Synopsis

U2 stage an apparently spontaneous rooftop performance in downtown Los Angeles. The video opens with radio reports announcing the shoot and showing crowds gathering around the Republic Liquor store at 7th Street and Main. As the band launches into the song, the growing audience fills the surrounding streets. Police eventually arrive, citing safety concerns and ordering the production to stop. Bono tells the crowd that the performance is being shut down, prompting loud protests, while the band continues playing against the city's skyline.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was filmed on March 27, 1987, on the roof of the Republic Liquor store in downtown Los Angeles.

• More than 1,000 people gathered around the building after local radio stations publicized the shoot.

• U2 played an eight-song set during the filming, performing "Where the Streets Have No Name" four times to capture usable footage.

• The production team spent a week reinforcing the roof before the shoot because of concerns about the weight of the band, equipment, and possible crowds.

• A backup generator was placed on the roof. It became necessary when the authorities cut the main power during the attempted shutdown.

• The police intervention shown in the finished video was real rather than a staged ending. The confrontation unfolded during the shoot, and producer Michael Hamlyn reportedly came close to being arrested.

• The rooftop setting deliberately recalls The Beatles' final public performance, filmed on the roof of the Apple Corps building in London for the 1970 documentary "Let It Be."

• The song's lyrics were partly inspired by Belfast, where a person's street address could suggest their religion and socioeconomic background. The video contrasts that idea of identity tied to place with a performance that temporarily turns an ordinary city block into a shared public space.

• The video won the Grammy Award for Best Performance Music Video at the 31st Annual Grammy Awards.