40 Years Ago: ZZ Top Play 4th of July MTV ‘Liberty or Death’ Show

ZZ Top has long been the perfect addition to any party plan, as we all know. But they really amplified that concept in a new way on July 4, 1986 when they helped MTV celebrate America and the Statue of Liberty's centennial in a unique fashion.

The legendary Texas trio provided musical entertainment on board the cheekily named Liberty or Death Party Barge. They understood the assignment, even if the marching orders didn't totally make sense. "They told us to blow the roof off -- what roof?," late bassist and vocalist Dusty Hill joked with USA Today at the event.

While they didn't play their usual headlining show, length-wise, they did indeed deliver on the above request, turning in a hit-heavy set list. It came complete with a fun romp through "Jailhouse Rock," a familiar favorite of the band which made its first recorded appearance in a ZZ Top concert back in 1971.

Landing ZZ Top Was a Big Score for MTV

The relationship between ZZ Top and MTV was red hot by 1986, thanks to the worldwide success they'd enjoyed with the unforgettable and hugely popular videos for 1983's Eliminator. The clips for "Gimme All Your Lovin'," "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Legs helped the album sell millions of copies and made the group a regular '80s household presence with the frequent airplay they received.

They even snagged the MTV Video Music Award for Best Group honoring "Legs" at the channel's inaugural awards ceremony in 1984, an honor presented to them by Ric Ocasek of the equally video-centric Cars.

1985's Afterburner indeed provided further fuel and additional hit singles in the form of "Sleeping Bag," "Stages" and "Rough Boy." In July of 1986, they dropped "Velcro Fly," the fourth single from the album. To say things were going well would be an understatement.

Watch ZZ Top's 'Sleeping Bag' Video

"ZZ Top, by the summer of '86, they were riding high," former MTV and Viacom executive Doug Herzog tells UCR. "They were one of the biggest bands in the world and a gigantic MTV band. They had some of the most iconic videos going."

The "Little Ol' Band from Texas" been playing multiple nights in arenas in front of crowds that topped out at 15 to 20 thousand people and sometimes higher with outdoor shows. So to go from those types of venues to playing on a boat for an invited audience of 400 people was special, but also, there was a piece of it that made sense logistically.

"I don't know whether [that was a factor], but as I think back, it was an easy band to put on a boat, right? Three-piece band, right?," Herzog says. "They were kind of no frills also. So, two guitars and a drummer, it was pretty easy in that regard."

John "Red" Bartlett was working for Interstate Navigation, the organization helmed by the Wronowski family, who owned the boat and a fleet of similar vessels. They brought a auxiliary generator on board to help power ZZ Top's set that day, as he notes, telling UCR that advance preparations for the event took place at the company's dock in Connecticut.

Watch the ZZ Top 'Liberty or Death' MTV Contest Promo (Which Starts at 6:25)

ZZ Top Were 'Genuinely Nice People' That Day

In reality, the Liberty or Death Party Barge was more commonly known to the locals as the M/V Block Island, part of the area ferry system, servicing a route from New London, Connecticut to Block Island, Rhode Island. It was retired in 1986 (the same year as the MTV promotion) after decades of service.

Eric Hull was 20 years old, going to college and working as a deckhand on the neighboring Nelseco ferry. That day, he was also helping to get people on and off of the boat for the party, where he'd have a chance to interact with the members of ZZ Top directly. As he shared with UCR, the anticipation was palpable.

"Everybody knew who they were, so they were super-excited to actually be able to see these musicians that you only got to see on MTV," he says. "I mean, we were all young. We grew up on MTV and to actually see some of these performers live was really special."

Guitarist and vocalist Billy Gibbons, bassist and vocalist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard were "superstars at the time," but also, "very kind," as he recalls. That's something which was not necessarily the norm. "You meet people that are in these really high positions, and some of them don't treat you very well. Some of them actually treat you amazingly well. I thought they were genuinely nice people."

'You Can't Make Fun of ZZ Top'

Bob Merlis was the head of the publicity department in that era for Warner Brothers, ZZ Top's label and he continues to work with the band. During a separate phone conversation with UCR, he points out that playing a concert on board a ship humorously dubbed as the Liberty or Death Party Barge -- with an event poster featuring a beard on the Statue of Liberty, was right in the wheelhouse of the band's normal humor.

He also backs up Hull's account of the group's temperament. "You can't make fun of ZZ Top because they beat you to it. They make fun of themselves and that's it," he explains. "They're the most good-natured people, with none of that prima donna rockstar baloney, they just got the job done in a cheerful way, because that's [how they are] and it's real."

Watch ZZ Top's 'Sharp Dressed Man' Video

There Were a Lot of 'F---in' Foghorns'

Television writer and producer Eddie Gorodetsky first got to know Gibbons when he found himself seated next to the musician on a flight. The guitarist noticed that Gorodetsky was listening to music on his Sony Walkman, a portable music player that definitely drew attention at that time in the '80s, if you had one. He asked what Eddie was listening to and when he found out it was a cassette of Ike Turner, the two quickly got lost in conversation.

It's a friendship that endures to this day, four decades later. But that's only one part of why Gorodetsky was on the boat that day. Working as a writer in the '80s for Saturday Night Live and eventually, Late Night With David Letterman, he tells UCR that it was common to get invites to all kinds of functions. But he also says he would have normally been skittish about attending something like the MTV event, because who likes to be stuck on a boat?

Because of his association with Gibbons and the band though, he made an exception and enjoyed the moment, which as he remembers, definitely wasn't your traditional concert setting. "Playing out into the air on a boat, there's these f---ng fog horns, [thanks to the] people with boats, honking their horns," he laughs. "There's so much noise, the sound just kind of disappears out into the air. "So the sound was not great, but it was exciting."

The portions of the event that made it to the channel, naturally, had better sound -- and as Gorodetsky shares, certain members of the audience had also been strategically placed in certain areas of the boat. "You know, it was the nature of MTV at the time," he says. "You would think that the whole boat was full of pretty girls, because they were the only ones that would get in line of sight [of the cameras]."

ZZ Top in NYC for MTV 1986 — Vinnie Zuffante, Getty Images

How ZZ Top Fans Scored Admission to the 'Liberty or Death' Concert

The music channel gave viewers a chance to join in and "party their brains out." They were invited to send postcards to the network (that's the way they did things back then) in hopes that they'd be selected to come on board.

MTV promised to fly in the winners, giving them round-trip airfare and overnight accommodations. While in the area, they'd enjoy "a day-long cruise in New York Harbor on the 4th of July," plus a great view of the Tall Ships parade (Operation Sail) and "the best seats in America for the biggest fireworks show ever."

"The Statue had a facelift," the contest promo detailed. "But you'll need a renovation when you board the most exclusive, mostly loudest boat in the harbor, featuring music by ZZ Top and 5000 watts of power." Their closing statement? "Cruise and abuse with us -- and forget about the other guys."

VJ Mark Goodman was among those on board, alongside recent recruit "Downtown" Julie Brown and Martha Quinn. He confirms that it was just as good of a time as had been advertised and promised. "Bananarama, Olympic diving champ Greg Louganis [were some of the big names on the boat]," he tells UCR.

"Andy Warhol was [also] there and I remember Don Johnson coming on board, being transported by speedboat [into the] harbor," he adds. "We set sail to the Statue of Liberty, where we stayed under the fireworks, rocking with ZZ Top!"

'80s Brat Pack members Jon Cryer and Anthony McCarthy were among the many other celebrities on the ship, as was photographer Annie Leibovitz, plus comedian and actor Joe Piscopo. USA Today noted that all of the attendees enjoyed ZZ Top-worthy food and drink, with burgers, ribs, beans and slaw provided by the Hard Rock Cafe.

"ZZ Top is the greatest," Piscopo said in an interview on the boat. "They're why I'm here with all due respect to the great lady." He threw in an expected humorous quip as well. "Everyone seems so orderly here. When I was in school, this boat would be sinking by now."

MTV programming exec Les Garland, a familiar presence at events like this (and also, the DJ voice heard on Starship's "We Built This City"), was surprisingly AWOL, as Herzog recalls. But he ultimately made a grand entrance with Johnson that was something to behold.

"I remember seeing them, as the sun's going down, coming across [the water] with their hair blowing in the wind," Herzog says. "It was like something literally out of Miami Vice and sure enough, Don Johnson and Les got on the boat. 20 minutes later ZZ Top hits it and everybody had a great time."

Statue of Liberty, 4th of July in 1986 — Diana Walker / Liason / Getty Images

America Was Celebrating a Big Milestone

Never let it be said that MTV didn't know how to crash a party. Because they were attaching themselves to a much larger event happening on a national level. The Statue of Liberty was set to mark its centennial year in 1986. It had been closed for renovations since 1984, with plans to restore the landmark to its full glory prior to the milestone. Liberty Weekend was the four-day gala event that the United States put together to celebrate the rebirth of the copper-clad statue. It had originally been a gift from France to the U.S. and received an official dedication on October 28, 1886.

Nearly 100 years later, French President Francois Mitterand was on hand that weekend as President Ronald Reagan gave a fresh dedication speech to commemorate the moment. "We are the keepers of the flame of liberty," he told the citizens in attendance. "We hold it high for the world to see."

Watch President Ronald Reagan's Statue of Liberty Speech

A star-studded opening ceremony on July 3 was also part of that weekend's festivities, featuring legendary composer John Williams, premiering his composition, "Liberty Fanfare," Neil Diamond performing "They're Coming to America" and speeches from people like Elizabeth Taylor and Frank Sinatra -- with the Chairman of the Board delivering a powerful rendition of "The House I Live In."

A subsequent concert on July 4 added even more star power with appearances by John Denver, Whitney Houston, Johnny Cash, Barry Manilow and others.

For the MTV generation though, the celebration with ZZ Top was a moment that rose above the rest and its one that still lives in the memory of those who got to be a part of it. All involved are happy that they were able to pull it off.

"[With the] promotions that we did at MTV, the idea was to do things local radio couldn't," Mark Goodman says now. "On the boat in the harbor on the 4th of July in 1986, like so much of what we did, it was the place to be for the 4th, in the same way our New Year's celebrations were on New Year's Eve."

"I don't know that you could pull these things off anymore," Herzog admits. "It was a different time, but it was a good time in a lot of ways. Here's what I always tell people about MTV. It was as fun as it looked, I promise you. We were all in our 20s and we were f---ing having a blast."

Thanks to Doug Herzog, Annie Zaleski, Eddie Gorodetsky, Mark Goodman, Bob Merlis, Eric Hull and John "Red" Bartlett for their contributions and memories for this article.