Following Michelle Obama is no easy task, but the duo of Billy Porter and Stephen Stills stepped up with a virtual performance of “For What It’s Worth” during the opening night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention.

While Stills first wrote and sang the song — which is perhaps better known by its subtitle, “Stop, Hey, What’s That Sound?” — as a member of Buffalo Springfield in 1967, it has become a generation-spanning protest anthem for times when the world seems particularly upside-down, for political reasons and otherwise. Between the Trump presidency, coronavirus and Black Lives Matter, there have been plenty of potential uses for the song in recent months, and Porter covered it earlier this year.

“Billy did such a great cover of the song and I was [originally] going to sing with him on this one for the DNC,” Stills tells Variety of Monday night’s performance (which was pre-recorded). “But then I decided ‘Nah,...