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Leave it up to Billy Idol to astound us using New York City as his backdrop over four decades since first landing on the global music scene.
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of his second studio album, Rebel Yell, arguably his first massive commercial success, the artist is releasing an expanded special deluxe edition of the work alongside a new music video that also features with his long-time lead guitarist Steve Stevens.
The clip was filmed on the 103rd floor of the Empire State Building back in April, using special drones and equipment that gave birth to a truly remarkable view of the NYC skyline.
We got to speak with the video producer who helped put it all together.
"I believe the idea to shoot the video came from Billy's team," says Steven Gottlieb, the video's producer. "They came to me and said they wanted to film a performance at the top of the Empire State Building and they had a connection with a drone company that could help so it was sort of all pieced together nicely."
In the video, Idol and Stevens perform the track “Rebel Yell” on the landmark’s balcony, all the while clouds slowly surround the building. You’ll be forgiven if feeling a bit of vertigo while enjoying the five-minute performance through your screen.
"It almost feels unreal, as if it's visual effects, but they're not," says Gottlieb. "It's all real. It's just an angle of the city that you almost never see. Everything that Billy does is larger than life and the Empire State Building is probably the most iconic tall building in the world so if you're going to do something like this, this is where to do it."
The producer also reveals that the entire shindig was filmed in one or two takes—particularly impressive given the high-stress conditions involved in the shoot, which took place more than 1,000 feet above the ground.
For what it's worth, it sounds like Idol couldn't picture it any other way.
“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,” the artist reminisces. “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. A career highlight for sure!”