If Steve Goodman could have bottled what he gave an audience, he could have lightened every soul in the world

Why didn't we all sing this in Dec 1999? We blew a chance for some fun, some reflection and another chance to immortalize the immortal Steve Goodman. All over this world...

he wrote this song in 1977 and here we are in 2011 and the message still holds true

I wish I had a copy of the rest of this concert. I love how energetic he is and was such a great performer.

It's like Pete Townshend wrote, "It's the singer, not the song, that makes the music move along." Steve Goodman was a great songwriter but it was his ebullient nature that slays me. It seems that he was always on the verge of this crazy mirthful laughter whenever he sang. He was a great gift to the world.

God have mercy, how I miss Steve. What a songwriter AND performer.

what a legend...what a songwriter. we love you,Steve.

As much as I love this song, the thing about it that grabs me is - Steve LOVED playing for people! He loved playing his songs for anyone who'd listen. RIP, Steve.

if i could have one wish, it would be steve goodman and roger miller in concert together. that would have been an awesome evening

No-one gave a concert like Steve Goodman did. How I miss him.

Wish we had Steve into the 21st.

The Highwaymen made this song famous and I never knew Steve wrote it until today. Awesome song. Genius songwriter. In 1986 and 87 I listened to this everynight at bed time but not this original.

Music the contagious disease, I am so glad that I was affected. Peace to all!

Never saw anyone who loved and *lived* every minute on stage as much as Steve... First saw him on a telecast of the (I think) 1970 Philadelphia Folk Festival and started looking for his first LP. When it came out, liner notes were by John Prine, so I bought his first record the same day. Got to see each of them a few times... Even saw Carl Martin on the same bill in Philly and/or a Clearwater festival. Maybe that night was the after-the-show jam that inspired Steve to write "You Better Get it While You Can," an anthem for all three of them, and for the rest of us too.

Thank you for posting. This is really, Something Special like a diamond in the rough!!. Steve Goodman was an absolute Genious . It's all in this song in particular, but Some people just don't get it!!. Same with his good Ole Buddy John prine. I'm grateful for the greatness these two contributed to our lives ,even the people who don't see and hear it in their music!!. What a great sadness I feel when I think of what could've and should've been!!. Thanks guys ,R.I.P. and in PARIDISE!!.....

Where have I been...it's like I was on Mars or living as a hermit. Steve is the outstanding solo entertainer. One man doing everything and having so much fun. I have learned a lot from Steve. My kind of music. I will try to emulate.........RIP Steve...gone too soon.

This is as close as I've ever gotten to levitating.

GOD BLESS STEVE! He truly was one of our national Treasures,and i miss him so much.How he sang"My Old Man" without crying,I'll never know!He could make you smile,laugh and cry at the same time!We will never see anyone like him ever again..

My sister just showed me this video. Didn't know about Steve Goodman before. Awesome song!

what a massive talent....unbelievable...one of a kind....can you imagine the music we missed when he died so young?

Gone WAY TOO SOON. To think it is 39 years. He was 9 days older than me. I interviewed him when I was working on the Northeastern University radio station. All we talked about on the car ride over was baseball and his beloved Cubs. And of course he passed just days before the Cubbies made the postseason for the first time since 1945. What a joy to be around. He has been joined by Merle, Doc and, more recently, Jerry Jeff, Ian Tyson, Gordon Lightfoot, Robbie Robertson and now Jimmy. What a helluva concert in the sky. L'shanah Tovah Steve.

Today is the day I truly discovered him beyond "You Never Even Called Me By My Name." I was missing out. What an incredible mind. Wow.

I was fortunate enough to have seen him at the Ark in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1973, which was a very intimate venue. He was a great talent who could take over a room, as he did in this video.

Thank you God for Steve Goodman!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you for this amazing recording! I had the pleasure of seeing Steve Goodman in concert several times when I lived in Chicago. Never heard this song until now. It will stand with the Ballad of Penny Evans, the Dutchman, and the Ballad of Carl Martin among my all time Steve Goodman favorites. As someone else commented, when I die, I want to be where he is. I'll call that heaven.

Steve was a tremendous talent that was ahead of his time.

How could I have missed Steve for so long? He's incredible!

Damn! Everytime I remember seeing Steve dancing tears roll down my face...I'm not ashamed say...rest softly my friend, the rest of us we'll be there with you soon, then we'll all dance!

Sadly I discovered beautiful Steve some 30 yrs after he died. And sadly, I was living in the West Village in 71 - 72. I saw John Prine at the Village End and I’ll bet anything Goodman was in town sometime during my stay in NYC. Missed him, Bummer!

Love his songs....

when i die i want to be where he is.

Holy Shit. Even better than my old memory recalled. Damn. Too early gone.

Had to listen to Steve tell me how the 20th century was almost over. Wishing wells are wishing for another drop of water... 1977 Yet the 20th century I still not over. God bless Steve Goodman.

NOT ONLY LOVE THIS PERFORMANCE, BUT ALSO THE WAY THE YOUNG AUSTIN COLLEGE AUDIENCE IS ENJOYING STEVE AND HIS PERFOMANCE, AS WELL. THE ENTHUSIASM IS PRECIOUS AND CONTAGIOUS!

Wow is all I can say What a performer !

Saw him in fall '77 at WVU, in a small venue like this one (maybe a bit larger). Opening act was a blues band - Martin Bogan and Armstrong. It remains in my memory to this day as one of the most remarkable evenings of music I have ever experienced.

The best I ever saw perform live. Gone way too soon.

This is Soooo much better than Prince's - Party Till it's 1999 for an end of a century song.

Love this man rip

Oh, yeah! Thanks so much for sharing this. Good video, good sound, and a great performance. It really captures how electric and energetic he was on stage. Quite a number of the audience in the video seem to not really get it. Oh, well. Even thought he was sick basically most of his career, he always seemed to be the one having the most fun. It was awfully infectious.

His magnetic personality and professional performance =Perfection

I saw him in 1973 and he is still alive for me

Wow, Steve was such an incredible talent!

The man was brilliant...

LOVE THIS SONG! Now the 21st Century Is OveR! Sadly..🙄 In more ways than one..

Imagine a parody of this song at the end of the 21st Century.

This NEVER gets old

This is Great song writing!

Used to hear this on the radio when it came out...my gosh, it made me feel better about a lot of things!

Alas, a star so bright can only burn for a short time.

I am glad to find Steve Goodman fans out there!!! I was the only person I knew who bought his music in the 70s and now 24 years after his death he has legions of fans. Too bad they can't reissue his albums - or maybe they have and I just don't know???

I love Steve Goodman.

A Master-called Home to soon for us!

I cant imagine what he would be singing about today. What a shame the world lost him so early.

Great singer!!

I heard Steve do this song New Years Eve at the Earl Of Old Town, I think 1977 or '78 (well, all those years blurred together), and Lincoln Park Pirates, and I can't remember the name of the song "There are men who love women who love men. There are women who love women every now and then. There are men who love men because they can't pretend that they're men who love women who love men". Ahead of it's time?

Outstanding.

Great song-Great video!

I play Arlo's take on Thanksgiving , on Thanksgiving. I play Stevie on New Years Eve.

God Damn lest this beautiful poet be forgotten. So fucking unpretentious.

He helped me reach mine; time enough I say Thank You to both good bad and even indifferent.

The legendary radio station KFAT played the album version often, leading up to Y2K. I thought Steve wrote it then.

@cliftongal51 I'm 34 and been listenin' to Steve since the day I was born. My grandmother was a die-hard Cubs fan and was singing a song of his the moment I was born. :-D I'm pretty sure it was "Lincoln Park Pirates" but I'm not certain. Growing up in Chicago with a family full of music nuts, it's hard to not know Steve Goodman....lol!

Absolutely Fantastic !! 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

I read many of the comments. I feel he same way as all of them. Steve was a unique talent voice and person.To hear him and see him again reminded me of his influence on me!! He is part of all of us.

This is fantastic even though it is over. It is too bad it is with the way things are in the world now. Steve is awesome. We all sure do miss him.

He swung a heavy pick in this one.

Thank you so much!

what a legend...

Jackson Browne and Arlo Guthrie pay Steve great compliments on his life.

Damn...saw him in concert many times...what a sad loss...

"Songs We Can't Sing Anymore, Vol. 1"

Of heaven got Steve in it, God dammit Im fucking going!

He's simply the best there ever was!

Has season's tickets to see the angels now. . .Steven, you are missed.

Love the version he did with John Prine.

Wow, like WOW!

Fricken brilliant. Bottle it. Xxxx

Knowing that you're dying gives you an unfair advantage.

And I thought I was John Prines' best friend!

WAY ahead of his time!

god, I miss him

The lyrics are getting truer.

i love this sooooooooo much man !!!!!

Proving how prescient Steve was, ALL of those people in this audience are now at least 50-something or beyond ....

Always like this song, and in fact, it came true,you just never know!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Absolutely unfathomable that this was almost fifty years ago... 😳

Lets hope the cubs win this year - god bless him - a great loss

love it

God Bless Him

The original "We didn't start the fire."

What a talented fun loving kook :)

Thanks Steve, you're still showing us how it's done

Levitate Steve!

Levitate Stevie, on your toes. Anybody?

Can please post his "You Never Even Called Me By My Name" from this concert? It's the best version and I can't find it anywhere.

I dig the pro keds!

Genious. Pure genious.

Cool 😎