This Day in Music

On this day in 1987, U2 performed on the roof of the Republic Liquor store, Los Angeles.

Footage of the event was eventually spliced together to form the single video 'Where the Streets Have No Name'. The band performed an eight song set - including fellow 'The Joshua Tree' favourite 'In God's Country' and mega-hit 'Pride (In Name of Love)' - which attracted over 1, 000 passers-by, excusing them from their daily routines and bringing traffic to a standstill.

A back-up generator was put on the roof, enabling shooting to continue should the authorities have cut the power; and they did. Directed by Meiert Avis, the video remains a memorable footnote of the Dublin quartet and the height of their powers. Bono's God-like status as a front man remained in tact, and depictions of police attempting to halt proceedings were shot in near real-time; now that is rock 'n' roll!

Having spent a week carrying out risk assessments with producer Michael Hamlyn, one would be foolish to think that this was a spur of the moment affair. In the band's official autobiography, manager Paul McGuinness confessed that 'getting busted was part of the plan'. That said, the video would receive the Grammy Award for Best Performance Music Video at the 31st Grammy Awards, two years later in 1989, which is certainly a testament to its enduring charisma.

Whilst parent album 'The Joshua Tree' shifted in excess of 25 million copies, achieving prestigious Diamond sales status in both the U.S. and Canada, 'Streets...' is still fondly regarded as one of the group's most exciting compositions.

Watch the full video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzZWSrr5wFI&ob=av2e