I Was an Extra in a U2 Video Filmed in Mexico City: Here’s What Happened

The iconic Irish band returned to Mexico after nine years to film the music video for their new single “Street of Dreams,” featuring Spanish-language choruses.

May 13, 2026 - 17:16

I Was an Extra in a U2 Video Filmed in Mexico City: Here’s What Happened

After nine years of absence, U2 returned to Mexico this week to film the music video for their new single “Street of Dreams,” a song that will be part of their upcoming album set to release later this year.

Perched on the roof of a school bus decorated with graffiti by artist Chavis Mármol, the legendary Irish band performed their new track with Spanish-language choruses on Tuesday (May 12), surrounded by a large crowd in the Historic Center of the city. The event also marked the first appearance of drummer Larry Mullen Jr. alongside his bandmates after years away from the stage recovering from neck and back surgeries.

Among the more than 1,000 lucky individuals who participated as extras in the video shoot was me, thanks to a secret fan invitation on U2’s official website and a real stroke of luck. Registration opened on May 6 and closed two days later. On Sunday (May 10), the first confirmations arrived via email. Selected fans were allowed to bring one guest, which is how I got to attend — my friend was actually the one chosen and invited me along.

Hundreds of people, mostly between the ages of 30 and 50, arrived promptly at the meeting point near noon on Tuesday in the Plaza Santo Domingo, a public square in the Historic Center where historians say the house of Cuauhtémoc, the last great Aztec ruler, once stood. An hour later, after signing several confidentiality and image-use agreements, the production team guided us to the streets of República de Brasil and República de Bolivia, a bustling commercial area surrounded by neo-colonial buildings.

Four extras, who physically resembled Bono and his bandmates The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr., climbed to the roof of the bus to act as stand-ins while the production team made technical adjustments. A DJ kept the crowd entertained during the wait as we endured the intense heat currently gripping the capital. A Mexican flag and an Irish flag hung from the wall of a building, symbolizing the bond between the band and their local fans.

The members of U2 arrived shortly after 3:00 p.m. (local time). The bus had a sign on the front that read “La Calle de los Sueños” (The Street of Dreams) in Spanish, and Bono — who was greeted with a huge ovation — repeated the song’s chorus several times so the extras could sing along with him: “La calle/ Calle de los Sueños/ Justice an obsession on the Street of Dreams.”

It’s not the first time U2 has stopped traffic in its tracks. In the late ’80s, the group captured the spirit of The Beatles’ “Get Back” with a rooftop performance in downtown Los Angeles, which was featured in Meiert Avis’ music video for “Where the Streets Have No Name.”

Only 30 minutes and three takes into the recording, the shoot was interrupted by a torrential downpour. Hundreds of us waited in the rain for more than 30 minutes while the video’s director tried to keep spirits high. But the storm persisted. Around 5:00 p.m., when the rain had eased slightly, the quartet appeared on the balcony of an old building to perform a brief acoustic set featuring their classics “Desire,” “Vertigo,” “Angel of Harlem” and “In a Little While.”

Hours later, a video showing the band entering an apartment to thank a family for allowing them to use their balcony went viral.

U2’s visit coincides with the 2026 Street Child World Cup, which is being hosted in Mexico City this week, bringing together 30 teams from around the world from May 6 to May 14. “It’s a small NGO with a big impact for talented kids with no access to resources,” Mullen said in a brief statement shared with Billboard. “Our band are proud supporters.”

Mexico holds a special place in U2’s heart and has been the site of some of their most iconic performances, including the concert recorded for PopMart: Live From Mexico City, filmed in 1997 during the PopMart Tour.