Tom Morello, Bob Weir and Jesse Malin and Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme and Troy Van Leeuwen were among the artists who covered the Clash classics as part of a livestream event celebrating what would have been Joe Strummer’s 68th birthday Friday.
“A Song for Joe: Celebrating the Life of Joe Strummer” also featured performances by Jeff Tweedy, the Hold Steady, Lucinda Williams, Hinds, Josh Klinghoffer and Cherry Glazerr, as well as birthday messages from Beto O’Rourke, Fred Armisen, Strummer’s Mystery Train director Jim Jarmusch and co-star Steve Buscemi, Shepard Fairey, Bad Brains’ H.R. and Bruce Springsteen.
“Joe Strummer, my great, great departed friend and brother that I never had. You have been my inspiration for the past 40 years. Happy birthday brother,” Springsteen said in his message:
“I am so grateful that I got to know you and work with you in Memphis on Jim Jarmusch’s Mystery Train. We had so much fun, we would shoot all night and then end up hanging out at like the Radisson Inn pool at 6 o’clock in the morning,” Buscemi said. “I got to see so much of your music over the years and I really loved it.”
“Taking place on Joe’s birthday in 2020, this event honored Strummer’s legacy with special performances and testimonials, as well including never-before-seen Joe Strummer live footage,” organizers Gates of the West and Dark Horse Records said of the livestream.
“This free event benefited Save Our Stages, which is being spearheaded by the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) to preserve and protect the USA’s independent live music venues and promoters.”
“To see so many musicians and artists come forward to honor Joe is really touching,” Lucinda Tait, Strummer’s wife, said in a statement. “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.”
Watch the entire “A Song for Joe” event in the video above and select performances and tributes below:
