album lies in its bass and drum-driven rhythm. “Until the End of the World” reveals Clayton and Mullen’s importance on this album. They lay down a rhythmic cable connecting one end of the song to the other, a grounding groove around which the Edge’s intense guitar effects and Bono’s vocals swirl in an ecstatic dance. 

Tonally the themes of Achtung Baby are less grand and bombastic than what preceded them. The prophets storming the cloud-shrouded mountain are set aside for a set of dirty glam rockers appealing to our baser instincts. The album is iconoclastic, and the sights set on knocking down the icons of Anton Corbijn’s black and white cover photos on The Joshua Tree . The band self-consciously try on personas, moving in and out of artifice and performance. We are introduced to “The Fly”, a send-up of the rock star blinded by his sense of brilliance, assuming every aphorism is wisdom. There is Judas in the garden bitterly emoting betrayal at Jesus’ hands in a song that dabbles in heartbreak and homoerotic imagery. 

The brilliance of this move lies in the hint that they might have been embodying personas all along. It is the shock that comes with realizing that when Bono as the Fly is saying, “this both is and is not me.” he is also including the jackboot-clad, white flag-waving warrior decrying violence on a cold, rainy Red Rocks stage.  We are caught in the dance between image and insecurity and the ambiguity of light and darkness within us all. We are all the “Acrobat”, twisting ourselves into contortions of compromise and conviction. “If you close your eyes, you can see the enemy.” The closing song brings this home by swinging at rock’s guiding myth. Love may be all we need, but it is blindness. 

The premier stadium anthem that emerges from this album is “One”. A fixture of their live shows to this day, the song feels like a soaring hymn to unity and our better angels, but on close listen is a clear-eyed reflection on our perpetual disappointment and betrayal of one another and ourselves. But, we get to carry each other in our brokenness and despair. The transgressive nature of this entire album is part of what makes it so important. By embracing cynical irony and ambiguity, the band spent the ’90s diving deeper into experimentation and reflecting on the whole human experience that retroactively gave more depth and humanity to their early prophetic rage. Like the albums before it, Achtung Baby swung for the fences but in the mode of a power hitter who first completely broke down their swing and learned to bat again. 

So, what is the importance of marking the 30th anniversary of this album? While a stellar rock album, it did not dramatically change the trajectory of music that followed it, opening up new vistas of sound or creating genres. In this sense, it is no Pet Sounds , Marquee Moon , or its chronological contemporary, Nevermind . It isn’t a profound social statement capturing the zeitgeist of the times like What’s Going On? or London Calling . Instead, Achtung Baby stands as a timestamp of a band at the height of their powers and popularity, daring to risk it all and reboot. And, if for no other reason, it is worth celebrating.

In a recent discussion between writers Tressie McMillan Cottom and Kiese Laymon, it was emphasized that one could not make life or art if you are scared to miss. I would argue that for many of us, this is much easier to nod knowing assent to rather than pick up as the guiding force of daily actions. Entropy sets in, and we look for something stable, even as we ignore its inevitable fragility. 

U2 are often punished for trying too hard, seeking chart acceptance, or grasping for one last trip around the sun. Why can’t they just own their lack of relevance and embrace being a legacy act? It is worth pondering whether we punish them for the very things we often seek for ourselves on a smaller scale. After all, what is social media, other than a medium to create a “new” version of ourselves, a way to reach out beyond the confines imposed on us either externally or internally? The possibilities of constructing a projected image ironically lead us to withhold our vulnerability. Could it be that a fear of exposure and uncertainty fuels our need to lash out at a band for not staying in their lane?

In retrospect, such insecurity probably fueled my resistance to turn to this album for several years. I preferred to keep the band preserved in the amber of their heart-on-their-sleeve earnestness and an audacious faith in the power of “three chords and truth” to topple all that ails us. My resistance was rooted more in a refusal to deal with my ambiguity and compromises, choosing to see myself in my youthful hubris to singlehandedly change the world even as I consented to the comforts of keeping one’s head down. The line in “God Part II” from Rattle and Hum was already providing the diagnosis as I chose to think it only applied to others, “You glorify the past when the future drys up.”

It is perhaps fitting that Pop , the third installment of the band’s experimental 1990s output, eventually opened the door for me to learn to love Achtung Baby . That album’s send-up of artifice and superficiality mixed with an unflinching look at despair in the loss of meaning spoke to my recognition of the fissures in my own constructed edifice. While working for an extended period away from home, I picked up Pop from a thrift store and listened to it repeatedly, primarily out of necessity more than anything else. The band’s send-up of the rockstar while cosplaying the most extreme, glam version of it opened a door for me. I could now appreciate the cynical irony in the title Achtung Baby amidst the post-Cold War world and hear anew the bold brilliance of a band unafraid to risk it all and miss. And that sentiment alone is worth revisiting at least every decade or so.

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U2 Mark Achtung Baby’s 30th Anniversary With 50-Track Digital Box Set

By Andy Greene

Andy Greene

This week is the 30th anniversary of U2 ‘s landmark album Achtung Baby , and they’re marking the occasion by announcing vinyl reissues of the album (out Nov. 19) and a 50-track digital box set (out Dec. 3), which will feature 22 songs that have never been released digitally.

They’ve also re-teamed up with the Berlin-based French artist Thierry Noir, who created the band’s iconic Trabant cars on the 1992 Zoo TV tour, for a new art installation at Hansa Studios in Kreuzberg, Germany. It includes a newly pained Trabant car and a mural they created on a section of the Berlin Wall.

The band’s SiriusXM channel U2 X-Radio will have a monthlong Achtung Baby celebration that will feature new interviews with members of U2 along with co-producer Daniel Lanois, engineer Flood, and photographer Anton Corbijn.

In a 2011 interview with Rolling Stone , the Edge reflected on how innovative new acts like My Bloody Valentine, Nine Inch Nails, the Stone Roses, and Einstürzende Neubauten inspired the band to move radically away from their past music when they started work on the album. “I always remember the intense embarrassment when I happened to be in a club and a generous-spirited DJ would put on one of our tunes from the War album,” the Edges said. “It was so evident we had never been thinking about how it would go down in clubs. So we just wanted to stretch ourselves in the area of rhythm and backbeat and groove.”

Looking toward the present, the group is working on their follow-up LP to 2017’s Songs of Experience , but it’s unclear when it will be ready. They recently released “Your Song Saved My Life” from the soundtrack to Sing 2 . It’s their first new song in three years. In the movie, Bono provides the voice of a reclusive rock & roll-singing lion named Clay Calloway. The movie comes out Dec. 22.

Achtung Baby 30th Anniversary Edition Tracklist

Component 1 – Achtung Baby (2018 remaster, not currently available digitally)

Zoo Station Even Better Than The Real Thing One Until The End Of The World Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses So Cruel The Fly Mysterious Ways Tryin’ To Throw Your Arms Around The World Ultra Violet (Light My Way) Acrobat Love Is Blindness

Component 2 – Uber Remixes (New remaster)

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Night and Day (Steel String Remix) Real Thing (Perfecto Mix) Mysterious Ways (Solar Plexus Extended Club Mix) Lemon (Perfecto Mix) Can’t Help Falling in Love (Triple Peaks Remix) Lady with the Spinning Head (Extended Dance remix) Real Thing (V16 Exit Wound Remix) Mysterious Ways (Ultimatum Mix) The Lounge Fly Mix Mysterious Ways (The Perfecto Remix) One (Apollo 440 Remix)

Component 3 – Unter Remixes (New remaster)

Mysterious Ways (Tabla Motown Remix) Mysterious Ways (Apollo 440 Magic Hour Remix) Can’t Help Falling in Love (Mystery Train Dub) One (Apollo 440 Ambient Mix) Lemon (Momo’s Reprise) Salomé (Zooromancer Remix) Even Better Than The Real Thing (Trance Mix) Numb (Gimme Some More Dignity Mix) Mysterious Ways (Solar Plexus Magic Hour Remix) Numb (The Soul Assassins Mix) Even Better Than The Real Thing (Apollo 440 Stealth Sonic Remix)

Component 4 – B-Sides And Other Stuff (New remaster)

Lady With The Spinning Head (UV1) Blow Your House Down Salomé Even Better Than The Real Thing (Single Version) Satellite Of Love Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses (Temple Bar Remix) Heaven And Hell Oh Berlin Near The Island (Instrumental) Down All The Days Paint It Black Fortunate Son Alex Descends Into Hell For A Bottle Of Milk / Korova 1 Where Did It All Go Wrong? Everybody Loves A Winner Even Better Than The Real Thing (Fish Out Of Water Remix)

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Rumours: Achtung Baby at 30

Original story by harry kantas and aaron sams (2021-07-27).

Achtung Baby turns 30 this year. Originally released on November 18, 1991, the album is a favourite of many U2 fans and it is hard to find a corner of the internet where people aren’t looking at the anniversary and wondering how U2 might mark it.

We have been told that the band has recently started to put together their plans to mark the anniversary. Over the last month they’ve been putting ideas together to celebrate Achtung Baby and we are told that there will be a focus on some sort of new digital experience to celebrate the album. Not only will they celebrate the album, but we are told we will get a deeper look at the birth of the album, and the album’s roots in Berlin. Expect an announcement late in August in regards to full details of the plans to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the album. The celebrations should take place in mid-November.

One thing we have been told will not be part of the plans is a thirtieth anniversary tour. Although the band recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of The Joshua Tree in that manner, plans are not to do a second such tour according to previous reliable sources.

That’s not to say that Achtung Baby and its ground breaking ZOO TV Tour have not already been celebrated in more indirect ways over the years. We are not talking about the songs being part of the set list in subsequent tours of course, that is a natural progression in U2’s evolution. We are referring to the subtle nods to the record, tour, and their various themes throughout the years.

Towards the end of the 360 Tour in 2011, and close to the 20th anniversary of Achtung Baby , the shows would start with a block of “Even Better Than The Real Thing” / “The Fly” / “Mysterious Ways” / “Until The End Of The World”. Sometimes with some “Tryin’ To Throw Your Arms Around The World” sprinkled in. In fact, “Even Better Than The Real Thing” was the then unreleased Fish Out Of Water Remix, which was part of the 20th anniversary, released 3 months after the end of the 360 Tour.

When U2 headlined Glastonbury in June 2011, the songs, and visuals paid homage to many of their previous tours, among which ZOO TV was also present. The set opened with the same songs mentioned above, followed by “One”. The videos playing during “The Fly” / “Mysterious Ways” / “One” are taken directly off the ZOO TV Tour, and for some of them this was the first time they had re-surfaced since that tour.

Fast forward a few years, and as The eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE Tour visits Europe in 2018, the theme of unity vs division is again very prominent. So much so, that an entire ZOO TV Tour block enters the setlist: “Dirty Day” / “Zoo Station” / “The Fly” / “Stay (Faraway, So Close!)” / “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses”. The visits to an Achtung Baby era don’t stop here, but we have a piece to finish, and we could do this all day! We do invite the long time fans to ping us with more references in the live shows that may come to mind though…

eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE Goes Zoo TV (Photo by Harry Kantas)

The 20th anniversary of Achtung Baby was marked in 2011 with a number of collections. The album was issued over five different formats, and included a number of unreleased tracks, live and documentary footage, remixes and more. The five physical formats included a single CD featuring just the album, a deluxe 2-CD set where the extra disc came with B-Sides and a few remixes. The vinyl box set included the album on 2-LP in black vinyl, and 2 LPs of remixes on blue vinyl. A super deluxe edition included 6 audio CDs, 4 DVD s, a 92 page book, art prints all in an outer slipcase. The six CDs included Achtung Baby and Zooropa as well as two discs of remixes, a disc of B-Sides, and a disc of early demos of the songs. The four DVD s included From the Sky Down , a disc of promotional videos for the album, a disc of documentaries and other specials, and also included Zoo TV Live from Sydney .

U2’s Uber Box Set

The final format was the so called Uber Box. This massive box included all of the discs found in the super deluxe edition (6 audio CDs, 4 DVD s) but added the black vinyl version of the album over two discs, and also included all five vinyl singles pressed in clear vinyl as 7-inch records. It also included a hardback book, Fly sunglasses, 4 enamel badges, a replica of the Achtung Baby magazine, 16 art prints, a set of stickers, and if ordered direct from Universal, also included a numbered lithograph. The set was packed in a large box with different layers, and a drawer that pulled out. Attached to the box? 16 magnets which allowed you to recreate the album cover on the surface of the box, or rearrange them as wanted. (The box did not include the two blue vinyl remix albums that were available in the vinyl box.)

Not only did the album get released, U2 worked with filmmaker Davis Guggenheim to film a documentary called From the Sky Down . The film debuted at the Toronto Film Festival that year, and was shown on television on BBC , Showtime, and other stations. The film was released in the Uber box set celebrating the anniversary of the album, but was also released as a standalone DVD and Blu-ray on December 12, 2011. The film focused on the album Achtung Baby and delved into the making of the album. For the film the band filmed a number of new pieces, including interviews with the band, they returned to Hansa Studios and filmed some songs from the album, and filmed additional songs in a theatre in Winnipeg while the band were rehearsing for the Glastonbury Festival. Two cuts exist, a 74-minute version which was included in the Uber box and shown on television, and a longer 85-minute cut of the film, which was sold separate on Blue-ray and DVD . The longer version contains additional footage of the band performing at Hansa, and a question and answer session from the Toronto International Film Festival where Bono and The Edge took questions about the album.

More recently the band also revisited the album in 2018. With the vinyl version of the album out of print, a new version of the album on black vinyl was released as a standalone item. The release is split across two discs as it had been in the Uber box, and the vinyl box set issued in 2011. But the 2018 release is a new master of the record. In 2011 the band hesitated to call the release a remaster, as only small tweaks had been done to the sound and the levels on the album. This wasn’t the case in 2018, and the album is remastered, and that remastering was directed by The Edge. Earlier this year, on April 28, 2021, a new pressing of this master was released worldwide on vinyl. It is the same as the 2018 edition, and includes the same catalog number. The only distinguishable visual difference was the lack of a hype sticker on the front of the vinyl. These were pressed to ensure there were quantities to fill ongoing store interest in the title.

As to what they may release to mark the anniversary, details are slim, and the only project discussed for a Fall release has been an acoustic recording of songs. Adam Clayton has mentioned that twice now. In June, interviewed for a Record Store Day Special by Rocky O’Riordan, Adam spoke about the project, “Well, you know we are playing around with rearranging some of the songs that we have and setting them in a more acoustic environment. Edge got a bit of a bee in his bonnet and said you know, no pun intended, said lets look at these songs and imagine them in a different context. So we are playing around with that. He’s putting a lot of work into changing the keys, and moving them onto piano and that sort of thing. And hopefully we will have something towards the end of the year that will show a different light on U2. I think it’s an opportunity to explore different versions of the band in a way. Because it’s very much the early days, it’s embryonic, it could go somewhere between Leonard Cohen or Johnny Cash – very stripped down and bare – towards something that is very lush. Very hard to say where it will end up or if it will all end up with the same tone across it, or if each song will be treated differently. I’m excited to see how the songs could exist in a different universe.”

Again this weekend, Adam mentioned this project again in a Rockonteurs podcast, recorded earlier this month, “Well I think it’s very difficult for us to think about a plan, because we always think about touring. And at the moment I don’t think that’s likely. Obviously it will open up and touring will happen. We have been doing various things. We have been recording acoustic versions of some of our catalog in different keys and different tempos just as a challenge.” He does not reveal what the project is they are working on but seems to clarify these are older songs the band is working on. Perhaps this material will be used for additional material for any sort of Achtung Baby issue. It could also be for something else, and we have also previously been told that the band are working on a compilation album which may tie into the eventual opening of the U2 X-hibition in Dublin.

Whatever the band is planning for November, we’ll be tuning in. Achtung Baby is one of the releases which has yet to be released in coloured vinyl. It originally appeared on the release schedule in coloured vinyl for last Spring, but later disappeared. The band still likely has some unreleased demos and B-Sides floating around. And although Sydney 1993 seems to be their go-to live show from the era, there must be some other shows in the archive that could be polished up as a bonus which would make many fans happy. Whatever is planned, we’ll try to bring you more news as we get it.

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U2 Confirm New Album in the Works, Possibility of ‘Zoo TV Tour’ Return

by Tina Benitez-Eves November 23, 2021, 11:55 am

“We are firmly locked in the tower of song and working away on a bunch of new things,” said U2’s Edge , while working on a new song with bassist Adam Clayton. Celebrating the 30th anniversary of U2’s seventh album Achtung Baby , the band is already well into a follow-up to their 2017 release, Songs of Experience .

Videos by American Songwriter

“I’m just having so much fun writing and not necessarily having to think about where it’s going to go,” said Edge in a recent interview. “It’s more about enjoying the experience of writing and having no expectations or limitations on the process.”

Still in the early stages of the process, the band has yet to land on a producer for the new album, but Edge added that he enjoyed working with Dutch DJ Martin Garrix on the UEFA Euro 2020 song “We Are the People.”

“I hope to work with him in the future,” Edge said. “But we haven’t made any firm decisions on what the next thing will be in terms of personnel.”

The band recently shared the song “ Your Song Saved My Life ,” off the soundtrack for the upcoming animated featured Sing 2, which also features singer Bono in a starring role as the voice of the rock star lion Clay Calloway. 

“That’s not a thing that U2 normally does, but it’s in the of spirit of mixing it up, keeping people guessing, and trying different things,” said Edge of the animated film. “It felt like a worthy thing. And also, it’s a movie about great songs and we we felt very comfortable in the company that we were keeping there.”

Reflecting on the 30th anniversary of the Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno-produced Achtung Baby, recorded in 1990 at the famed Hansa Studios in Berlin, Edge hinted at a possible return of returning to the multimedia-immersive Zoo TV Tour that supported the album.  

“I would love that and I couldn’t rule it out,” he said. “I think [Zoo TV] is such a current thought. Back then, we were we’re dealing with the overload and kind of the whiplash of 24/7 news cycles, which hadn’t been known before. It was the overload of cable TV and hundreds and hundreds of channels. And little did we know that that was just the beginning of this avalanche of channels to kind of draw your attention.”

Edge added that the production team from that tour is still working with the band, so it’s something they wouldn’t rule out for an upcoming tour. The band’s last tour was in 2019, commemorating the 30th anniversary of their fifth album The Joshua Tree . “I think Zoo TV could absolutely come back and be just as relevant,” added Edge, “but we haven’t actually got to the point of doing anything more than this kind of talk, but I wouldn’t rule it out again.”

Off tour for the past two years, and following the pandemic, Edge said that the band need some time off after being either in the studio or on the road for five consecutive years. “As much as momentum is your friend, there’s a moment where you stop getting fed by momentum and it starts to drain you,” said Edge. “That’s because you need those moments of inactivity just to listen to music. We’re all enjoying that right now.”

Photos by Anton Corbijn.

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Achtung Baby at 30

Thirty years ago, Bono described Achtung Baby as " the sound of four men chopping down The Joshua Tree " while Jon Pareles of the New York Times wrote that "stripped-down and defying its old formulas, U2 has given itself a fighting chance for the 1990's". 

The album won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance and became one of the most significant records of the nineties and of U2's career.

Today Island Records, Interscope and UMe announce the 30th Anniversary Edition release of Achtung Baby, which will see a special Standard black vinyl release , along with a Deluxe colour vinyl release on 19th November , with Achtung Baby (2018 Remaster) and Achtung Baby (Unter Remixes) also available digitally that day. 

And on December 3rd the 50-track digital box set arrives including Uber Remixes, Unter Remixes and, B-Sides with 22 tracks never before available digitally. (Complete track list below)

Pre order Achtung Baby (30th Anniversary Edition) here

To mark this special anniversary, the band have collaborated with Berlin-based French artist Thierry Noir (the first artist to paint on the Berlin Wall) for a special one-off installation at the legendary Hansa Studios in Kreuzberg. 

Thirty years ago, the band commissioned Noir to paint a series of now iconic Trabant cars, which featured on the album artwork, as well 1991's Zoo TV Tour. U2 x THIERRY NOIR sees Noir return with a newly painted Trabant for 2021 , as well as an exclusive mural painted on a section of the Berlin wall .  

In Berlin and want to visit? Read more here.  

Recorded over six months at Hansa Studio in Berlin and Windmill Lane in Dublin, Achtung Baby is U2's seventh studio album . Produced by long time U2 collaborators, Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno with Steve Lillywhite , Achtung Baby was engineered by Flood and released on 18th November 1991. Led by The Fly, four other singles followed: Mysterious Ways, One, Even Better Than The Real Thing and Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses. 

Watch here.

ACHTUNG BABY 2021 – DIGITAL BOXSET TRACKLIST  Achtung Baby 1. Zoo Station  2. Even Better Than The Real Thing  3. One  4. Until The End Of The World  5. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses  6. So Cruel  7. The Fly  8. Mysterious Ways  9. Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World  10. Ultra Violet (Light My Way)  11. Acrobat  12. Love Is Blindness  Uber Remixes 1. Night and Day (Steel String Remix)  2. Real Thing (Perfecto Mix)  3. Mysterious Ways (Solar Plexus Extended Club Mix)  4. Lemon (Perfecto Mix)  5. Can't Help Falling in Love (Triple Peaks Remix)  6. Lady with the Spinning Head (Extended Dance remix)  7. Real Thing (V16 Exit Wound Remix)  8. Mysterious Ways (Ultimatum Mix)  9. The Lounge Fly Mix  10. Mysterious Ways (The Perfecto Remix)  11. One (Apollo 440 Remix)  Unter Remixes 1. Mysterious Ways (Tabla Motown Remix)  2. Mysterious Ways (Apollo 440 Magic Hour Remix)  3. Can't Help Falling in Love (Mystery Train Dub)  4. One (Apollo 440 Ambient Mix)  5. Lemon (Momo's Reprise)  6. Salomé (Zooromancer Remix)  7. Even Better Than The Real Thing (Trance Mix)  8. Numb (Gimme Some More Dignity Mix)  9. Mysterious Ways (Solar Plexus Magic Hour Remix)  10. Numb (The Soul Assassins Mix)  11. Even Better Than The Real Thing (Apollo 440 Stealth Sonic Remix)  B-Sides And Other Stuff 1. Lady With The Spinning Head (UV1)  2. Blow Your House Down  3. Salomé  4. Even Better Than The Real Thing (Single Version)  5. Satellite Of Love 6. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses (Temple Bar Remix)  7. Heaven And Hell  8. Oh Berlin  9. Near The Island (Instrumental)  10. Down All The Days  11. Paint It Black  12. Fortunate Son  13. Alex Descends Into Hell For A Bottle Of Milk / Korova 1  14. Where Did It All Go Wrong?  15. Everybody Loves A Winner  16. Even Better Than The Real Thing (Fish Out Of Water Remix) 

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The standard and deluxe vinyl release will be on November 19, with a 50-track digital box set available from December 3.

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New, 30th anniversary editions of U2 ’s seminal Achtung Baby album are to be released by Island Records, Interscope, and UMe. The Standard and Deluxe vinyl release will be this Friday (November 19) with a 50-track digital box set available from December 3.

Achtung Baby (30th Anniversary Edition) will be available on standard black vinyl and deluxe color vinyl on November 19, with Achtung Baby (2018 Remaster) and Achtung Baby (Unter Remixes) available digitally the same day. The 50-track box set will include Uber Remixes, Unter Remixes , and B-Sides, featuring 22 tracks never before available digitally.

‘A Kind Of Magic’: How Queen Maintained Their Spellbinding Run

U2 have collaborated with the Berlin-based French artist Thierry Noir, the first artist to paint on the Berlin Wall, on a one-off installation at the famed Hansa Studios in Kreuzberg. Thirty years ago, the band commissioned Noir to paint the series of Trabant cars that featured in the album artwork, and on 1991’s Zoo TV Tour . U2 x THIERRY NOIR marks Noir’s return with a newly-painted Trabant for 2021, as well as an exclusive mural painted on a section of the Berlin wall. Click here for free access and information.

The bonnet of the Trabant is to be auctioned at Phillips, London on December 9, as part of their New Now sale, from which proceeds will go to the Berlin Institute for Sound and Music. More information is available here. 

The band’s SiriusXM channel U2 X-Radio will this month present an Achtung Baby special that will include interviews with band members and their collaborators on Achtung Baby, Daniel Lanois, Flood and Anton Corbijn. More details here.

Achtung Baby , recorded over six months at Hansa and at Windmill Lane in Dublin, was released on November 18, 1991. It topped charts worldwide and went on to win a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance. Upon its release, Bono described it as “the sound of four men chopping down The Joshua Tree ,” in reference to its classic 1987 predecessor. Jon Pareles of the New York Times wrote: “Stripped-down and defying its old formulas, U2 has given itself a fighting chance for the 1990s.”

The album was produced by Lanois and Brian Eno with Steve Lillywhite, and engineered by Flood. It featured the hit singles “The Fly,” “Mysterious Ways,” “One,” “Even Better Than The Real Thing,” and “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses.”

Pre-order the 30th anniversary editions of  Achtung Baby .

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U2 and Berlin Wall artist Thierry Noir are celebrating the 30 th anniversary of the seminal album Achtung Baby and through a charitable donation to Institute for Sound and Music helping to pass the torch to the next generation of creators in Berlin. The exhibition will take place at the legendary Berlin Hansa Studios.

Hansa Studios 19 th - 26 th November 2021  Open 12 - 8 pm  Köthener Str. 38, 10963 Berlin

ALL REGISTRATIONS ARE FULLY BOOKED. PLEASE CHECK BACK IN CASE OF CANCELLATIONS.

Guests must each  book a time slot individually  even if coming in groups. Each time slot will last for 30min and has a maximum capacity of 6 guests. All attendees are required to  comply   with   our   COVID-19 “2G rule” (vaccinated or recovered). If we cannot verify that you are 2G compliant, entry will be refused. For the safety of all guests, you must wear a medical mask at all times and we ask you to respect the applicable distance rules.

One of the most significant records of the nineties and of U2’s career, Achtung Baby was recorded at Hansa Studios in Berlin at a time when the city was at the political epicentre of a changing world just as the Berlin Wall was falling.

The album was produced by long time U2 collaborators, Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno with Steve Lillywhite and drew myriad references from the West Berlin underground art and music scene of the era.

On the recommendation of mutual friend Wim Wenders the band sought out and commissioned Noir to paint a series of Trabant 601 cars for the album art of Achtung Baby and for use as lighting rigs in their upcoming Zoo TV World Tour. The combination of the iconic East German automobile, a symbol of the GDR, and Noir’s artwork was a fusion of East Berlin meets West Berlin and imbued the visual aesthetic of Achtung Baby with the cultural zeitgeist of the time.  

30 years on U2 and Thierry Noir are reuniting for an Achtung Baby inspired exhibition in Berlin. The Trabant and a newly painted segment of original Berlin Wall will be the main  features of a special one-off installation at the legendary Hansa Studios in Berlin 19th - 26th November. 

Hansa Studios Exhibition Viewing : 19th - 26th November 2021 12-8pm Location: Köthener Str. 38, 10963 Berlin, Germany

Guests must each book a time slot individually even if coming in groups. Each time slot will last for 30min and has a maximum capacity of 6 guests. All attendees are required to comply with our   COVID-19 “2G rule” (vaccinated or recovered). If we cannot verify that you are 2G compliant, entry will be refused. For the safety of all guests, you must wear a medical mask at all times and we ask you to respect the applicable distance rules.

30 Jahre Achtung Baby von U2

Thirty years ago, Bono described Achtung Baby as “the sound of four men chopping down The Joshua Tree” while Jon Pareles of the New York Times wrote that “ stripped-down and defying its old formulas, U2 has given itself a fighting chance for the 1990's ”. The album won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance and became one of the most significant records of the nineties and of U2’s career. 

Recorded over six months at Hansa Studio in Berlin and Windmill Lane in Dublin, Achtung Baby is U2’s seventh studio album. Produced by long time U2 collaborators, Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno with Steve Lillywhite, Achtung Baby was engineered by Flood and released on 18 th November 1991. Lead by The Fly, four other singles followed: Mysterious Ways, One, Even Better Than The Real Thing and Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses.

Stream Achtung Baby now on all plattforms:

Achtung Baby (30th Anniversary Edition)

50 SONGS • 4 HOURS AND 17 MINUTES • DEC 03 2021

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U2 catapulted over its post-punk peers to become the biggest rock & roll band in the world, a title they earned after the release of The Joshua Tree in 1987 and maintained well into the 21st century. Alone among all the groups to emerge from the post-punk era, U2 channeled their yen for moody, experimental aural textures into clearly defined rock anthems and ballads -- songs that sounded majestic yet felt personal. Much of that sense of intimacy can be attributed to Bono, a lead singer who gravitates toward grand gestures yet remains grounded by his belief in humanity and the revolutionary power of rock & roll. This sense of righteousness never left U2, not even after the group sold millions of albums all over the globe, but it burned brightest on their earliest records such as 1983's galvanizing War, when the cavernous guitar of the Edge still seemed flinty and the rhythm section of Larry Mullen, Jr. and Adam Clayton conveyed the grit of the group's punk beginnings. This phase of U2 crested around the time they stole the show at Live Aid in 1985, an event that laid the groundwork for The Joshua Tree. Powered by the twin Billboard chart-toppers "With or Without You" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," The Joshua Tree contained the group's most direct music to date, yet that immediacy was countered by evocative, noir-ish production, setting a precedent U2 would follow for the rest of their career; whenever they got too close to the middle of the road, they darted in another direction. Their first -- and most radical -- reinvention arrived in 1991, with the dense, electronics-drenched Achtung Baby, a left turn that set the pace for a decade of risk-taking that culminated with 1997's Pop, a rare commercial misfire from the band. U2 righted themselves with 2000's All That You Can't Leave Behind, a streamlined back-to-basics album that brought them to a cruising altitude they maintained through the 2000s, as they released albums like How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb and No Line on the Horizon that kept them at the forefront of mainstream rock. U2's desire to play to every imaginable audience backfired when their 2014 album Songs of Innocence was downloaded to the library of every iTunes user, generating bad publicity that pushed them toward the reflective territory of 2017's Songs of Experience and Songs of Surrender, a 2023 album that found them reinterpreting 40 songs from their catalog.

The band's sound was undeniably indebted to post-punk, so it's mildly ironic that U2 formed in 1976, before punk had even reached their hometown of Dublin, Ireland. Larry Mullen, Jr. posted a notice on a high school bulletin board asking for fellow musicians to form a band. Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton, and Dick Evans responded to the ad, and the teenagers got together as a Beatles and Stones cover band called the Feedback. They then changed their name to the Hype in 1977. Shortly afterward, Dick Evans left the band to form the Virgin Prunes, and they changed names once again, this time adopting the moniker of U2.

U2's first big break arrived in 1978, during the members' final year of high school when they won a talent contest sponsored by Guinness. By the end of the year, the Stranglers' manager, Paul McGuinness, had seen U2 play and offered to manage them. Even with a powerful manager in their corner, the band had trouble making much headway, and failed an audition with CBS Records at the end of the year. In the fall of 1979, U2 released their debut EP, U2 Three. The EP was available only in Ireland, where it topped the national charts. Shortly afterward, they began to play in England, but they failed to gain much attention away from home.

U2 scored one more chart-topping single, "Another Day," in early 1980 before Island Records offered the group a contract. Later that year, the band's full-length debut, Boy, was released. Produced by Steve Lillywhite, the album's sweeping, atmospheric but edgy sound was unlike most recordings by U2's post-punk contemporaries, and the band earned further attention for its public embrace of Christianity; only Clayton was not a practicing Christian. Through constant touring, including opening gigs for Talking Heads, U2 were able to take Boy into the American Top 70 in early 1981. October, also produced by Lillywhite, followed in the fall, and it became their British breakthrough, reaching number 11 on the charts. By early 1983, Boy's "I Will Follow" and October's "Gloria" had become staples on MTV, which, along with their touring, gave U2 a formidable cult following in the U.S.

Released in the spring of 1983, the Lillywhite-produced War became U2's breakthrough release, entering the U.K. charts at number one and elevating them into arenas in the United States, where the album peaked at number 12. War had a stronger political message than its predecessors, as evidenced by the international hits "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New Year's Day." During the supporting tour, the band filmed its concert at Colorado's Red Rocks Amphitheater, releasing the show as an EP and video titled Under a Blood Red Sky. The EP entered in the U.K. charts at number two, becoming the most successful live recording in British history. U2 had become one of the most popular bands in the world, and their righteous political stance soon became replicated by many other bands, providing the impetus for the Band Aid and Live Aid projects in 1984 and 1985, respectively.

For the follow-up to War, U2 entered the studios with co-producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, who helped give the resulting album an experimental, atmospheric tone. Released in the fall of 1984, The Unforgettable Fire replicated the chart status of War, entering the U.K. charts at number one and reaching number 12 in the U.S. The album also generated the group's first Top 40 hit in America with "(Pride) In the Name of Love," a tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. U2 supported the album with a successful international tour, highlighted by a show-stealing performance at Live Aid. Following the tour, the band released the live EP Wide Awake in America in 1985.

While U2 had become one of the most successful rock bands of the '80s, they didn't truly become superstars until the spring 1987 release of The Joshua Tree. Greeted with enthusiastic reviews, many of which proclaimed the album a masterpiece, The Joshua Tree became U2's first American number one hit and their third straight album to enter the U.K. charts at number one; in England, it set a record by going platinum within 28 hours. Generating the U.S. number one hits "With or Without You" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," The Joshua Tree and the group's supporting tour became the biggest success story of 1987, earning U2 the cover of respected publications like Time magazine. U2 decided to film a documentary about their American tour, recording new material along the way. The project became Rattle & Hum, a film that was supported by a double-album soundtrack that was divided between live tracks and new material. While the album Rattle & Hum was a hit, the record and film received the weakest reviews of U2's career, with many critics taking issue with the group's fascination with American roots music like blues, soul, country, and folk. Following the release of Rattle & Hum, the band took an extended hiatus.

U2 reconvened in Berlin in 1990 to record a new album with Eno and Lanois. While the sessions for the album were difficult, the resulting record, Achtung Baby, represented a successful reinvention of the band's trademark sound. Where they had been inspired by post-punk in their early career and American music during their mid-career, U2 delved into electronic and dance music with Achtung Baby. Inspired equally by late-'70s Bowie and the Madchester scene in the U.K., Achtung Baby was sonically more eclectic and adventurous than U2's earlier work, and it didn't alienate their core audience. The album debuted at number one throughout the world and spawned Top Ten hits with "Mysterious Ways" and "One."

Early in 1992, the group launched an elaborate tour to support Achtung Baby. Dubbed Zoo TV, the tour was an innovative blend of multimedia electronics, featuring a stage filled with televisions, suspended cars, and cellular phones. Bono devised an alter ego called the Fly, which was a knowing send-up of rock stardom. Even under the ironic guise of the Fly and Zoo TV, it was evident that U2 were looser and more fun than ever before, even though they had not abandoned their trademark righteous political anger. Following the completion of the American Zoo TV tour in late 1992 and preceding the launch of the tour's European leg, U2 entered the studio to complete an EP of new material that soon became the full-length Zooropa. Released in the summer of 1993 to coincide with the tour of the same name, Zooropa demonstrated a heavier techno and dance influence than Achtung Baby and received strong reviews. Nevertheless, the album stalled at sales of two million and failed to generate a big hit single. During the subsequent Zooropa tour, the Fly metamorphosed into the demonic MacPhisto, which dominated the remainder of the tour. Upon the completion of the Zooropa tour in late 1993, the band took another extended break.

In 1995, U2 re-emerged with "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me," a glam rock theme to Batman Forever that was produced by Nellee Hooper (Björk, Soul II Soul). Later that year, they recorded the collaborative album Original Soundtracks, Vol. 1 with Brian Eno, releasing the record under the name the Passengers late in 1995. It was greeted with a muted reception, both critically and commercially. Many hardcore U2 fans (including drummer Larry Mullen, Jr.) were unhappy with the Passengers project, and U2 promised their next album, to be released in the fall of 1996, would be a rock & roll record.

The project took longer to complete than usual, ultimately being pushed back to the spring of 1997. During its delay, a few tracks, including the forthcoming first single "Discotheque," were leaked, and it became clear that the new album was going to be heavily influenced by techno, dance, and electronic music. When it was finally released, Pop did indeed bear a heavier dance influence, but it was greeted with strong initial sales and a few positive reviews. Demand for the album lessened in the following months, however, and Pop ultimately became the band's least popular album in over a decade. In late 1998, the group returned with Best of 1980-1990, the first in a series of hits collections issued in conjunction with a reported 50-million-dollar agreement with Polygram. Included in the comprehensive track list was a remixed version of "Sweetest Thing," originally released as B-side in 1987, which charted well in multiple countries.

Three years after the mediocre response to Pop, U2 teamed up with Eno and Lanois once again to release All That You Can't Leave Behind later in 2000. The album was heralded as a return to form, melding the band's classic sound with contemporary trends. It topped charts around the world, reached number three in America, earned Grammy Awards for the singles "Beautiful Day" and "Walk On," and became the band's biggest-selling record in years. (The Elevation tour that followed also brought U2 a hefty paycheck.) Steve Lillywhite, producer of the early-'80s landmarks Boy, October, and War, returned to the helm for U2's next record, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. Released in November 2004, it hit the top of the Billboard charts and quickly gained platinum status. The album also garnered eight Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, Rock Album of the Year, and Song of the Year (for "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own," which Bono had written for his father). U2 were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in early 2005 and launched an international tour soon after, selling out arena venues in the U.S. and outdoor stadium shows abroad. The Vertigo Tour became the highest-grossing tour of 2005; by the time the entire tour concluded in late 2006, its gross of $389 million had made it the second most successful tour ever.

U2 returned to the drawing board in 2006 by partnering with veteran rock producer Rick Rubin. Two songs from those sessions appeared on the compilation U218 Singles, but the remaining material was ultimately scrapped. The band then turned to longtime friends Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, and Steve Lillywhite, all of whom helped shape the sound of U2's 12th studio effort. Entitled No Line on the Horizon, the album was originally slated to appear in October 2008, although the release date was ultimately pushed back to March 2009. No Line on the Horizon was met with enthusiastic reviews but failed to yield a big radio single; even so, the band embarked on another lucrative tour that summer. A second leg, originally planned for 2010, was postponed when Bono suffered a slipped disc and underwent emergency back surgery. Touring resumed the following year, and the so-called 360 Tour was ultimately named the highest-grossing concert tour in history. Meanwhile, Bono and the Edge also worked on music for the Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, which opened in June 2011.

Not long after completing the 360 Tour, U2 turned their attention to recording their 13th album, a process that turned out to be rather complicated. Initially, the group worked with such dance-oriented producers as will.i.am and David Guetta, but as the sessions progressed, the concept of the record changed, as did the producers, with the band trying out Ryan Tedder and Flood before eventually settling in for the long haul with Danger Mouse. The first fruits of these sessions appeared in late 2013, when "Ordinary Love" was released as part of the soundtrack to the film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom; the song was nominated for an Oscar and won a Golden Globe. The next song up was "Invisible," which appeared to be the opening salvo for a new album as it soundtracked a commercial for Super Bowl XLVIII and the group played it on the inaugural February 17, 2014, episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Commercial response to the single was lukewarm and the band retreated into the studio for several more months, unexpectedly emerging with a completed album called Songs of Innocence in September 2014. Available in its first month-and-a-half as a free download, Songs of Innocence saw a physical release in October. Upon that release, it debuted at nine on the Billboard 200, selling 25,000 copies in its first week. U2 toured the album through 2015 and began work on their next album, Songs of Experience, in 2016. They set the album aside in 2017 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Joshua Tree by touring that album and releasing a deluxe reissue of the 1987 LP. By late August 2017, the first music from Songs of Experience surfaced via a video of "The Blackout," which was followed in early September by "You're the Best Thing About Me," the first official single from the album. Songs of Experience appeared in December 2017 and the group supported it with an international tour that ran through 2018. The following year, U2 brought their Joshua Tree anniversary tour to Asia. In 2020, the band celebrated the 20th anniversary of All That You Can't Leave Behind with a super deluxe box set containing five CDs' worth of music. 2021's "Your Song Saved My Life," from the Sing 2 soundtrack, marked U2's first new music of the decade.

The next phase in the band's Songs Of... era appeared in March 2023 with Songs of Surrender, a sprawling set of re-recorded, intimate versions of tracks chosen from their catalog and divided among the band, with each member choosing ten representative tracks. On the day of release, Bono and the Edge appeared in A Sort of Homecoming, With Dave Letterman, a documentary film set in Dublin that featured unreleased footage, interviews, and a special performance by the pair. The album peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 and topped both the Modern Rock and Alternative Albums charts. That September they returned with the single "Atomic City," released in conjunction with their U2:UV Achtung Baby residency at the Sphere at The Venetion Resort in Las Vegas. Produced by Jacknife Lee and Steve Lillywhite, the song found the band drawing upon their '70s dance-punk roots and paying homage to bands like Blondie and the Clash. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

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The North-West-as-Young-Simba Backlash Proves We Don’t Know What We Want From Nepo Babies

By Daniel Rodgers

I don’t know if anyone has seen a child do something before, but it is generally accepted that they are not very good at doing, well, anything at all. And so, when a 10-year-old North West performed as Young Simba during The Lion King ’s 30th-anniversary concert in Los Angeles last weekend—and did not immediately demonstrate the same vocal prowess as the 42-year-old Jennifer Hudson, another performer that evening—I was not especially surprised. The entertainment factor of a child’s performance tends to have more to do with novelty—look at this child doing a grown-up thing!—than true professional excellence.

That one-song cameo was enough to reignite all the discourse surrounding nepo babies—and the outsized opportunities afforded to the children of famous people—with hundreds of armchair critics claiming North was cast not because of talent but because her parents are billionaire celebrities. But here’s the thing: even the most seasoned of casting directors would struggle to find someone better suited to singing the words “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” than the crown princess of the Kardashian empire. Someone who takes real glee in dethroning her mother on TikTok live and who once described Kim’s 2023 Met Gala gown as looking as though it had been purchased from “the dollar store.” Precocious scion is a role that North West was uniquely positioned to inhabit, and I’m sorry if the truth of her Young Simba—like so many great theatrical performances—felt unsettling to some. In all seriousness, while I am not interested in defending nepo babies (some are going to inherit their parents’ talent, while others are going to spend their whole lives in the miserable shadow of their surname), it is particularly galling to see adults take so much pleasure in surveilling young children online. Blue Ivy suffered the same fate when she performed on Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour and discovered that people on social media were disappointed in her 12-year-old dance moves—and questioning whether she’d really “earned” her place onstage. Frankly, what do we want from the children of famous people if not to sing for their suppers (and place in the spotlight)?

If we turn Apple Martin into a one-woman Page Six vertical by incessantly clicking on her face, it’s inevitable that she’ll end up on the Chanel front row . If we hover around Romy Mars-related content like a Maryland-bound chopper (“make a vodka sauce pasta with me because I’m grounded”), then we can’t exactly judge her for dropping a single titled, of all things, “Stuck Up.” You can choose to opt out of the nepo-baby discourse entirely, of course; you can decline to feed into the attention economy built around displays of beauty, privilege and success. What you cannot do is devour anything and everything related to trust fund-flashing tots and leave algorithm-tickling comments ripping into under-18s, then be annoyed that your newsfeed looks like a certain New York magazine cover . And to those still up in arms about North West a week after from her big-cat cameo? May I suggest you just… hakuna matata ?

• Anniston/Gadsden

Iconic ‘90s rock bands coming to Alabama, celebrating 30th anniversary of hit albums

• Updated: Mar. 18, 2024, 2:02 p.m. |
• Published: Mar. 18, 2024, 1:58 p.m.

Ed Kowalczyk, the primer mover of Live, is taking his rock band on tour in 2024, co-headlining with Stone Temple Pilots. Here, Kowalczyk performs with Live at Shaky Knees 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Legato/Getty Images) (Photo by Scott Legato/Getty Images)

• Mary Colurso | [email protected]

Two powerhouse ‘90s rock bands are going on tour in summer 2024, celebrating the 30th anniversary of albums that cemented their fame.

Live, led by Ed Kowalczyk , and Stone Temple Pilots , now fronted by Jeff Gutt , are set to perform on Aug. 27 at Oak Mountain Amphitheatre in Pelham. The Alabama date is part of a 19-city “Jubilee Tour” that points to milestones for “Throwing Copper,” Live’s No. 1 record from 1994, and “Purple,” a chart-topper for STP that same year.

Tickets for the Pelham show go on sale Friday, March 22, at 10 a.m. CT via Ticketmaster/Live Nation , after a round of pre-sales. Prices are $49.50, $59.50, $79.50 and $99.50, plus service charges, according to promoter Live Nation. Several pre-sales are planned, starting on Tuesday at 10 a.m. CT and running through Thursday, March 21, at 10 p.m. CT, according to the Ticketmaster/Live Nation listing.

Soul Asylum will be the opening act on the tour; Live and Stone Temple Pilots will alternate for the closing spot on the lineup. Live is set to close at Oak Mountain, according to a press release from Live Nation.

Right now, Pelham is the only Alabama stop on the tour, but the bands are scheduled to perform in Southern cities such as Rogers, Arkansas (Aug. 24, Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion ); Jacksonville, Florida (Aug. 30, Daily’s Place ); and Alpharetta, Georgia (Aug. 31, Ameris Bank Amphitheatre ).

Live has nine studio albums to its credit, 1989-present. The band is best known, however, for “Throwing Copper,” produced by Jerry Harrison of the Talking Heads. The multi-platinum album included hit singles such as “Lightning Crashes,” “Selling the Drama,” “I Alone” and “All Over You.”

Kowalczyk, a singer, songwriter and guitarist, is a founding member of Live and its longtime prime mover. He’s the only original member currently touring with Live, and has been the band’s frontman for most of its history, which dates back to 1984.

Stone Temple Pilots are going on tour in 2024, co-headlining with Live. The tour will celebrate the 30th anniversary of Stone Temple Pilots' album “Purple" and Live's album “Throwing Copper." (Courtesy photo)

Stone Temple Pilots have eight studio albums to their credit, 1992-present, and hits such as “Plush,” “Creep,” “Vasoline,” “Interstate Love Song,” “Big Empty,” “Big Bang Baby” and “Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart.” After breaking through with the 1992 album “Core,” STP followed with “Purple,” a sophomore blockbuster that included the monster hit “Plush.” The song won several awards, including a 1994 Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance.

Frontman Scott Weiland , a electrifying and unpredictable performer, founded Stone Temple Pilots in 1989 with guitarist Dean DeLeo, bassist Robert DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz. Weiland helped to bring STP to fame but also had a checkered history with the band. He famously struggled with drug addiction, and this contributed to STP calling it quits in 2003. The band reunited in 2008, with Weiland at the microphone, and split with him in 2013. (Weiland died in 2015 at age 48.)

Chester Bennington of Linkin Park replaced Weiland as the lead singer of STP, 2013-2015, and Jeff Gutt of Dry Cell took over as frontman in 2017. Gutt can be heard on two STP albums, 2018′s “Stone Temple Pilots” and 2020′s “Perdida.” Three original members of Stone Temple Pilots remain with the band, and will be on the tour this year with Gutt.

Live and Stone Temple Pilots both have strong fan bases in Alabama. Stone Temple Pilots has appeared at least four times at Oak Mountain Amphitheatre, with dates there 1997-2018. STP also played at the Schaeffer Eye Center Crawfish Boil in Birmingham in 2011. Live’s Kowalczyk played a solo date at Alabaster CityFest in 2013.

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Walt Disney World Resort

Cast Members Celebrate 30 Years of Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

by Javier Soto , Communications Manager

Disney’s Wilderness Lodge is turning 30! Nestled amidst the splendor of natural landscapes, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge stands as a tribute to the storied lodges of America’s great national parks. 

As we celebrate its 30th anniversary on May 28, we’re honoring the unique design, stories and experience brought to life by the resort’s dedicated cast members.

Disney’s Wilderness Lodge is designed to transport guests to the enduring beauty of the American wilderness.

From the massive log columns that reach toward the skies in the lobby to the grand, three-sided fireplace  representing the layers of the Grand Canyon , every element is meticulously crafted to reflect the natural world.

The lodge uses elements like wood, water, and stone to create a setting that is both awe-inspiring and comforting, inviting guests to step into a living storybook of American folklore and craftsmanship. 

Now, let’s dive into the stories of  four of the remarkable cast members  who have been with Wilderness Lodge for over two decades, each bringing years of dedication, magic, and unforgettable moments to this storied resort. 

The First Welcome: A Ranger’s Legendary Greeting

Ranger Jack, as one of the lodge’s greeters and park rangers, is often the first to welcome guests with tales of the wilderness that surrounds them.

His role extends beyond greetings; every morning he guides guests on a tour to enrich their understanding of the lodge’s architectural nuances and natural surroundings, setting the tone for the exceptional experiences that await.

The Spirit of Hospitality: Troy’s Journey from Opening Day

Since the lodge’s opening, Troy –a bellperson at the lodge– has embodied the spirit of hospitality that Wilderness Lodge is renowned for. 

One of his favorite memories is when the first general manager of the resort  arrived on horseback for their opening day of operations . He cherishes the real connections he’s forged with guests, ensuring they start and end their visits with a smile, making even the routine task of handling luggage a personal exchange.

“My main goal is to make sure our guests are happy. I tell everybody, we are the first people they see when they arrive at the resort and the last people they see before going home.”

Culinary Magic: Sandrine and the Art of Dining

Sandrine, a Food & Beverage assistant at Artist Point, fondly remembers the first time she walked into the resort’s lobby 30 years ago. 

“When you walk into the lodge, it immediately feels like home– not like a typical resort. It becomes your place, your home away from home.” When asked about her favorite spot on the resort, she didn’t hesitate to describe the little brook in the lobby that winds under a wooden bridge and transforms into a charming waterfall, leading down to the pool and the geyser that sprays all the way to the lake. 

For Sandrine, this isn’t just a pretty sight; it’s  a slice of the lodge that feels like a real home , a peaceful nook that’s been a backdrop to countless warm welcomes and fond memories over the past three decades.

A Touch of Home in Every Room

Devora, a dedicated housekeeper, has been a cornerstone of Disney’s Wilderness Lodge since its opening. Her attention to detail and warm interactions embody the resort’s commitment to exceptional service. 

Devora has formed such meaningful bonds with guests that  many specifically request her area , seeking the comfort and care she brings to every room she prepares. 

“I really enjoy it when guests come back to their room after a day at the parks and tell me, ‘Wow, the room looks amazing!’” Her dedication to going the extra mile for every guest not only enhances their experience but also strengthens the collaborative spirit that defines Wilderness Lodge.

A Lodge Like No Other

Across more than 25 resorts, Disney showcases its imaginative design, creating immersive experiences that captivate guests at every turn. 

Disney’s Wilderness Lodge’s architecture and design elements, like the intricately carved woodwork and the  rushing stream that flows from the lobby into a roaring waterfall outside , deepen the sense of being in a vast wilderness.

As we celebrate this landmark 30th anniversary, the lodge stands as a testament not only to the beauty of the untamed wilderness but also to the creativity and dedication of our cast members.

Here’s to 30 years of magical memories and the many more that will follow. Stay tuned to the Disney Parks Blog for more enchanting tales from the lodge as we continue to celebrate this milestone year.

Destinations: Walt Disney World Resort

Loved Ranger Stan. Have a picture of my now grown little girl with Stan in the lobby. I agree that it would’ve been a nice tribute to include him here. Glad to see Troy. We’ve met him many times. I will agree with the other post that the lodge isn’t what it once was as far as the rooms go. The few remaining lodge rooms look cold and sterile. Gone are the bear lamps, the beautiful wood headboards, and the warm colors of the carpeting and beds. Our favorite lodge rooms that we got each year that we made so many memories in – 4115, 5115, 3115- are no longer because they are DVC that we can’t afford. We moved to the warm rooms of Boulder Ridge in 2021 but those have been redone into more sterile and less inviting rooms as well. Will be trying a Copper Creek studio this fall but are paying so much that we will be unable to return for several years or more. The original Wilderness Lodge that I fell in love with in 2006 will always hold a place in my heart.

I’m very upset that you never included Ranger Stan…he was the sweetest man and told many wonderful stories of the lodge..I guess with all of corporate changes which ruined all the nice little things they have removed that included Ranger Stan.. After 20 years of loving Disney going 10 to 12 times a year staying at the lodge, owning DVC we finally stopped going in 2014..you took all the special things away that made Disney what is was..now its just a very costly boring experience….that’s what corporate greed does..

Stayed here many times. We were able to be the family flag raisers with Ranger Stan many years ago.

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‘the life and murder of nicole brown simpson’ doc: “people are actually going to hear her voice”.

Lifetime's docuseries brings into focus Nicole’s world outside of O.J. Simpson through commentary from her close friends and sisters, who recall to THR the morning of her death and explain why they are doing the project 30 years later.

By Brande Victorian

Brande Victorian

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In introductory behind-the-scenes footage, Lifetime ’s four-part docuseries The Life and Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson sees a producer instructing interview subjects to use specific names when referencing individuals. Nicole Brown Simpson’s older sister, Denise Brown, replies, “There’s only one name I don’t want to say, if you don’t mind — ever.”

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Denise’s opening declaration underscores the intention of the two-night event, which is to allow the world to get to know who Nicole was as a mother, daughter, sister and friend — an individual outside of her tumultuous relationship with O.J.

“People are actually going to hear her voice,” Nicole’s younger sister Tanya Brown tells The Hollywood Reporter . “I forgot what she sounded like. The only recording I remembered was her 911 call, and I don’t want to remember my sister’s voice in fear. I want to hear her playing on the beach with her kids saying, ‘Hi Sydney’ [to her daughter].”

Audiences will get to hear such recordings and see personal photos of Nicole as her sisters — Denise, Dominique and Tanya, along with family friends — share memories about Nicole’s childhood in the exclusive Monarch Bay neighborhood of Orange County, California, and her aspirations as a young woman.

Still, so much of Nicole’s short life was about O.J., whom she met when she was just 18 in June of 1977 while working as a hostess at a restaurant called The Daisy. According to the documentary, the pro football player’s alleged bad behavior began not long after. When Nicole returned to the home of singer-songwriter David Lebón (a family friend whom she was living with in Hollywood at the time), after her first date with O.J., he noticed that the zipper of her jeans was ripped.

“I said, ‘Nicole what happened to you?’” Lebón recalls in the documentary. “He got a little forceful,” he says of her response, to which he says he replied, “Why would you let him do that to you? Why on your first date?”

The depth of O.J.’s alleged abuse is exposed in journals Nicole left behind, detailing years of psychological and physical mistreatment, including his affairs with other women. Denise also details her experience witnessing O.J.’s violent outbursts at times over the years, though many incidents Nicole never revealed to her sisters or friends.

The documentary sheds light on the years after as well, and the toll that Nicole’s murder took on her family, starting from the moment they first heard the news of her death.

“All three of us had three different experiences,” explains Tanya to THR . “That morning was horrific. Hearing Denise scream — Dominique was already off to work — you could combine every Michael Myers, Jason and every other horror movie together. I remember going into Denise’s son Sean’s room, she was cradling him and I was like, ‘What’s going on?’ ‘Coco’s dead.’ And I said, ‘What do you mean? Coco, who?’ And Denise said, ‘Nicole, your sister.’ And I’m like, ‘How’s that possible? You just saw her last night.’

‘I remember going down the hallway and I saw my mom at the kitchen table, and she was white, just pale. The life was taken out from under her. And I said, ‘Dita, is it true?’ And she couldn’t answer,” Tanya recalls of their mother, Judith “Dita” Brown. “I went back to my dad, and he was just pounding his forearm on the bathroom sink. I was like, ‘Daddy, is it true?’ He said, ‘It’s true.’”

In the 30 years since Nicole’s death, Denise has become a noted public speaker on domestic violence. She and her sisters see the documentary, which is part of Lifetime’s Stop Violence Against Women initiative, as an extension of her yearslong advocacy.

The Life and Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson premieres June 1 and 2 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Lifetime. The project is produced by Bunim/Murray Productions for Lifetime. Additional executive producers include Melissa Moore ( The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard ), Rit Saraswat ( Surviving R. Kelly: Part II ) and Brie Miranda Bryant ( Where is Wendy Williams? , Janet Jackson , Surviving R. Kelly ).

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