Mexico City’s historic center briefly turned into a live set Tuesday as Irish rock band U2 drew crowds of fans while shooting a surprise music video near Plaza de Santo Domingo.
The band — fronted by 66-year-old lead singer and lyricist Bono — performed atop a graffiti-painted school bus that was moving through colonial streets while onlookers followed and filmed with their phones.
Hopped a bus in Mexico City, destination: Street of Dreams.
‘Justice an obsession, love is a procession down the street of dreams’ pic.twitter.com/HZYXw0rDXk— U2 (@U2) May 12, 2026
The bus was painted by Mexico City–based artist Chavis Mármol, known for politically charged, often satirical installations such as a blue Tesla crushed beneath a colossal pre-Hispanic stone head in 2024.
The appearance by the celebrated band — which scored two No. 1 hits in 1987 with “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” and “With or Without You” — had been kept largely secret, with select fans invited via the band’s website days earlier.
The shoot was for “Street of Dreams,” a new track from U2’s forthcoming studio album expected near the end of 2026, the band said on its official site.
The bus displayed a route sign reading “La Calle de los Sueños” (Street of Dreams), with that line in Spanish also part of the song’s mostly English-language lyrics, alongside themes of justice and hope.
Fans shared videos on social media as the performance unfolded, showing the group playing live while riding through the city’s core near Plaza de Santo Domingo, a short walk from the Zócalo.
The visit coincided with the 2026 Street Child World Cup in Mexico City, a nine-day youth soccer competition with 30 teams from around the globe, ending Thursday.
“It’s a little NGO with a big kick for kids with all of the talent and none of the access,” said U2’s founding drummer, Larry Mullen Jr., 64. “Our band are proud supporters.”
Formed in 1976 by classmates in Dublin, Ireland after Mullen posted a “musicians wanted” notice at their high school, U2 has gone on to land six top-10 hits on the Billboard U.S. Hot 100, including the two No. 1 hits noted above.
Their last big hit was “Discotheque,” which peaked at No. 10 in the U.S. and hit No. 1 on the U.K. singles chart in 1997. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005, the band has also scored multiple No. 1 albums.
U2 is expected to announce its next tour after the new studio album arrives. The group last played Mexico City in 2017, with two shows at Foro Sol, now named Estadio GNP Seguros and honored last year as the world’s top concert stadium.
