Mastering: Arnie Acosta at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood. Performance courtesy of the NFL.Īudio Post Production: Cheryl Engles at Partial Productions Inc. Trombones: Troy “Shorty” Andrews, Stafford Agee, “Big” Sam Williams, Reginald Stuart. Trumpets: Derrick “Kabuky” Shezbie, Glen Andrews, Gregory Davis, Shannon Haynes. Horns arranged by Bob Ezrin and Rupert Christie. Engineered by Biff Dawes and Chris Dugan. The Saints are Coming (Live from New Orelans): That version would be replaced by the live half time performance once it became available. In addition to the live Superdome version of “The Saints are Coming” that was made available on the Rhapsody music service following the New Orleans performance, the site also offered a version taped live at U2 and Green Day’s rehearsal earlier in the day. Green Day has not performed the song in its entirety on tour, but Armstrong did sing snippets of it during performances of “Holiday” on Green Day’s 21st Century Breakdown Tour in 2010.Ī “Studio Edit” of the song, running 2:33, was issued on some promotional singles. As of this writing, U2 has not performed the song live since that time. Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong would appear on stage with U2 to perform the song on the last night of the tour, December 9, 2006, in Hawaii. Other than the performance at the Superdome, U2 would perform “The Saints are Coming” a total of 12 times during the final leg of The Vertigo Tour. The latter part of the video offers a fictional account of what could have happened in the Katrina aftermath, including shots of troops being redeployed from Iraq to help those in New Orleans, military helicopters conducting rescue operations above the Superdome, and bomber jets dropping supplies. Early in the video, news footage of the Hurricane Katrina disaster is interspersed with shots of the two bands performing. Directed by Chris Milk, the clip depicts U2 and Green Day performing the song at both Abbey Road Studios and at the Lousiana Superdome. During this same half time show, the Edge would join Green Day on stage for “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” and U2 and Green Day would also perform “Beautiful Day.”Ī music video for “The Saints Are Coming” debuted on YouTube on October 27, 2006.
Both U2 and Green Day took part in the live performance, which was also made available for purchase immediately by Real Rhapsody as a digital single. This was the first game to be held in the Louisiana Superdome since it had been heavily damaged during Huricane Katrina the previous year. Released on CD (and on 7-inch vinyl in the UK), the B-side to the single was a live version of “The Saints Are Coming” recorded in New Orleans on Septemat the opening game of the New Orleans Saints and broadcast during the half time show on Monday Night Football. Proceeds would benefit Music Rising, a charity that the Edge had helped create to bring instruments and music programs back to New Orleans. “The Saints are Coming,” with its lyrics about storms and drowning, seemed fitting for a single in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and in September 2006 it was announced that U2 and Green Day had recorded a cover of the song.
When Adamson died in 2001, the Edge delivered a eulogy at his funeral and told mourners that Big Country had written the songs he wished U2 could write. It had featured on their debut album Scared to Dance, released in 1979, as well as on an earlier EP, “Wide Open.” Stuart Adamson, founder of the Skids, would go on to greater fame with his next band, Big Country. The song itself was written and originally recorded by a Scottish punk band, the Skids. “The Saints are Coming” was the first U2 release to carry the Mercury Records logo in that country. The U218 compilation was notable because it signaled the end of U2’s longstanding contract with Island Records in the UK. The physical single hit shops on November 6, 2006, but a digital version had been released the week previous. “The Saints are Coming,” a duet with American rock band Green Day, was one of two new songs included on the compilation album U218 Singles, and was also the first single issued to promote that release. "The Saints are Coming" (Live from New Orleans, Sep."The Saints are Coming" (Studio Version) - U2 and Green Day (03:22)."The Saints Are Coming" - U2 Single Track Listing: