Celebrities praise all health workers during star-studded online world concert
AN ARRAY of stars including Sir Paul McCartney, Beyonce and The Rolling Stones used their appearance on an online concert to heap praise on health workers on the front line of the coronavirus pandemic.
Curated by Lady Gaga, the One World: Together At Home event over the weekend attracted some of the biggest names in music in a show of gratitude to those around the world fighting the outbreak.
And in a special segment aired when the BBC repeated highlights of the show last night, Sir Tom Jones paid his own emotional tribute to NHS staff.
The Pontypridd-born superstar performed The Glory Of Love, which has been recorded by Jimmy Durante, Dean Martin and Nina Simone and said: “I’ve lived a long time, I’ve seen a lot of things,
I’ve experienced a lot of things.”
Gesturing to a photograph behind him, he added: “Like this house for instance right here, that’s 44 Laura Street, where I was born and brought up.
“I was isolated there for two years with tuberculosis in that house, and I thought that was bad then.
“But the National Health Service helped me then like they’re helping all of us right now.
“So I would like to say thank you so much to the National Health for doing what they did for me then and what they’re doing right now for everybody else and we have to do our best to stay home to help the National Health, we should stay home.
“And follow orders and go along with what we’re being told to do.
“Stick with it, be together and we’ll survive.
“God Bless You.”
The original eight-hour event ran from Saturday night into the early hours of yesterday morning, and included a two-hour TV broadcast in the US presented by late night hosts Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert.
The project, staged in conjunction with Global Citizen and the World Health Organisation (WHO), had already raised more than $50m (£40m) by yesterday lunchtime.
Gaga opened and closed the broadcast, kicking proceedings off with a cover of Charlie Chaplin’s Smile and was followed by Stevie Wonder, who sang Lean On Me in tribute to the late Bill Withers.
The Rolling Stones were among the featured acts, with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts appearing from their respective homes to perform You Can’t Always Get What You Want.
It briefly looked like the group had fallen victim to technical problems, with only Jagger visible while the squares containing his three bandmates remained black.
However, they came into focus one-by-one and completed a striking performance.
Sir Paul sent a message of gratitude to healthcare workers, saying “we love you, we thank you”, before singing Beatles hit Lady Madonna.
The revered rocker issued a call to governments around the world to strengthen health systems to prevent another crisis.
Before performing, he also paid tribute to his mother Mary, a former nurse and midwife.
In one of the night’s most memorable moments, Beyonce broke from the uplifting tone of the other stars on show to highlight the deadly impact coronavirus was having on black Americans.
The pop titan, who also paid tribute to health workers and other frontline staff, said: “Black Americans disproportionately belong to these essential parts of the workforce that do not have the luxury of working from home. African-American communities at large have been severely affected in this crisis.
“Those with pre-existing conditions are at an even higher risk. This virus is killing black people at an alarmingly high rate here in America.”
She then cited grim statistics form her hometown of Houston, Texas, that showed 57% of fatal Covid-19 cases are African-American.
Sir Elton John appeared from his back garden in Los Angeles and raised spirits with an energetic performance of I’m Still Standing.
Taylor Swift performed her song Soon You’ll Get Better, a poignant track about her mother’s cancer diagnosis.
“You’ll get better soon,” Swift sang. “’Cause you have to.”
Former First Ladies Laura Bush and Michelle Obama teamed up for a hopeful message amid the bleakness of the crisis.
Taking turns to speak, they praised people around the world for their response to the virus. Obama said: “We will continue to be here for one another and we will get through this crisis. Together.”
To close out the show, Gaga was joined by Andrea Bocelli, Celine Dion and John Legend for a performance of The Prayer.
The performance coincided with fresh tensions in the US over moves to protect the nation’s economy amid the pandemic.
The United States has recorded the world’s worst death toll from the virus, with questions consistently being raised about President Donald Trump’s handling of the situation.
State governors eager to rescue their economies and feeling heat from Mr Trump have been moving to ease restrictions meant to control the spread of coronavirus, even as new hot spots emerge and experts warn that moving too fast could prove disastrous.
Adding to the pressure were protests against stay-at-home orders organised by small groups and Trump supporters.
They staged demonstrations on Saturday in several cities after the president urged them to “liberate” three states led by Democratic governors.
Protests took place in Republicanled states too, including at the Texas Capitol and in front of the home of Indiana governor Eric Holcomb, who has signed an agreement with six other Midwestern states to co-ordinate reopening and has extended his stay-at-home order until May 1.
Texas governor Greg Abbott has said restrictions will begin easing next week, with shops being allowed to sell merchandise from the kerbside and hospitals resuming non-essential surgeries.
For the first time in weeks, people were able to visit some Florida beaches this weekend, but they were still subject to restrictions on hours and activities.
But with protesters clamouring for more, infections continue to surge in the north-east of the country.
Rhode Island, between the hot spots of Massachusetts and New York, has seen a steady daily increase in infections and deaths, with nursing home residents accounting for more than 90 of the state’s 118 fatalities.
The state’s death rate of around 10 people per 100,000 is among the nation’s highest per capita, according to data compiled by the Covid Tracking Project.