25 Years Ago: Classic Rock Responds After the Towers Fall on 9/11

As the World Trade Center fell on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, new albums by Bob Dylan, Nickelback and Slayer were being put on shelves by clerks who were unaware of the tragedy unfolding in New York City. Sting was planning a cozy concert on the other side of the ocean in Italy.

The tragedy cast a long shadow on all of this, then lengthened across the world of rock music in the days that followed as a string of songs were reportedly banned by the largest U.S. radio network. All of a sudden, Pat Benatar's "Invincible" had new meaning. Was David Bowie's Heathen a glimpse into the future?

America, New York City, and classic rock were reshaped as the World Trade Center's South Tower collapsed at 9:59AM, followed by the North Tower's echoing demolition at 10:28. Initially unknown to many, the Pentagon had also been attacked, then Flight 93 plowed into a Pennsylvania field. Music legends began to push back against this new darkness, composing tribute anthems and organizing benefit events.

Paul McCartney during rehearsals at the Concert for New York City. (Scott Gries / ImageDirect, Getty Images)

Which Rock Albums Were Connected With 9/11?

Dylan's Love and Theft, the just-released centerpiece of a trio of resurgent albums, also felt instantly prescient on that Tuesday. He seemed to provide a peek into the confusion, fear and anger surrounding 9/11, even though the LP was written long before. For instance, "Mississippi" included the striking image of a "sky full of fire / pain pouring down."

A week later, Greg Tate of the Village Voice asked: “What did Dylan know, and when did he know it?”

Slayer only became part of the 9/11 storyline by happenstance. God Hates Us All was originally set to arrive in July, but had been delayed until Sept. 11 because of several issues. Yet the song "Disciple" painted a now eerie portrait: "Pessimist, terrorist targeting the next mark / Global chaos feeding on hysteria."

Why Some Acts Went Forward With 9/11 Shows

Sting had invited some fellow musicians to his home in the Italian province of Tuscany for an intimate outdoor performance on Sept. 11 meant to showcase new arrangements of some of his best-known songs. He'd hoped to emerge with a new single and then a video release from the concert. News of the attacks reached Sting just hours before they were set to take the stage.

A series of intensely emotional meetings – all captured by the documentary film crew – took place as the musicians hashed out how to proceed, or even if they should. Ultimately, Sting went forward with the performance, though an understandable darkness permeated the early proceedings.

Listen to Bruce Springsteen’s ‘City of Ruins’

"I was deeply upset because my wife and I lost a friend in one of the towers," Sting told the Chicago Tribune. "I elected not to do the concert, but the band wanted to play. There seemed to be a groundswell for music rather than doing nothing, and as the evening wore on, it became more defiant – and I became more convinced it was the right thing to do."

Benatar had the same experience. She and husband Neil Giraldo were scheduled to perform on 9/11 at an outdoor venue in California's Napa Valley. "I didn't know how I was gonna go out there," she later told UCR. "I mean, I grew up in New York. I watched [the World Trade Center] being built." The show went on, and Benatar and Giraldo received a soaring response – in particular for "Invincible," their 1985 Top 10 hit.

Radio Rethinks Some Classic Rock Favorites

Days later, the attacks apparently led executives with Clear Channel to create a lengthy list of "potentially inappropriate songs" that programmers at 1,200 stations were encouraged to avoid.

The 160 tracks reportedly included AC/DC's “Shot Down in Flames,” Billy Joel's “Only the Good Die Young,” Ozzy Osbourne's “Suicide Solution,” Blue Oyster Cult's “Burnin’ for You,” Creedence Clearwater Revival's “Travelin’ Band,” Dio's “Holy Diver,” Elton John's “Rocket Man,” Metallica's “Seek and Destroy” and Led Zeppelin's “Stairway to Heaven” – not to mention every song by Rage Against the Machine.

Paul Simon was among the many stars who took part in 2001's 'America: A Tribute to Heroes' benefit concert. (YouTube / @VHS-Archive)

A benefit concert was quickly assembled, broadcast on Sept. 21 by the four major U.S. networks and many cable outlets, and then released as America: A Tribute to Heroes that December. Bruce Springsteen updated a previously written song titled "My City of Ruins" to reflect the tragedy.

Neil Young covered John Lennon's “Imagine” – which, ironically, was also said to be on Clear Channel's list of banned songs. Tom Petty, Billy Joel, Sting, Paul Simon, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora all performed, as did U2, who appeared via satellite from London to perform "Walk On."

How the Concert for New York City Paid Tribute

Paul McCartney, who witnessed the World Trade Center bombing while in an airplane on the tarmac at Kennedy Airport in New York City, then led the Concert for New York City on Oct. 20, 2001, at Madison Square Garden. Meant to honor first responders, the show featured performances by the Who, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, Bowie, Elton John and Eric Clapton.

McCartney subsequently rushed out a new song titled "Freedom" on Nov. 5. Featuring Clapton on guitar, the single was sold as a benefit. "We hadn't reckoned on this demand for 'Freedom,'" McCartney told the BBC. "But as that's what people want, we're getting it out fast to try to raise money for the firefighters and police of New York."

Listen to Neil Young’s ‘Let's Roll’

Also in November, Young unveiled "Let's Roll," named after the final words of Todd Beamer before he and a group of other passengers attempted to retake United Airlines' hijacked Flight 93. Young, who later included "Let's Roll" on 2002's Are You Passionate?, said he was inspired by a story told by Beamer's widow.

“She was talking about how he always used to say [“let’s roll”] with the kids when they’d go out and do something – that it’s what he said a lot when he had a job to do,” Young told Pulse. “And it’s just so poignant, and there’s no more of a legendary, heroic act than what those people did. With no promise of martyrdom, no promise of any reward anywhere for this, other than just knowing that you did the right thing.”

Sting released his 9/11 show, titled All This Time, on Nov. 20, 2001, saying it was "respectfully dedicated to all those who lost their lives on that day." By 2002, Springsteen had completed an album-length meditation on the attacks, titled The Rising, with "My City of Ruins" as a highlight.