Here’s What You Missed on Cable: Billy Porter and Stephen Stills’ Surreal Rendition of For What It’s Worth to Close DNC

Leia IdlibyAug 18th, 2020, 9:19 am
 

Most cable news networks cut away from the DNC on Monday night once former First Lady Michelle Obama’s keynote speech ended — missing a break-the-internet worthy performance by Billy Porter and Stephen Stills 

The two performed Buffalo Springfield’s hit protest song For What It’s Worth, which Stills wrote in 1967 as a member of the band. The song was originally inspired by the 1966 riots on Sunset Strip, also known as the “hippie riots” or the “curfew riots” because they started when police began enforcing an archaic curfew for Americans under 18 years old.

Porter honored the protest song by singing in front of images from the recent Black Lives Matter demonstrations, including athletes kneeling during the national anthem.

Porter originally dropped his version of the song in April 2020 — right before the police killing of George Floyd on May 25th — and performed it again live in July for New York City’s Pride Parade.

Stills loved Porter’s cover of his song so much that he decided to let him take the reins on Monday night as he played the guitar alongside him.

“Billy did such a great cover of the song and I was [originally] going to sing with him on this one for the DNC,” Stills told Variety. “But then I decided ‘Nah, it’s Billy’s record, so let him fly with it.'”

Stills’ decision paid off, as the surreal performance sparked a flurry of reactions on social media:

Many were also upset at the networks for cutting away from the performance:

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