Gates of the West/Dark Horse Records

Gates of the West/Dark Horse RecordsBruce Springsteen and The Grateful Dead‘s Bob Weir are among dozens of music artists and celebrities taking part in a virtual tribute to late Clash frontman Joe Strummer this Friday. It’ll stream live for free on August 21, at 3 p.m. ET at JoeStrummer.com and his official YouTube channel.

A Song for Joe: Celebrating the Life of Joe Strummer also will feature previously unseen live footage of Strummer, and will raise money for Save Our Stages.  The campaign, launched by the National Independent Venue Association, is trying to preserve independent music venues and aid promoters in the U.S. affected by the COVID-19 shutdown.

Among the many other artists who will perform or give testimonials during the event are Tom Morello, Joe Ely, Dhani Harrison, The Pogues‘ Spider Stacy, Queens of the Stone Age‘s Josh Homme, Lucinda Williams, Jesse Malin, Richard Dudanski of Strummer’s pre-Clash group The 101ers, members of The Strokes, Dropkick Murphys, photographer Bob Gruen, actors Steve Buscemi and Matt Dillon, politician Beto O’Rourke, filmmaker Jim Jarmusch and artist Shepard Fairey.

“To see so many musicians and artists come forward to honor Joe is really touching,” says Stummer’s widow Lucinda Tait. “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 cannot think of a better way for us all to feel united. Joe would have loved this.”

Adds Malin, who will host the event, “This tribute to Joe is not only a great way to honor him, but to also remind people how important his message is right now.”

Strummer died in 2002 of an undiagnosed heart defect. He was 50.

By Matt Friedlander
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