watch the Joe Strummer tribute ft. Bruce Springsteen, Jeff Tweedy, Tom Morello, more
Friday, August 21 would've been Joe Strummer's 68th birthday and to celebrate a host of huge names gathered together for a two-hour livestream called A Song for Joe: Celebrating the Life of Joe Strummer this weekend. Produced by Jesse Malin, Jeff Raspe, and Joe Strummer estate manager David Zonshine, the livestream tribute featured a slew of amazing acts and appearances, alongside never-before-seen live footage of Strummer himself.
"A Song for Joe" included covers from Grateful Dead's Bob Weir and Jesse Malin ("Death or Glory), Jeff Tweedy (also "Death or Glory"), Queen of the Stone Ages' Josh Homme ("Train in Vain"), The Gaslight Anthem's Brian Fallon ("Long Shadow"), Dropkick Murphys ("Tommy Gun"), Nikolai Fraiture (performing separately), Lucinda Williams ("Straight to Hell"), Josh Klinghoffer (“Rudy Can’t Fail”), Cherry Glazerr ("Charlie Don't Surf"), Butch Walker ("London Calling"), Tom Morello ("Bankrobber"), Hinds ("Spanish Bombs"), and more.
Additionally, Bruce Springsteen, The Strokes' Albert Hammond, Jr, Beto O'Rourke, Fred Armisen, and Bad Brains' HR, and others chimed in with birthday messages for Joe. There was also Strummer's Mystery Train director Jim Jarmusch, and his co-star Steve Buscemi who tells stories -- from a rowboat -- about Joe introducing him to The Buzzcocks and going to see The Clash at their famous Bonds run in NYC. You can watch Bruce Springsteen's message, in which he called Strummer "his great departed friend and brother that [he] never had," below.
Strummer's widow, Lucinda Tait, said, "To see so many musicians and artists come forward to honor Joe is really touching. Community was always important to him. Whether it was playing music with friends, organizing all night campfires, or hijacking festivals, Joe was always focused on bringing people together. Even though we can’t all be in the same room together, I could not think of a better way for us all to feel united. Joe would have loved this."
"A Song for Joe" also served as a benefit for Save Our Stages, "a group of over 2,000 independent venues in 50 state that are banding together to ask Washington for targeted legislation to help [them] survive."
You can watch the entire archive of the livestream, as well as a few select clips -- including Jeff Tweedy, Bob Weir & Jesse Malin, Lucinda Williams, Tom Morello -- below.
"A Song For Joe: Celebrating the life of Joe Strummer" contributors:
Joe Strummer (never before seen live footage)
Albert Hammond Jr (The Strokes)
Beto O'Rourke
Bob Gruen
Bob Weir
Brian Fallon
Bruce Springsteen
Butch Walker
Cait O'Riordan (Pogues)
C.C. Adcock
Cherry Glazerr
Craig Finn & Tad Kubler (The Hold Steady)
Dave Hause
Dhani Harrison
DJ Scratchy
Dropkick Murphys
Eugene Hütz (Gogol Bordello)
Frank Turner
Hinds
H.R. (Bad Brains)
The Interrupters
Jeff Tweedy
Jesse Dayton
Jesse Malin
Jim Jarmusch
Joe Ely
Josh Cheuse
Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age)
Josh Klinghoffer
Lucinda Williams
Lyza Jane
Nikolai Fraiture (The Strokes)
Ray Gange (Rude Boy)
Richard Dudanski (The 101ers)
Sara Driver
Shepard Fairey
Spider Stacy (The Pogues)
Steve Buscemi
Tom Morello
Troy Van Leeuwen
+ very special guests