RIP Bill Withers - See Last On-Stage Appearance From 2015

Today we got with the heartbreaking news that legendary soul singer-songwriter Bill Withers, age 81, has passed on.

Withers was responsible for many great classics that still ring through our life soundtracks today. "Ain't No Sunshine," "Lean On Me," "Lovely Day" and "Friend of Mine" are only a few of the gems Withers bestowed upon the music world when he was with us. The songs will live on forever as the lyrics and tunes continue to uplift people, time and time again.

Today we want to honor the icon the Setlist.Fm way, and remember the legendary Carnegie Hall tribute concert in New York City in 2015 - which was Withers' last on-stage appearance. It was also the same year he got inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame.

Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame 2015 with Stevie Wonder and Withers

The concert took place on October 1st and was a glowing tribute to his historic 1972 concert to benefit the Stuttering Association for the Young. Withers was 34 at the time, only had two albums under his belt, and performed what has been awarded as the greatest live show of his career. That concert was captured and released as his only live album, Live at Carnegie Hall. Despite writing so many bangers, Withers had a brief career and retired from music long ago.

The 2015 concert celebration of the live album was lead by many special guests, including Ed Sheeran and Dr. John, another legend we've since lost.

The band included drummer Steve Jordan, bassist Willie Weeks, guitarist Felicia Collins, keyboardist–musical director Greg Phillinganes and backup singers Cindy Mizelle, Jory Steinberg and Bill’s daughter, Kori Withers. Accompanying them were the Antibalas horn section and a string ensemble.

They recreated the concert song-for-song, but also added in some of his greatest hits from later in his career. The show opened up with help from Jonathan Butler on "Lovely Day," followed by Michael McDonald who took the reigns on "Hello Like Before."

The album portion of the evening started with Dr. John doing "Use Me." Later on, Sheeran performed "Ain't No Sunshine." Other highlights included Amos Lee on "Grandma's Hands," Dr. John on "For My Friend," and a then-fresh faced Aloe Blacc on "Hope She'll Be Happier." He returned to lend a hand with "Just the Two of Us."

Withers finally made an appearance during the grand final of "I Wish You Well," sung by Keb' Mo'. Withers came out midway through the song and sat behind a piano before getting pushed to the center mic. He didn't sing but clapped along and danced a bit. He hasn't sang in public in years and the last actual concert he performed was a private event in 2010.

“The kids made $50,000 tonight,” Withers said. “I did not make half of that when I played this joint. So I’m kind of halfway happy for them, but if I see one of them driving through Brooklyn with a Cadillac, we’ll have a problem … I’m still amazed that all these young artists even know my name. Thank you all for coming.”

See the epic setlist below:

Bill Withers

Compare it with his setlist from 1972:

Bill Withers 1972

Thank you for the music, Mr. Withers!

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Last updated: 28 Mar 2024, 21:12 Etc/UTC