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March 22: U2 tribute band Zoo Station (with Q&A) |
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Written by Submitted to the World
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Wednesday, 12 March 2008 |
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[Editor's note: Check out our Q&A with Zoo Station bassist Adamesque at the bottom of this story.]
For five years and over 275 live performances, Zoo Station (aka the complete U2 experience) has been bringing the passion and excitement of a U2 show to Northern Californian fans with sell-out crowds at pubs and clubs in the Bay Area and beyond. In 2007 they were named “Best Cover Band” by the SF Weekly and now they’re coming to Tahoe for a March 22 show in the Tahoe Biltmore.
The band’s primary job is replication, but periodically Zoo Station innovates as much as it imitates. During their trademark full-album spotlight sets — in which the band plays an entire U2 album from start to finish — Zoo Station encounters such obscurities as “Elvis Presley and America,” “Promenade,” “Red Hill Mining Town” and “Acrobat” — songs rarely or never performed live by U2.
“Songs like these are exciting,” says lead singer Bonalmost. “All we can really do is ask ourselves, ‘What would U2 have done on-stage?’”
 More familiar are melodies like “Pride (In The Name of Love),” “With or Without You,” “Beautiful Day,” and “Vertigo.” Behind the band, a multi-media visual projection system elevates Zoo Station’s performances to the highest level of virtual authenticity. Swirling abstract imagery appears behind the stage, interspersed with rapid-fire “U2-phemisms” and in-synch flashing light choreography. All are recognizable from U2 shows, and these visual effects, centerpieced by Bonalmost’s lively theatrics, reflect Zoo Station’s deep-set love of U2’s music and their commitment to fully recreating the dense emotional impact of a U2 concert.
With a repertoire of over 140 songs and a state of the art multimedia/video presentation, Zoo Station has been recreating the magic of U2 at venues and special events all over the Bay Area. Complete with props, costumes and look-a-like members, Zoo Station’s attention to detail and straight-up love for the material has earned them a loyal following of casual and not-so-casual U2 fans.
“Of course we play all the hits, but we always throw in some surprises for the hard-core fans. We try to give people 26 years of U2 in one night so the second half of the show will focus on what U2 did after 1987,” said guitarist The Sledge.
 The members of Zoo Station are dedicated fans of U2 and it shows.
“It’s really a by the fans – for the fans operation.” says Zoo Station singer Bonalmost. “This music means a lot to people and we take that to heart.”
For more Zoo Station information, please visit www.zoostation-online.com.
Zoo Station is:
Bonalmost: vocals, sunglasses
The Sledge: lead guitar
Adamesque: bass, backing vocals
Barely Larry: drums
Zoo Station: The Complete U2 Experience rocks the Tahoe Biltmore in Crystal Bay on Saturday, March 22. Tickets are $10 in advance and are available online at www.renegadeshows.com, jambasetickets.com and tickets.com, or by phone at (530) 583-2801. The Tahoe Biltmore is located at 5 State Highway 28, Crystal Bay, NV, CA 95959.
Win tickets to see Zoo Station live at the Biltmore:
The Tahoe World has 10 tickets to give away to the March 22 Zoo Station show, courtesy of Renegade Productions. All you have to do to see this show for free is be one of the first 10 people to email Tahoe World Associate Editor Morgan Kriz (
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
) with a list of at least five songs from U2’s album War.
The Q&A:
Tahoe World Web Editor Paul Raymore asked Zoo Station bassist Adamesque, a founding member of the band, a few questions in anticipation of their upcoming show at the Tahoe Biltmore on Saturday, March 22:
Tahoe World: How did the band come together?
Adamesque: The band came together in 2002 after a post on Craigslist sparked the interest of three other musicians besides myself willing to pour their hearts and souls into playing the music of U2. Obviously our favorite band!
TW: When you first started out, were you nervous to be covering a band as internationally successful as U2? Not to mention a band that’s still playing live shows fairly frequently?
Adamesque: I wasn’t really nervous. I also wasn’t that ambitious. I just wanted to play bass with three other guys that share the same passion I do. Now things are a bit different. We play bigger venues than the average pub from time to time and it’s a bit surreal.
TW: Do you have a favorite song to play? Why?
Adamesque: I have fallen in love with a lot of songs. My all-time favorite is “Pride (In The Name Of Love)” but the catalogue is so vast that favorites tend to change as I learn the twists and turns inside the song. Newest to the list (140+) is “Heartland” (Rattle and Hum), which we are performing tonight for the first time.
TW: What about crowd favorites? Are there certain songs that people always request?
Adamesque: The crowds love the hits. When Sledge riffs into “Mysterious Ways,” “Discotheque,” “Where the Streets Have No Name,” “Vertigo,” “I will Follow,” and “Elevation,” fans get on the dance floor and tear it up. But there is the mellow side that people also enjoy. Songs like “Bad,” “With or Without You,” “Red Hill Mining Town,” “Running to Stand Still,” “Acrobat,” “Ultraviolet” and of course “One” get requested a lot and fills the room with one shot of happy (U2 humor I guess).
TW: How do you maintain a repertoire of over 140 songs? That seems almost impossible.
Adamesque: We usually don’t play 140 in one night... We have done full album sets. Joshua Tree, Auchtung Baby/Zoo TV, Rattle and Hum, Unforgettable Fire, Red Rocks (DVD), ATYCLB, October, Boy, Vertigo Tour night. We are the biggest U2 nerds and sometimes we play songs U2 would never play! That is what separates us from other U2 tributes. We also still rehearse weekly. Every show is different. We like it that way. We never get bored!
TW: Have you heard any of the other U2 tribute bands out there? What makes Zoo Station different?
Adamesque: There are a lot of U2 Tributes. In California maybe three or four. But it’s all about the love of the music. The competition isn’t that fierce. I have heard about three others. One out of the three was decent. The other two didn’t really have the look, the right gear or the sound. It’s a good thing Bonalmost looks a lot like the real thing. And he has an endorsement from Bono’s cousin!
TW: In your opinion, what makes for a great show?
Adamesque: A great show happens when the energy of the crowd takes over and drives the show. We feed off of it. Barely Larry kicks into a heavy tune with purpose. Again, we dork out. I love when crazy U2 fans request a song they think we can’t play. Like, “Spanish Eyes” or “Miss Sarajevo” (The song that Luciano Pavarotti sings on), Bonalmost hits the Pavarotti part with uncanny perfection and it sends chills down my spine. He is incredible.
TW: Anything else you’d like to say?
Adamesque: We are looking forward to playing in Tahoe. The perfect way to spend an afternoon... Hit the slopes, wakeboard or raft the Truckee, depending on the season, grab a fish taco and a Pacifico in Kings Beach, then rock out at the Biltmore.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 12 March 2008 )
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