This past Saturday, more than 70 artists and celebrities gathered around the world – from their homes, of course – for Global Citizen’s One World: Together at Home, a virtual concert organized to honor and celebrate healthcare workers who are fighting against the coronavirus pandemic.
“Tonight is not a fundraiser so put your wallets away,” said Lady Gaga, who helped mastermind the event in partnership with the World Health Organization and Global Citizen. “The artists are here to say thank you.”
Gaga called the special “our love letter to the world.”
A triplet of late night fixtures, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert, hosted the virtual concert, which included performances and appearances by Taylor Swift, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, John Legend, Celine Dion, Madonna, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones and many others.
Here are ten of the show’s most memorable performances:
10. Texan Kacey Musgraves delivered a somber, elegant rendition of Rainbow from her Grammy Award-winning album Golden Hour.
9. Soul legend Stevie Wonder delivered a powerful one-two punch of the Bill Withers classic, “Lean On Me,” followed by his own “Love’s in Need of Love.”
8. Grammy-winning singer Lizzo chimed in with a stirring performance of Sam Cooke’s iconic song, “A Change is Gonna Come.”
7. Country superstar Keith Urban did a neat trick: He looped himself on three different guitars for a memorable cover of Bass Hall alum Steve Winwood’s 1986 hit, Higher Love.
6. Another Bass Hall alum, John Legend, traded verses with powerhouse singer Sam Smith for an emotional reading of Ben K. King’s Stand By Me.
5. The finale heard ’round the world featured a diverse roster of performers: Lang Lang, Celine Dion, Lady Gaga, John Legend and the one and only Andrea Bocelli.
4. Andra Day, a Grammy-nominated R&B singer from San Diego, all but stole the show with an unforgettable performance of her own song, “Rise Up.”
3. Lady Gaga curated the concert, and also kicked it off with a powerful performance of “Smile,” a song popularized and immortalized by Nat King Cole.
2. Proof The Rolling Stones still have it, their fiery rendition of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” is the talk of the event.
1. Sitting behind a piano in his backyard, a hedge and basketball hoop behind him, 73-year-old Elton John delivered what was probably the concert’s most emotionally stirring moment: a rousing version of his 1983 hit about resilience, “I’m Still Standing.”
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