According to nme.com, Billy Idol performed “Rebel Yell” from the Empire State Building balcony in New York. The artist wrapped up a campaign celebrating the 40th anniversary of his breakout album of the same name. The video was filmed back in April, the same month Rebel Yell was reissued on vinyl, CD and streaming platforms.
The video is beautiful because Idol brought an acoustic arrangement for the performance, given the limited space offered by the building’s balcony. Idol was joined by long-time guitarist and collaborator Steve Stevens for the magical performance.
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. 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.”
The video’s producer Steven Gottlieb mentioned that the video was shot in one or two takes and it was Idol’s team that came up with the idea of filming it at the top of the Empire State Building.
Photo Credit: Brett Padelford
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