On May 1st, 1972, Marvin Gaye returned to the concert stage after not performing live for four years. The previous year, his groundbreaking and commercially successful LP What’s Going On was released, though Marvin hadn’t toured behind it. This was largely due to a personal tragedy, but Gaye also struggled with intense stage fright. His spring ’72 show, held at the prestigious Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., not only marked his live resurgence, it’s also the only time What’s Going On was played live in its entirety—and it was recorded. 

The death of his beloved singing partner Tammi Terrell in 1970 was the beginning of a dark time for Marvin Gaye, but he emerged the following year with the classic “What’s Going On” single and album. In 1972, he would resume concert appearances, though there would be just be two dates; the one in Washington D.C., followed by a short set in Chicago on September 27th.
 

Marvin Gaye and guitarist Robert White, Kennedy Center show rehearsal.

The D.C. gig was a homecoming for Marvin, who was born in the nation’s capital, and on the day of the concert he and his parents were whisked from event to event. Stops included his former high school; the mayor’s office, where he was presented with a key to te city; and the House of Representatives’ Rayburn House Office Building. It was officially “Marvin Gaye Day” in Washington D.C.
 

 
That night, Marvin opened the show with a thirteen-plus minute medley, which included the only known performances of two songs, “That’s the Way Love Is” and “You.” He followed it up with two additional live rarities, “Right on” and “Wholy Holy,” and went on to play everything else off of What’s Going On. The evening ended with spirited reprises of “Inner City Blues” and “What’s Going On.” It was a great gig, with Marvin seemingly relaxed and in good spirits.

A professional recording of the legendary Kennedy Center concert (unfortunately sans “Mercy Mercy Me,” which wasn’t successfully taped) was first released in 2001 as part of the deluxe, two-CD reissue of What’s Going On. The show had never been released on vinyl or as a standalone disc, but that’s all changed with the new release, What’s Going On Live.
 

 
Newly remastered and available on CD and digital formats, as well as a two-LP gatefold set (black vinyl and limited edition turquoise vinyl), What’s Going On Live can be purchased here.
 

 
The 2019 music video for “What’s Going On” is the first video from Universal Music Group’s “Never Made” series, a project dedicated to creating absorbing new clips for tracks that never had accompanying music videos. Directed by Savanah Leaf, and shot in Flint and Detroit, Michigan, the video includes many members from those communities. The Flint water crisis, gun violence, and the failings of the U.S. healthcare system are among the topics addressed in the clip.