Midnight Oil: Beds Are Burning (LIVE - OMG) Reaction 

As an Aboriginal Australian, wow. The fact this concert was in South Africa blew me away. My belief in humanity was raw and so fundamentally resorted. Thank you Thamesmen in bringing this rendition to my attention. Wow...just wow. Midnight Oil were true Aussie rock ambassadors. P.S I met Peter personally when I worked for the Australian Conservation Foundation as their Aboriginal Program Co-Ordinator. He is and was a truly genuine Aussie. He was at the time our Chair of the Foundation.

I say to this day they are the best live band to take a stage. Long live the oils! (from America)

The greatest live performances I've ever seen are all Midnight Oil.

Guys I was lucky enough to grow up in the Western suburbs of Sydney + have seen the Oils at least 80 times- sometimes supporting or headlining with INXS,The Angels,Jimmy Barnes or the Radiators,etc-The best era ever in Aussie rock👍🎤🎸🎼🍻

When you are watching them live, the energy is absolutely unbelievable. It's hard to find the right words to describe that feeling. One of the best bands to watch live. Australia has some fantastic bands past and present. I really like US Forces. Thanks Gents! Great reaction.

Peter Garrett is pure passion! I saw him in a small venue in Melbourne and it was electric. Blew the roof off! He lives his passion's. He has done politics and he does not compromise on his beliefs. Luv him or hate him... he is an amazing performer!

Loved when they sang this at the 2000 Sydney Olympics Closing Ceremony wearing shirts that had ‘Sorry’ emblazoned on them.

INXS, Midnight oil, Hoodoo gurus, Hunters & Collectors, Mental As Anything, Cold Chisel, Men at work and Noiseworks are the upper pub scene of the nineteen 80ties / 90ties (I toured with hoodoos and INXS during the period as a lighting guy and they rocked harder then anything we see today in the music scene)

Midnight Oil, or simply 'The Oils', were adopted by the Australian surfing culture. They channeled the immense energy of our youth and redirected it into a worthwhile cause. I was one of them.

Highly political band speaking on behalf of indigenous peoples of oz and the environment their music and impact are profound thanks for reacting to them! Btw blue sky mine is fire take a listen ❤

200 people - 8000 people - it didn't matter. You felt like you were completely on stage with them always. No live show was ever the same - but every gig was a high water mark. THE OILS - GODS.

And THAT is why the world loves the Thamesmen! I might never have seen that without you. Bravo! Quite magical.

Power and the Passion is one of my faves by Midnight Oil. Others have mentioned Dead Heart and Blues Sky Mine, so many good songs to choose from.

George, I wish you could have been in an Aussie pub back in the day watching them live, up close and personal, it was really something.

Being an aussie i got to see the oils 4 times during the 80's and they where absolutely brilliant and Pete Garrett was a just something else on stage ..

Yes, a great live band. One of their earliest, best and most underrated songs is "Short Memory". Great live version is available. Very dark, very powerful.

My daughter who is Australian but lives and works in New York went to see them last month. Thought they were brilliant. Not her cup of tea when younger but now 41 is into them. Her husband produces all around the world for various artists so they have seen heaps of live acts. Currently heading for The Gorge Washington state for 10 days to produce the UK Above and Beyond weekend therapy sessions. Try Blue Sky Mine

awesome live 🤠

I just love songs with a message!! One reason why I love Midnight Oil. I remember when this song came out. I was 7, watching it on Rage. And, it has stayed with me....slowly understanding the meaning as i got older.

That heavy beat and bass is such a pub rock sound. Live gigs in pubs were always dark and messy (but the bands were incredibly tight!) and intense and most of all a great vibe! This was a much bigger venue but it captured that feeling.

Love them. First saw in Brisbane in 1980, last saw them in Hobart in 2017. Always so brilliant, The thinking persons thinking political rock band. Great Australian band with great messages for now & forever.

Never seen this video before. Absolutely outstanding work from Midnight Oil. It's an official WOW from me too. Thanks again guys for bringing this piece of of art to the fore!

I saw The Oils at the Apollo,London a couple of years ago. They were superb. Unsurprisingly there were a lot of Aussies in the audience and one of the best reactions, after Beds Are Burning was to Dead Heart. This is another track well worth a listen.

Saw them at the Lifesavers - Peter was awesome,sweating like crazy was standing at the foot of the stage and I got covered in HIS sweat - hubby wouldn't let me shower (yuck) for 24 hours he was a huge fan of the Oils - still is 😂

please. 'short memory' studio performance still ahead of its time and relevant

The Oils were such a good band live and especially Peter Garrett who later became the Minister for the Environment,Heritage and Arts for the Labour Government.Great stuff.I would love to see a reaction to the Angels No Secrets.In my opinion one of their best songs.Cheers.

I have been so lucky to see them about 30 times over the years with the first time being in 1978. Saw them in Sydney a few months ago and they were still very powerful and gave an excellent show. True masters. First time seeing this video and loved it.

The setting and performance of this song couldn't be better. The Oils always refused to tour South Africa while their apartheid policy was in place. This is the result of that policy being abandoned and the Oils playing there for the first time, at Ellis Park

Bush hat, 1 arm. That fella on the didg is Charlie McMahon from Gondwanaland band. There's another Aussie band for you. Start with EMU, and picture an emu running across the plains.

I’ve seen the Oils since the mid 80’s , unbelievable live. I saw them recently on their final tour, still smokin’.

You guys should look at the protest concert they did outside the Exxon building in New York City. Every song is great

figure after a little hic up you would need a little pick me up with a little tune by Tina Turner and brian Adams It's Only love a fantastic duet great emotion great intereaction the perfect song to say goodbye to an artist who had it all. Its crazy seeing how far she has come as an artist when she made it on her own. Brian adam canadian rock star with a shit load of albums sold around the world. for Tina it is great th watch this duet and realize how happy she is enjoying her work. i believe the were touring together for this duet This song great emotion interaction plus the greatest guitar fills that fit the song and performance. debated requesting but then again why change as they said in the movie Hoosiers the Sun Shines On every dogs ass eventually.Hoping all is well with both of you it's been a while PS couldn't help myself chechout Tedeschi Trucks Band with Derek killing the slide on their version of Layla

Thanks for the reaction and an awesome version of this song. I saw Midnight Oil In Wellington, NZ in 1988 and at the Mountain Rock Festival near Palmerston North, NZ in 1995. Both performances were great. Peter Garrett is incredibly energetic and at 6'4" he commands the stage. At the Wellington concert he was climbing the scaffolding and singing from above the stage. Probably not something he's likely to do on the final tour given his age now. At the same concert during the performance of Put Down That Weapon two guys close to the stage started fighting. Peter stopped the song and berated them for fighting during an anti-war song and told security to remove them from the grounds. As packed as it was in that area we all made room for the security guards to get the guys out and once they were gone the band continued the song. When The Generals Talk, Bullroarer, The Dead Heart, Blue Sky Mine, King Of The Mountain are just a few fantastic songs worthy of listening to.

Saw them on the "Blue Sky Mining" tour on June 26, 1990 at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and they were excellent. Peter Garret is so dynamic, truly a great front man. The band is great too.

Wow, that was amazing. Never seen it before, when and where was this performed live. I only ever heard this song from studio album and always been a track I felt was overplayed on radio in the 90's but this was awesome version of it. Sounds so much richer live. Amazing. Love the didgeridoo sound live. Rob Hurst must have hit the corrugated iron a few times and certainly could hear it a little during this life performance. Amazing!

That was awesome, can only imagine the feeling from that crowd!

No clip will ever replace seeing them live. Great bamd a Peter Garrett was totally mesmerising on stage - al in white but the sheer height 1.93 metres and unique dance style - amf vocal style you could npt take your eyes off him. His singing style is unique and I can understand why some people could not connect - in live and with this great musical buddies - just so great.- I saw them at my local. and later became our local political candidate. I love '- I would love to see you guys do that. It might be my favurite but Beds Are Burning was a really important song. That made more strides than the government to bring people together.

This video was freaking brilliant. Have not seen this live version before so massive thanks lads for pulling this one out of the archives.

That was so good I had to watch it again.

I grew up with their music . 55 now first hear this when i was 14. Only band which matters as today as it was 40 years ago. Even i live about 7.000 miles from Au.Best in the world!

Used to see them frequently in a little downstairs venue ... Peter was friendly with a friend of mine so I got to meet him ... He's enormously tall and very nice ... He served for several years as a government minister, then went back to music. That's an old friend I knew years ago, Charlie, or "Hookie" on didgeridoo ... he fronted the excellent Aussie band Gondwanaland. He has also invented an entirely new instrument, a didgeridoo with slide, like a trombone.

just in case u dont know there is an Australian referendum at the end of the year to allow an indigenous chair at the political table .. the message of this song

people always told me I was a terrible dancer until a Oils song would come on at a pub

I love Midnight Oil so much! I’m especially grateful I got to see them in June. I’ve seen them live many times and honestly, this last time they were tighter and played better than I’ve ever heard them before. SO much energy-it’s hard to believe they won’t be touring again. For decades, Peter Garrett has been at the top of my list of people I’d most like to hang out and talk about life, politics, and the universe with. Thank you SO much for playing more Midnight Oil, George! BTW, Alex, may I hire your magician act to entertain at my goodbye party in September? I can pay you in booze. 🥃🍸🍹🍻🍺🍾🍷

Love the video, guys! The only thing, the bassist was Bones Hillman, who passed a few years ago

They always have had excellent bassists and bass lines. That rumbling Thunderbird here! I was a fan as a teen, we used to listen to their first couple of albums on the way to (and at) Bondi Beach during school breaks. Yes, I did listen to “Bus to Bondi” on the bus to Bondi. 🤣

Only the Strong live is a fav of mine. Saw them in Melbourne early 90s and they were so good. Best concert ever for me!

How good was this show? These guys are excitement plus, who stretch the boundaries and expound our fantasies. Luv Midnight Oil!

Great performance, but I have to say I missed the trombone that's on the studio version. I always loved that bit.

Peter Garret dancing was a thing. It was like a preying mantis, having a rhythmical epileptic fit 🤣.

Wow never seen this one performed live. This is so incredibly good. So much fun. Just brilliant. Thank you !!!

This was a big hit over here and was great energy while sending a great message. Great instrumentals by the whole band. Loved how well the members of the audience were brought under control and became a part of the band no fuss no muss just great energy

Saw them in concert a few times, last in Surfers. They at the top of my list for best bands to see live - Ouls, Chisel, Divinyls, INXS and Accra Dacca. So glad to live through this era and be out every weekend seeing live pub gigs ❤

That bass is so nice!

seen the oils many times. always blew me away. australia had the best live band culture back in the day. you had to work bloody hard for your success

I am 57 and am still yet to see a greater live band.

Very underrated band. I view them as kind of the Australian precursor of RATM.

I think PG is a performance artist who is also the lead singer of an amazing band. I love hearing the crowd sing 'Lets give it back', I have hope for a better future. PS. Don't be too harsh on the dancing. He's pretty good for six ft four inches. ☮️

Peter Garrett’s exaggerated moves actually came from watching Doc Neeson from The Angels. Great musicians

How to really get a crowd involved!!! Awesome 🤟

Huge fan of Midnight Oil , always have been..Here's a very little known band called Gang of Youths and a song called Let Me Down Easy ....It's bloody brilliant ...I think they hail from Brisbane but I could be wrong ..Have a listen to that ..A very Aussie sound ...Cheers..

The magician's outfit is a nice touch. You boys are definitely of the Monty Python persuasion. Silly, irreverent and always something unexpected. I would argue that Midnight Oil has competition for that "best of" title in Cold Chisel. For the song I recall hearing it on the radio in younger days. It's well-executed and fun music. Just not really in the neighborhood of "what I like".

Rob Hirst is incredible, one of the best drummers in the world. Great band....could mesmerise a small pub audience or switch to stadium the next night.

Of Midnight Oil's songs I love King of The Mountain (the mv is great, with its message in front of Exxon HQ) and Forgotten Years (the image of the graves in the MV gives me chills). It would be so good if you could react to these two!

It will be one of my life's regrets....not seeing the Oils live. My 'Armistice Day' concert bluray (which is utterly brilliant) will have to suffice. Great reaction lads. There's so much great early stuff, I wouldn't know where to start.....so I'll suggest 'Rising Seas' off their latest album "Resist", released last year. They've still got it.🤘

Peter Garret was also a Memeber of Australia's Parliament.

Hi gents! What a trip to have been one of those lucky few who brought on stage! Great energy, great live band. Never a fan, but I enjoyed watching this allot! Gee George, so this is your favorite band? I would not have guessed that. 😉

If you want a Midnight Oil song where Rob Hirst goes off?? “Read about it”!!

Guys, just for your own interest and as Aussie week is coming soon ... The Brisbane Pub Choir in Brisbane, Queensland, Oz, made a video for You Tube. With the permission of Kate Bush they sang, 'Running Up That Hill', which is all over other social media at present. Through her publisher, Kate Bush got back to them writing, "Dear Brisbane Pub Choir, I've been so busy that I've only just had the chance to watch you all singing RUTH. It's utterly, utterly wonderful! I love it so much! Thank you everyone, You sing it really beautifully. I'm incredibly touched by your warmth and all your smiling faces. Thankyou!" An article was in the Melbourne The Age newspaper yesterday and on a social platform TV show, too. YT- 'Running Up That Hill: Watch Brisbane's Choir of Kate Bush Classic'. Please check out and enjoy it.

Alex, that was the best Hat Trick since Shane Warne's against England in 1994. Midnight Oil is/was one of the greatest live performance bands I have ever seen. Period. I was at one of their farewell concerts in April this year on the Sunshine Coast, Australia. Predictably, it was fantastic. However, this show in South Africa was one of their absolute finest; from a performance level and especially from a crowd interaction/appreciation perspective. Many will wonder why The Oils found such a big audience in South Africa, but you only have to look at the similar imposition of colonialization on Australia and South Africa and the resulting effects of dispossession, violence, cultural deprivation and resource theft. Many of Midnight Oil's songs resonated with South Africans for these reasons as they moved toward the end of apartheid. Many of the same issues existed in both countries, and as we know, music is the great unifier. Midnight Oil are a truly magnificent example of purposeful songwriting and passion. I am sure going to miss them. On a slightly different tangent. Close your eyes Alex, if you are only just getting on the appreciation train for Midnight Oil, then you probably aren't going be ready for a cover of 'Beds Are Burning' by an American artist. However, I challenge you to have a look at the link below; if only for the intro. American singer/songwriter/poet/punk rocker/etc., Patti Smith has taken a liking to covering 'Beds Are Burning'. Patti does an adlib rhythmic monologue intro before each performance of Beds Are Burning (they are never the same). The link below is from her show in Brussels in 2018, where Patti was a spritely 71 years old (she is 75 now, and still has tickets available for her upcoming European shows). Whilst Smith's performance is not as electric as The Oils video here, I guarantee you will be emotionally connected and have a greater understanding of the concepts of timelessness, anger and despair that is weaved through many of Midnight Oil's songs. Anyway, I have taken up too much of your time. If you have come this far, please enjoy the video below: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8xNOUiEiQxg.html

Saw them twice at the Uni Bar in Hobart in the early 80's - unbelievable live.

those kids with all that music power behind them would have had a real BUZZZ

I always thought this was a good song, but, wow this was a whole next level.

Always an energetic performance when Midnight Oil is involved. You guys were great too !

Midnight Oil - different songs or alternative versions Beds are Burning - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-h1VPf9hjOFM.html BlackFella-Whitefella & Dead Heart (with Warumpi Band) - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7N5ZsCGjUz0.html Jimmy Sharman's Boxers - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-A0OPPUGJAj4.html Read about it - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-AONxdnTrZSU.html US Forces - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-SAFv2NEE-_c.html Power and the Passion - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jhs1a63z_Qg.html Hercules - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jCeqitANuNc.html Don't Wanna Be The One - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-IveuP25qX6k.html Short Memory - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hgukduYJZ44.html Blue Sky Mine - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Ofrqm6-LCqs.html ......

They were involved in one of the best concerts i have ever seen. Headliner was the Tragically Hip, before, Midnight Oil, Hothouse Flowers, Daniel Lanois and Crash Vegas. EPIC!! Peter was an amazing presence on stage.life changing.

Great video lads! As a massive midnight oil fan I always love seeing these pop up. I'd highly recommend Truganini and My Country, Kosciuszko is also a great one for Rob Hirst's drumming. Keep it up!

Rob Hirst is the hardest hitting drummer ever.

My favourite live recording of the Oils is ''No Times For Games'' at the Capitol Theatre 1982. The dual guitar attack is second to none, Moginie & Rotsey go off and Jim Moginie's guitar solo at around the 4 minute mark is so great. Like when you did ''Stand In Line'' live at Goat Island. Check it out guys.

The Oils were always special, I saw them in the 70s, at a pub gig at the Seaview ballroom in St kilda, as dodgy as it sounds. I was not a huge fan either. But def worth seeing.

Have been following Midnight Oil from Pub - International Act. Earlier Albums 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 - with songs Outside World, Short Memory, Read About it, US Forces, Power and the Passion - one of their best complete albums - The other being Red Sails in the Sunset - When the Generals Talk, Jimmy Sharman's Boxers, Best of Both Worlds, Kosciusko, Harrisburg - simply aussie rock at its best!

Great rendition! Thanks!

A song about an inconvenient truth.

Back on track with Aussie Oils. Please get on track soon with more Aussie Week spoils!

' US FORCES ' is so powerful and I reckon it is even more relevant today to the current world's delicate ' tipping point ' of affairs of war. I think it needs to be put out there again for the younger generation to hear and absorb.

Great to see Melbourne rocking out like that. The Oils were such a great band....

The corrugated tank behind the drummer tho, so Aussie!!

Completely awesome!

I saw them live back in the mid 80s, so much energy. Great gigs.

Great review. They're not my favourite band, but gee they were good live. There were a couple of Australian bands who's live performances were up there with the OIls. Hunters and Collectors would certainly be one.

Watch"oils on the water " one of the best live shows ever.

the soundtrack of my youth. That song is about white people burning down Aboriginal homes. The lead singer Peter Garrett was also a politician for the Aust Labor Party for a few years. They are passionate about the rights of our original owners of this land. I saw them live in Queensland at a race car track in 1976. Peter is about 6ft 3 and all energy. Rock Gods

Check out "Stand in line" from Oils on the Water. Unbelievable energy (and great bass line).

The power and sheer aggression in those vocals! Joe Strummer territory really. This is just so great... Before this song came out I didn't know Australia had it in them! Fantasy Island? 😂😂😂 I'm not saying anything about Tintin, no sorry Alex other than buy the guy a beer!

Hey listening to midnight oil for some reason it had me listening to Wilson Pickett’s cover of hey Jude with Duane Allman. Both had to stay at muscle shoals studio because of race and long haired hippies. Over lunch Duane talked Pickett into covering hey Jude the rest is history a great vocal and the birth of southern rock. It’s had just under 4 million views and led to Duane playing on Layla must watch!!!!

Just awesome

I love that you blokes react to a heap of Australian music. There's one band from the 70's that should have been huge, but weren't and that was Buffalo. I call them Australia's answer to Black Sabbath. Their second album, Volcanic Rock is a classic. It should have made them international headliners. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0VIvtQlpT3I.html

I saw them in a "pub" in Sydney once when they were starting out. It was like they came from another planet.

I scanned back in the comments a bit and didn't see this mentioned (I might have missed it)... but, the "How Can We Sleep While Our Beds are Burning" Line is in reference to a specific relocation plan implemented upon a small group of Aborigines designed to make sure they would 'stay relocated', by burning their homes to the ground. ***I have to state here, I haven't personally researched that issue, but read it in a different reaction column, so I can't guarentee it's accuracy.*** But it does sound like the kind of behaviour to be expected from colonizers who are afraid of losing control. I don't know all the member's names, but, something I've never seen mentioned in reactions to this particular vid, is the digi's player, is missing a forearm, and still plays that and whatever else he can hold in his other hand. I'm Canadian🇨🇦✌🏼, and would point out that there are very few places on the planet, where Indigenous rights, freedoms, properties, and livelihoods have not been violated, and of those not in that group, at least half of them are responsible for colonization in areas outside of their borders. We are trying, here, to redress some of those past injustices, but I think most Canadians would agree, we still have a loooong ways to go. We can't ever 'undo' the harms suffered upon the cultures affected, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try our best to do so, to equalize those parts of our societies which are... even still... tilted against those same cultures. Here's hoping we succeed, in whatever ways we may, to create a more just, inclusive, loving world. 🇨🇦 👍🏼✌🏼

Saw them Roundhouse London previous weekend. Brilliant as usual.