My fave tour was The Joshua Tree Tour. Quite simply put, it had the best set of u2 songs to tour with. No fancy stages, it was all about the songs, just as i like it to be
1. The Joshua Tree - raw, honest, straigtforward with few gimmicks.
2. Elevation - a great show, enhanced in significance due to Hamish Hamilton's artistry.
3. 360 - due to the scale and spectactle
4. Vertigo - also great, and I've ranked it above Popmart and ZooTV because I missed seeing those tours. Had I seen Pop, I'd likely have it 4th instead, despite the sheer number of gimmicks and distractions.
I know its old fashioned, but I prefer to see a concert first and then a staged performance second. Ever since Bowie's Glass Spider tour and much of the Madonna events, many big concerts seem more like scripted Broadway productions (i.e. canned and contrived - with little spontaneity) rather than ragged, jagged musical performances. IMHO, the kitsch of Pop seemed to weaken the impact of the show, even though it was theatrical. A great day to all even though many will disagree.