Michael J. Fox Revives Marty McFly For One Final Performance

There are very few stories and people that everyone in America can universally cheer for. Perhaps Tom Hanks or Dolly Parton are the only people who can bring every American together, but there are very few people like that.

Michael J. Fox: “Your kids are gonna love it”

The kids: *40 years later at Glastonburypic.twitter.com/tdH4zuZUBz

— Back to the Future (@BTTFmusical) June 30, 2024

One of those universally beloved Americans is Michael J. Fox. Those of us of a particular generation grew up with Michael J. Fox as the wholesome movie and television star we all wanted to be.

Fox first came to our attention as Alex P Keaton on Family Ties and then cemented himself as a cultural icon as Marty McFly in the Back to the Future trilogy. 

However, only a few years after his massive success at the box office, Michael J. Fox, at 29, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 1991. Fox did not share the news with the public until 1998, and he started the Michael J. Fox Foundation two years later.

We have watched as Fox battled Parkinson’s and somehow continued acting throughout. Fox even gave a memorable performance on Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. 

But on Saturday night at the Glastonbury Festival in Glastonbury, England, Fox gave the performance of a lifetime and reminded us of the charism and greatness of his career.

Fox Joins Coldplay on Stage

In 1985, Fox played Marty McFly in Back to the Future. In the climactic scene, Marty plays guitar at a dance while his parents fall in love in front of him.

Later in the scene, Fox busted out an iconic rendition of Chuck Berry’s “Johnny Be Good,” crushing the guitar solo.

Now, nearly 39 years to the day that Back to the Future premiered, Fox took the stage at Glastonbury Live with Coldplay to join the ban for two songs: “Fix You” and “Humankind.”

However cynical and hard bitten you are, impossible not to feel something joyful when Coldplay plays with Michael J Fox at Glastonbury pic.twitter.com/GeLpgCnIRT

— Stig Abell (@StigAbell) June 30, 2024

Fox was welcomed on the stage by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, who played a brief poem for Fox, which included the lines:

Here’s another Michael who rocks, with his Chuck Berry riffs, and the way he punched Biff. Here’s Michael J Fox. 

Despite having to be wheeled onto the stage, Fox absolutely shredded the guitar as he was surrounded by the British rock band Coldplay.

The audience sang along with the band, but Fox’s Pyramid Stage debut moved most of the fans to tears.

For one night, everything was right with the world. Michael J. Fox and Coldplay reminded us of our humanity and the goodness in everyone. And it’s okay to admit that you were crying when you saw Fox onstage. It’s just the effect that he has on all of us.

The Michael J. Fox Foundation was created to find a cure for Parkinson’s Disease. So far, the foundation has raised more than $1 billion for Parkinson’s Research. Please consider donating to help find a cure at MichaelJFox.Org.