by Cake Censor

I woke up from a nap on a sunny afternoon in 1993. I had a dream that U2 made the record Zooropa and I could not stand the album. Illustrious drum beats and crafted synthesizers was not the U2 I came to admire. .

Recall the Achtung upgrade given out by U2 roadies during the ZOO TV tour? I was sitting in heaven blasting my friend for not seizing the opportunity to purchase better tickets. A man dressed in odd gear approached us and said: "You can get Vertigo up here." My friend laughed and I angrily chuckled at this reincarnation of E.T. Then he said: "Come with me where you can breathe a little easier." E.T. could tell that the look on our faces resembled question marks. We followed him and he flashed his pass to security guards. He told the security guards that we were his guests. We were in utter disbelief. We were in the coveted oval. He turned to us and said: "Enjoy the show guys." We just looked at him dumb founded and we did not see him again for the rest of the show. The next thing I know the crowd goes in a complete roar as Vertigo is introduced. I could not even get into the song because of what had just happened. My senses finally came to me and U2 blasted into I will follow. At that point, I did not care. I was taken by the stage, the immensity of the video screens, and U2 in clear vision. City of Blinding Lights is just triumphant. The song poses an alarming energy and a visual feast. I have placed Love, Peace, or Else in my "top 10 live u2 songs" after hearing it for the first time. It does not get any better than watching Bono and Larry share a drum and a microphone.

We leave the stadium, and who do we see? E.T. was being arrested. I asked the police officer why he was arrested. He was arrested for disguising himself as an employee of the stadium. He noticed me as police were escorting him and said: "Did you like the show?" I looked at him with question marks again and said "it was great." He wandered off with police and my friend and I went home amused and baffled.

As I lay to rest, I put on Zooropa. I found a new appreciation for the album because of my state of mind and the album's theme of celebrating confusion.

Thank you E.T. for the Vertigo downgrade.

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