The video was shot at the Rogers Arena (then known as General Motors Place or GM Place) in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on April 27, 2005 with additional footage from the band's performance from the April 28, 2005 live show part of the Vertigo Tour. Planning for the video began after the NHL lockout of 2004-2005 allowed the band extra time to shoot at the arena. Between 3,000 and 5,000 people were allowed in for the filming. During the shoot, U2 performed "City of Blinding Lights" multiple times, followed by "Vertigo," "All Because of You" and "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own."
Directors Alex Courtes and Martin Fougerol explained, "we wanted to reflect the mood we've seen at the concerts, so we played with that lighting knowing that you are more blinded from a light if it was darker before".
The video is the second video for U2's How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004) directed by Alex Courtes and Martin Fougerol following 2004's Grammy-winning "Vertigo" music video.
"City of Blinding Lights" was performed at every full concert during U2's Vertigo Tour (2005-2006), the 360° Tour (2009-2011) and all but 2 concerts of the Innocence + Experience Tour (2015). The song appeared on their greatest hits compilation U218 Singles in 2006.
Barack Obama frequently used the song as a lead-in to campaign appearances during his 2008 Presidential campaign. U2 performed the song at the We Are One concert at the Lincoln Memorial on January 18, 2009 in celebration of Obama's upcoming inauguration. Bono spoke directly to President-elect Obama, saying, "What a thrill for four Irish boys from the north side of Dublin to honor you, sir, the next President of the United States, Barack Obama, for choosing this song to be part of the soundtrack of your campaign, and more." Bono modified the first verse to reference the surroundings, singing "America, let your road rise under Lincoln's unblinking eyes." U2 also gave a shout-out to Vice Presidential-elect Joe Biden at the end of the verse, and changed a part of the chorus to proclaim "America's getting ready to leave the ground."