The Global Citizen and the World Health Organization's two-hour special, “One World: Together at Home” aired Saturday night on ABC, NBC, CBS and several other cable networks, and it certainly had a lot of great performances for folks stuck at home to enjoy.
The special was not a telethon to raise money; rather it was a way to entertain while thanking the workers on the frontline fighting the coronavirus. But prior to the broadcast Global Citizen and Lady Gaga,who curated the show, was able to raise $127.9 million in commitments in support of health care workers in the fight against COVID-19.
Ahead if the show, Gaga took to Instagram Live to share an emotional message, offering, "I'm so grateful to all the healthcare workers and the medical workers and all the grocery store workers and delivery people and the postal workers [and] all the other non-profits that are working so hard," noting, "I just want you to know that this is really a true love letter to all of you all over the world, and I hope a reminder to the kindness that's occurring right now."
Prior to the televised show, there were six hours of livestream performances from artists like Annie Lennox, Maren Morris and Hozier, Adam Lambert, Jennifer Hudson, Lady Antebellum, Michael Buble, Niall Horan, The Killers, and more.
As for the TV performances:
- The show kicked off with Lady Gaga, who performed her take on Charlie Chaplin's "Smile,” something she asked if she could give everyone permission to do.
- Stevie Wonder paid tribute to the late Bill Withers with a performance of his classic “Lean On Me,” and also added a portion of his own song “Love’s In Need of Love Today.”
- Paul McCartney performed the Beatles classic “Lady Madonna,” sharing “My mother Mary was a nurse and midwife just after and during the second World War, so I have a lot of time for the doctors, the nurses and all the medical staff that keep us healthy. We love you, thank you.”
- Kacey Musgraves performed “Rainbow,” inspired by all the rainbows she’s been seeing in people’s windows.
- Elton John performed his uplifting tune “I’m Still Standing,” from what looked like his backyard, which even featured a basketball hoop and basketballs.
- Co-host Jimmy Fallon and the Roots did a performance of Men Without Hats’ “Safety Dance,” which was cut with video of healthcare workers dancing along with them.
- Maluma performed “Carnaval” in front of a beautiful backdrop.
- Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes, who are self-quarantining together, sat at the piano for a performance of “What A Wonderful World.”
- Beyoncé didn’t perform but she did share some words to honor the “true heroes" in the coronavirus fight, and then shared some facts about how African Americans are being disproportionally affected by the virus.
- A solo Eddie Veder performed the Pearl Jam "Gigaton" track “River Cross,” on an organ surrounded by candles, with the song’s lyrics including “share the light, won’t hold us down.”
- Lizzo performed a soulful rendition of Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come.”
- The Rolling Stones, a last-minute addition to the special, performed their classic “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” with the four members isolating in different locations, and Charlie Watts basically air drumming throughout the performance.
- Keith Urban performed a cover of Steve Winwood’s “Higher Love,” with camera trickery showing him performing and singing alongside himself, although only one got a kiss from wife Nicole Kidman.
- Nigeria’s Burna Boy performed “African Giant and “Hallelujah.”
- Jennifer Lopez performed Barbra Streisand’s classic “People,” sitting on what looked like a throne, lit by Christmas lights, and ending the performance with “I miss you.”
- John Legend and Sam Smith teamed up for a virtual duet of “Stand By Me.”
- Billie Joe Armstrong performed Green Day’s “Wake Up When September Ends,” as images of empty streets flashed on the screen.
- Billie Eilish and brother Finneas performed Bobby Hebb’s Sixties hit “Sunny,” with Billie noting she chose a song that makes her feel good, and wanted to do the same for everyone.
- Taylor Swift sat at the piano for an emotional performance of “Soon You’ll Get Better,” which was written for her mother during her battle with cancer, and certainly seemed appropriate for the times.
- The show ended with a grand finale of the song “The Prayer,” featuring Lady Gaga, Celine Dion, Andrea Bocelli and John Legend, accompanied on piano by Lang Lang.
Source:Dr. Dave's Ultimate Prep
Photo courtesy of Getty Images