10 Rock Bands That Had Alter Egos

Looking back on the start of the '90s, U2 were about to be in some major trouble. Although their songs of hope in the late '80s made for some of the biggest hits at the time, that kind of larger than life persona wasn't going to bode well in the age of Pearl Jam and Nirvana. When Achtung Baby came out though, Bono managed to get even more larger than life and get the entire world to root for the band anyway.

While it was originally just another album track on Achtung Baby, Bono's persona of the Fly was amplified to 1000 every time he strutted across the stage. Being more of a parody of a rich rock star, every one of U2's shows around this time was almost a commentary on the performance aspect of rock, with Bono hamming it up for the camera whenever he could.

And yes, I said camera. Around this time, U2 were also bringing in gigantic television screens as part of their Zoo TV tour, which made the entire thing feel like some major musical rally rather than just a concert. U2 had always been about music being more than just notes, and this was probably the best conclusion that they could have hoped for. As much as the age of Zoo TV may be fun, you also have to see it as a cautionary tale. Because there's a fine line between the extravagant rock star and the era of 1984.