NEW YORK (CNN) -- On the eve of the release of its new album, the rock band U2 surprised fans Monday with performances throughout New York City, culminating in a 45-minute concert in Brooklyn in the late afternoon.

The band tipped off members of the news media that it would perform an impromptu concert, but it kept details under wraps until late Sunday evening.

Riding in the back of a flatbed truck, the band serenaded New York streets and snarled city traffic as a film crew captured the action for a music video.

The tour ended at Brooklyn's Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park -- on the waterfront between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges and across from the Lower Manhattan skyline -- to the delight of an estimated 3,000 people who had spent hours waiting for the rock stars to arrive.

The fans were treated to a set that lasted more than 45 minutes and covered songs from the band's new album, "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," as well as old favorites.

The crowd flocked to the venue after word of the concert spread through fan Web sites. The concert was taped for an MTV special December 10.

Band publicist Dennis Dennehey said if the information about the show had been advertised beforehand, the band would have had to cancel the concert.

Local police were told the performance was simply for a television taping.

An original plan had the band playing in Manhattan's Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village, but after it became apparent that too many people had learned about it, that plan was abandoned.

"How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" is the band's 13th album and its first since 2000. It releases Tuesday.

U2 consists of lead singer Bono, guitarist The Edge, drummer Larry Mullen Jr. and bassist Adam Clayton.