Musicians all over the world are canceling concert dates due to uncertain times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of our favorite spring music festivals have also canceled or postponed. But missing your favorite artist performing live and in person in order to help flatten the curve doesn’t necessarily mean you need to forgo your favorite tunes altogether. In an effort to raise spirits during this newfound era of social distancing, some of todays biggest stars are streaming virtual performances live from their living rooms.
“The right thing to be doing is staying home and not buying too much toilet paper,” joked Coldplay frontman Chris Martin during a 30-minute Instagram set on March 16. Famous friends like John Legend, Shawn Mendes and Charlie Puth couldn’t agree more, swiftly following suit with their own feel-good performances.
As more and more artists turn to social media, we rounded up a list of the 8 most memorable virtual concerts so far – and where to watch them.
1. John Legend
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After being nominated to perform by pal Chris Martin, Legend treated fans to an intimate concert from his home, where he played the piano in a bathrobe, accompanied by wife Chrissy Tiegen who was dressed in a “simple house towel.” The short concert, which was recorded on Legend’s personal cell phone, included a soulful cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Love’s In Need,” as well as a hilarious rendition of his hit, “Everybody Knows,” with Tiegen singing back-up while sipping a glass of wine and applying deodorant atop his piano.
2. Chris Martin
The Coldplay frontman was the very first artist to perform live on behalf of Global Citizen’s “Together At Home” virtual concert series. His charming 30-minute set included impromptu requests from fans all over the world, including classics like “Yellow” “Trouble” and “Vida la Vida.” Although the singer said he was disappointed to be performing without his bandmates, he told fans, “”I thought what would be nice would be to check in with some of you out there and see where you are and what I can do for you so I’m here at your service for the next 20-some minutes.”
3. D-Nice
Do not miss DJ D-Nice who us bringing dancey good vibes and positivity with his wildly popular Club Quarantine on Instagram Live. These parties have achieved major cult status with superstar guests like JLo, Michelle Obama, Drake, and yes, Oprah herself. Check out his next Instagram Live Club Quarantine on Saturday, April 11th at 3PM PT.
4. Brad Paisley
Country star Brad Paisley asked fans to text him their requests for his Instagram Live performance, which was filmed by wife Kimberly Williams-Paisley in his home recording studio. That is some next level dedication and service. “We have a great crowd assembled over here of stuffed animals,” he joked at the beginning of the mini-concert before being joined by famous friends including Tim McGraw, Chris Young and Carrie Underwood, who made appearances to sing duets with the Grammy winner via FaceTime.
5. Pink
After declaring she’d decided to use her newfound downtime to finally learn the piano, Pink posted a video on Instagram showcasing her musical skills. “Free concert slash piano lesson from my heart to yours,” she wrote. “I’ve decided to learn the piano once and for all so we’ll see how this goes.” she quipped before launching into a stirring rendition of Bob Dylan’s ballad, “Make You Feel My Love,” while practicing social distancing from the home she shares with husband Carey Hart and two kids, Willow and Jameson.
6. JoJo
The chart-topping pop star was one of the first artists to appear on the new MTV Unplugged From Home series, which features some of music’s biggest stars performing acoustic sets from the comfort of their own homes during the coronavirus outbreak. JoJo performed a stripped-down version of her new songs “Man” and “Small Things,” as well as her hit, “Too Little Too Late.”This is a weird time,” she said. “My hope is that for the next few minutes that we’re together you can get your mind off of all that and you can just enjoy us being together.”
7. Charlie Puth
During a riveting half-hour set, performed live from his parent’s L.A. home, Charlie Puth kicked off his streaming concert by telling fans, “Of course when they asked me to be a part of this, I said yes. Encouraging people to keep practicing social distancing, but why not have some fun and listen to some music while you’re doing that?” The singer, who was performing on behalf of Global Citizen, fielded song requests via Instagram including hits like “One Call Away” and “Attention,” as well as a soulful cover of James Taylor’s classic, “You’ve Got a Friend.”
8. Ben Gibbard
Lead singer of Death Cab for Cutie, Ben Gibbard, has admitted that even he is a little freaked out during this time. Finding a little community and togetherness in music, he’s going live each day as a thank you to fans for finding solace in one of his musical projects when they needed comfort.
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