Synopsis

U2 and Green Day perform "The Saints Are Coming" in stark black-and-white studio footage and before the reopening crowd at New Orleans' Louisiana Superdome. Their performances are intercut with disturbing images of Hurricane Katrina's flooding and displaced residents. Midway through, the video shifts into an alternate history: instead of remaining overseas, military forces are redirected to New Orleans to deliver aid and conduct rescues. The clip closes with the phrase "Not as seen on TV," underlining its criticism of the real disaster response.

Factoids & Trivia

• The song is a cover of "The Saints Are Coming," originally recorded by Scottish punk band The Skids in 1979. U2's Edge contacted former Skids frontman Richard Jobson about the collaboration.

• U2 and Green Day recorded their version at Abbey Road Studios in London in September 2006. Producer Rick Rubin oversaw the recording.

• The project was created to support Music Rising, the charity founded by The Edge to help musicians in the Gulf Coast region replace instruments and equipment lost during Hurricane Katrina. Proceeds from the release went to the organization.

• The video combines genuine Katrina news footage with newly filmed performances and computer-generated military aircraft, helicopters, and tanks. Fake cable-news headlines present the imagined redeployment of troops from Iraq to New Orleans.

• The Superdome footage came from the building's reopening on September 25, 2006, when U2 and Green Day performed before the New Orleans Saints played the Atlanta Falcons. The video uses the studio recording over the concert images rather than presenting the live audio.

• Its "Not as seen on TV" ending refers to criticism of the limited and delayed media coverage surrounding the rescue effort, while also suggesting that the video itself presents an imagined version of events.

• The video premiered online through YouTube on October 27, 2006, during the site's early period as a major outlet for music-video premieres. U2 reported that it attracted 1.2 million views within its first week.

• The collaboration earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.