On June 9, New York queer punk duo PWR BTTM played a sold-out Sinclair in Cambridge with Pity Sex and Petal. Just two nights later, a gunman opened fire on Orlando LGBTQ nightclub Pulse, killing 49 and leaving many more injured. Since the massacre, PWR BTTM have incorporated “Over The Rainbow” into their live set, and over the weekend, the gesture took on added poignancy during a stop at Backbooth Bar in Orlando.
The performance was captured on video, which you can watch below.
“We usually go on some sort of speech about that,” says guitarist Liv Bruce about the shooting, “but I feel like there’s nothing I can say to you that you haven’t heard already, about what to think or what to feel. So I’m just going to play it. All I want to say is that, to me, this song has always been about queer space and about being surrounded by people who want the best for you and understand you… and that’s what I feel at these shows.”
“Over The Rainbow” was first written for the 1939 film Wizard of Oz.