"City of Blinding Lights" was performed on every night of the Vertigo Tour, opening 86 of the 131 concerts and a public dress rehearsal immediately before its launch. Performances frequently began with confetti falling from the ceiling, serving as a bridge to engage the audience. The song made extensive use of the stage's LED curtains for its visual effects; "Wired" noted that "they do a fine imitation of Shinjuku on speed, and the lighting design for 'City of Blinding Lights' takes advantage of that ... the visual effect manages to be far more the sum of its parts." The "Vancouver Sun" described the result as "akin to a busy street at night through a misted windshield", later saying it provided "a theme for the night – the sparse, elegant stage was constantly bathed in vivid colours". During the Vertigo Tour, the piano introduction was played by Adam Clayton on a keyboard. Sound engineer Joe O'Herlihy believed Clayton's bass in the live setting to be "the driving implement that pushes the sound along".