Streets Have No Name - An LA Roof Top 36 yrs later

[GURPS]

Carefully planned chaos: A look at how an iconic video came together 30 years ago​

Thirty years ago in Los Angeles, music-video director Meiert Avis also had a vision for bringing U2 fans out to the streets. The streets had names – 7th and Main – if not the greatest reputation, back then. In downtown L.A., it was considered a bit of a rough area. For the video for Where the Streets Have No Name, Avis wanted U2 to perform on a building roof, in an homage to the Beatles' final public performance. The stunt was also meant to announce U2's arrival to the big, big time. U2 – a band Avis had been working with since the beginning – were already rock stars, but with the release of The Joshua Tree, they were on the brink of being gigantic.

The intent "was to be disruptive, the truth be told. And just for the point of rock 'n' roll," Avis says from L.A., where he now lives. "That was the album that was going to put them into the public eye, so [we were] using a flash mob scenario to create a spontaneous media event that one couldn't help but notice."

The video became a one-storey high point for the band in a heady year that was full of them.

"It was definitely one of the events that kind of broke the band, just from a media point of view. It was an inevitability anyway, given the people behind the band and the label efforts behind the band – and the music," Avis says.

 

[Grumpy]

Thought that vid was fantastic.

 

[kwillia]

Love absolutely everything about Joshua Tree. That album is in my top 3.

 

[Grumpy]

Love absolutely everything about Joshua Tree. That album is in my top 3.

Concert in 92 at RFK was probably the best concert I ever attended.

 

[stgislander]

Bono was never the record holder. He's the record.

 

[PrchJrkr]

Amazing. Back in the day, I would change the radio station any time U2 came on. No self-respecting head banger would even consider listening to this "pop" crap. Along the way, bono said something ultra-liberal in my eyes and my indifference turned to disgust. Why must those in the limelight voice their political opinions? To this day, I wouldn't be able to pick any of the band out of a police lineup. They're still one of the reasons I don't listen to the radio in my car.

 

[kwillia]

Amazing. Back in the day, I would change the radio station any time U2 came on. No self-respecting head banger would even consider listening to this "pop" crap. Along the way, bono said something ultra-liberal in my eyes and my indifference turned to disgust. Why must those in the limelight voice their political opinions? To this day, I wouldn't be able to pick any of the band out of a police lineup. They're still one of the reasons I don't listen to the radio in my car.

I am a rabid Bruce Springsteen fan. His voice thrills me. I have followed him ever since I heard him singing ‘The River” on DC 101 one morning while curling my hair getting ready to catch the school bus.

Not once in all these decades did I give a crap about his political views nor did he influence my beliefs. Same goes for Bono. They have no special powers.

 

[jrt_ms1995]

Love absolutely everything about Joshua Tree. That album is in my top 3.

Well we all can have differing opinions. In mine, The Joshua Tree is where U2 went to crap; everything before was better, and everything after continued downhill. But I think the same about the careers and production of many bands; increased popularity makes them less popular.

 

[PrchJrkr]

I am a rabid Bruce Springsteen fan. His voice thrills me. I have followed him ever since I heard him singing ‘The River” on DC 101 one morning while curling my hair getting ready to catch the school bus.

Not once in all these decades did I give a crap about his political views nor did he influence my beliefs. Same goes for Bono. They have no special powers.

And my take on both of them is that they both suck, musically as well as politically. To each his own. They're all more wealthy than I could ever imagine, but not one thin dime of their wealth will ever come from my pocket. I don't feel that my life could gain anything from listening to either. There's plenty good music out there.

 

[kwillia]

Well we all can have differing opinions. In mine, The Joshua Tree is where U2 when to crap; everything before was better, and everything after continued downhill. But I think the same about the careers and production of many bands; increased popularity makes them less popular.

I like a couple things before and after, but Joshua Tree was and still is a compilation I cherish.

 

[kwillia]

And my take on both of them is that they both suck, musically as well as politically. To each his own. They're all more wealthy than I could ever imagine, but not one thin dime of their wealth will ever come from my pocket. I don't feel that my life could gain anything from listening to either. There's plenty good music out there.

Since my personal declaration of The Boss being my foremost and absolute favorite musical entertainer of all, I've had many 'sucks you think that way' and 'but whattabout...' comments thrown my way. The most memorable being the year I gifted myself a Springsteen box set for Christmas. Post-Christmas morn festivities, I settled comfortably to watch the DVD video collection. My husband knew to respect my love of Bruce and politely sat in silence. My 4 year old on the other hand was a constant barrage of barbs: "Dad, I don't know what Mom sees in him.", "I'm so glad Mom didn't marry him cause I wouldn't want to be Matthew Springsteen!", etc. until I told him to get his little ass out of the room and down the hallway to play with his new toys or I was going to bag 'em up and send them back to the North Pole.

So, meh.

 

[Kinnakeet]

And my take on both of them is that they both suck, musically as well as politically. To each his own. They're all more wealthy than I could ever imagine, but not one thin dime of their wealth will ever come from my pocket. I don't feel that my life could gain anything from listening to either. There's plenty good music out there.

I like a couple of Bruce songs and thats it he is a peckerwood the same goes for the IRA group U2 they suck dont come to my country and complain about it.