U2 Films New Music Video in Downtown Las Vegas
U2 created a music video early on Sunday morning in the heart of Las Vegas. The Irish rockers performed their fresh track, 'Atomic City', from a makeshift stage mounted on a flatbed truck, commencing around midnight.
U2 is currently in Vegas, getting ready for their 'U2: UV Achtung Baby Live' residency at the MSG Sphere, which hosts its official opening on September 29th.
Bono told the VIP audience - gathered underneath the Fremont Street Experience canopy - that 'Atomic City' is a song written for them. He labelled it as "a rock n' roll 45" inspired by late-'70s post-punk.
'Atomic City' honours the history of Las Vegas - mentioning figures like Sinatra and choirs - while also playing up popular stereotypes, such as being a stage for fallen stars ("Come all you stars falling from the sky") and being a chosen destination for extraterrestrials ('All UFOs come on your way home').
Bono belted out the song, backing up a prerecorded version created in LA recently. Currently, U2's Sphere setlist mostly features a track-by-track recreation of their 1991 album, Achtung Baby.
Check out the clip posted by YouTube user mfb1962.
In a dramatic display like the Rolling Stones' famed 1975 Fifth Avenue stunt, U2's moving stage took them between shooting locations: behind the 3rd Street stage and right in front of the Plaza Hotel and Casino.
A Bold Turn
Apart from U2's surprise appearance, the most shocking moment was Larry Mullen Jr.'s return to the drums. Speculations that Mullen would take a leave from the Vegas dates due to neck and elbow surgery recovery surfaced.
However, during the video shoot, they roped in Bram van den Berg, a little-known musician from the Netherlands.
Bono pointed out Mullen's defiance of medical advisories, mentioning that "He doesn't follow doctor's orders."
A Historical Tie
Filming a history-based video at the Plaza carried symbolic significance for various reasons. The Plaza Hotel and Casino is built at the spot of the first Las Vegas railway stop - the one responsible for the city's inception in 1905. Although the original depot was demolished in 1970 to make way for the Plaza, the train tracks (exclusively used for freight these days) still pass behind the casino hotel.
The location was also personal for U2. Their iconic 1987 video for "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" was filmed on the pre-canopied Fremont Street. Expressing nostalgia, they mimicked Elvis and astonished tourists who never imagined crossing paths with the globally renowned group.
As a tribute to their past connection, they added a stripped-back, country rendition of "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," which featured limited drumming from Mullen. https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/u2-las-vegas-video-surprise-larry-mullen-jr-1235263462983902/
