Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Elton John — in partnership with iHeartMedia — brought together some of the music industry’s biggest stars over the weekend for the “Living Room” benefit concert to raise funds for relief efforts in combating the novel coronavirus.
The hour-long, digital gig was streamed worldwide on March 29 and was hosted by the Rocket Man singer, who throughout encouraged viewers to donate to two specific foundations: Feeding America and the Children Of First Responders Organization.
Featuring performances filmed remotely from the living rooms of the Backstreet Boys, Billie Eilish, Mariah Carey, Tim McGraw and Demi Lovato among many others, iHeart’s Living Room concert kicked off with an emotional piano rendition of Underdog from Alicia Keys.
She dedicated the ballad to the first responders and medical professionals in the U.S. “risking their lives to keep us safe.”
“The most inspirational thing about this situation is watching everybody join forces and help out,” said John, 73, in his opening statement as the evening host. He told the viewers he hoped “this entertainment will feed and fuel your soul.”
Here are some more of show’s highlights:
Backstreet Boys
From the comfort of their own homes, AJ McLean, Howie Dorough, Nick Carter, Kevin Richardson and Brian Littrell — the Backstreet Boys — banded together digitally to bring viewers a live rendition of their 1999 hit I Want It That Way.
Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello
With her boyfriend Shawn Mendes on the guitar, a self-quarantining Camila Cabello made an appearance, too. She performed one of the hits from her latest album Romance: My Oh My.
Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters later joined the broadcast to perform an acoustic version of the band’s 1997 hit, My Hero.
“I’d like to dedicate this song to all the people out there who are on the frontlines that are doing their best to get us through all of this,” said Grohl, 51.
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Billie Eilish
Sitting cozily on her couch, the 18-year-old music phenomenon played a stripped-back version of her chart-dominating single Bad Guy with the help of her older brother and producer, Finneas.
Eilish said she was happy to be able to bring “some sort of comfort during the crazy, crazy time,” to self-isolating viewers.
Billie Joe Armstrong
Performing an acoustic rendition of the 2004 rock ballad Boulevard of Broken Dreams along with his dogs, Green Day‘s Billie Joe Armstrong partook in the Living Room concert, too.
“I hope everybody’s happy and healthy … or trying to be as happy as possible. I know it’s a really stressful time, but I just want to say it’s an honour to be playing for everybody right now.”
Mariah Carey
From her own in-home New York City studio, Mariah Carey closed the concert with an acapella performance of Always Be My Baby before joking about wearing gloves in the confines of her own property.
Performances from H.E.R. and Sam Smith were included in the stream too, as well as spoken word segments from Ken Jeong, Ryan Seacrest, Lady Gaga and Lizzo — who Skyped with John.
iHeart’s Living Room Concert is now streaming, in its entirety, via YouTube.
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are legally obligated to self-isolate for 14 days, beginning March 26, in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others. Some provinces and territories have also implemented additional recommendations or enforcement measures to ensure those returning to the area self-isolate.
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.
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