Few things bring people together as quickly and organically as live music. At the height of COVID-19, when people had nothing to do and nowhere to go, a handful of performers banned together to shine a light into our living rooms. Below are a few of my favorites.
While scrolling Facebook one afternoon, I stumbled across a 30-minute live acoustic set from Coldplay's Chris Martin. The performance, shot inside his home studio, featured bits and pieces of the band's most notable lyrics and exposed a quirky side of the multi-talented recording artist that many of us have never seen before. If you haven't caught it yet, this is a great way to pass the time while sorting through your inbox.
Another incredible discovery showed up in my feed on April 25. In case you missed it, Jack Johnson — American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actor, record producer, documentary filmmaker, and former professional surfer. — hosted a live stream version of the Kōkua Festival 2020, celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day. The two-hour special featured live performances from some of my favorite musicians, including Jack, who performed three sets, Eddie Vedder, Willie Nelson, Ben Harper, Ziggy Marley, and G. Love & Special Sauce. The show also highlighted cooking lessons from two of Hawaiʻi's top chefs, Ed Kenney and Mark Noguchi.
While the next find wasn't exactly a live stream recording, R.E.M. was kind enough to share the complete B.B.C. Broadcast from their 1999 concert, "Live from Glastonbury Festival" with fans on YouTube. As a longtime fan from the ATL, this one made my year.
There is one more show I'm including that hasn't happened yet. Mark your calendars for September 18-19th 2020 and tune in to The CW because you're not going to want to miss the iHeartRadio Music Festival.
According to the website, the stage is the biggest multi-genre music event anywhere. This year marks their 10th anniversary and, true to COVID form, they will be celebrating the event via live stream, reuniting many bands for the first time in months. The virtual concert will feature live performances by B.T.S., Coldplay, Kane Brown with Special Guest Khalid, Keith Urban, Migos, Miley Cyrus, Thomas Rhett, Usher, and more. Cost: Absolutely nothing, so be there or be square and enjoy some good music on the house.
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