With concert tours scrapped, shows are still going on
Musicians go online, posting performances staged at their homes
The spreading coronavirus canceled several touring performances from Alist musical artists, but those acts have found a new venue to sing: their living rooms. John Legend, Bono, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Pink, John Mayer, Neil Young, Keith Urban and more have held virtual concerts from their homes as the world continues to practice social distancing to slow the spread of the virus. “I mean, we don’t normally do concerts live from our house in a robe,” Legend told The Associated Press, shortly hours after performing a nearly hourlong concert that streamed on Facebook and Instagram Live. “This is a cool way to connect with people and make them feel some kind of love and intimacy and connection, even though they have to be stuck at home.” “So many people are dealing with a lot of stress right now, trauma, anxiety, all those things,” he added. “And they don’t know what to do. And a lot of musicians and artists and entertainers are unable to go out and do the thing that we do best, which is perform live at venues with lots of people,” he added. “So we’re trying to find ways to stay in touch with people and give them some love.” The piano-playing superstar took requests from fans as he crooned from his living room like he does at one of his typical live concerts. Legend’s performance was in support of the World Health Organization’s newly launched online concert series “Together at Home,” created in efforts to fight the coronavirus. Others have found creative ways to communicate with their fans, some homebound because of school closings and others working from home. Folk-rocker legend Neil Young has begun posting a series of informal concerts taped at his home on his website, Neil Young Archives, with a little help from his wife, actress Daryl Hannah. “Because we are all at home and not many are venturing out, we will try to do a stream from my fireplace with my lovely wife filming,” a statement on his site reads. “It will be a down-home production, a few songs, a little time together …” Miley Cyrus launched a daily Instagram live talk show called “Bright Minded: Live with Miley” (2:30 p.m. EDT) to offer viewers some positivity and comfort. Guests have included singer-actress Demi Lovato and Amy Schumer and her husband, Chris Fischer, as well as Lauren Speed and Cameron Hamilton from the popular Netflix reality series “Love Is Blind.” Rolling Stone magazine, which closed its offices like many companies to prevent the virus from spreading, has launched the new IGTV performance series “In My Room.” An early edition featured Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys performing “In My Room” as well as other classic songs; episodes will be released every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Former One Direction singer Niall Horan, Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard, Rob Thomas, JoJo, Christine and the Queens, Yungblud, David Foster and Katharine McPhee have also joined the music community by livestreaming directly to fans. Former “Glee” actor and singer Chord Overstreet launched a live performance series on YouTube appropriately called “Quarantine Sessions” last week, while OneRepublic is performing and offering cooking lessons on social media. And some acts are even performing from venues: Grammy-nominated rock band Code Orange livestreamed their performance to an empty Roxian Theatre in Pittsburgh via Twitch. Broadway stars are putting on twice-a-day concerts called “Stars in the House” on the actorsfund. org website. And alternative rock-pop band Grouplove and singer-songwriter Caitlyn Smith, both with new albums out and concert tours canceled, are livestreaming shows. It’s become so common music fans are advised to check their favorite artists’ social media accounts for news of upcoming performances. Legend, who has been working on new music, may still release the songs this spring while folks are homebound. “I have a bunch of new music that’s already almost done. We just have to mix it, which won’t require a lot of group contact. So, I think we can get a lot of that out to people sooner rather than later,” he said. “This is one of those things that all of us are facing as a global community. And it doesn’t discriminate based on what nation we live in or what race we are. And we have to come together as a community and do what we need to do to help each other get through it,” he said.