Billy Idol recently performed ‘Rebel Yell’ from the Empire State Building balcony in New York.
Billy Idol shared the clip on YouTube last week (July 31), wrapping up a campaign celebrating the 40th anniversary of his breakout album of the same name. The video was filmed in April, the same month ‘Rebel Yell’ was reissued on vinyl, CD and streaming platforms.
Understandably, Idol resorted to an acoustic arrangement for the performance, given the limited space offered by the iconic building’s balcony. He was joined by long-time guitarist and collaborator Steve Stevens.
In an interview with Time Out, Idol called the performance a “career highlight”. “When I was a little boy we lived in Long Island for a few years and my mom and dad took me to visit the Empire State Building, probably in 1959,” he reminisced.
“Hard to fathom that 65 years later I’d be playing rock n roll on top of the building! Then and now the Empire State Building is an unrivaled jewel of Art Deco magic,” he added.
The video’s producer Steven Gottlieb revealed that it was shot in “one or two takes”, per Time Out, and that it was Idol’s team that came up with the idea of shooting it at the top of the building. “If you’re going to do something like this, this is where to do it,” he said.
In May, Idol stated in an interview with People that he’s decided “not to be a drug addict anymore”. He now considers himself “California sober” – it’s when a person gives up on alcohol and hard drugs but continues to consume marijuana.
Idol’s Empire State Building stunt isn’t the only unique performance he’s given in recent years. In 2023, he performed an acoustic set at Hoover Dam – making him the first artist to do so – and the concert was released as the film Billy Idol: State Line last November.
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