How Artists Are Using Livestream Concerts to Keep People Entertained Amid COVID-19

Music has always been a huge source of relief and relaxation for people no matter the circumstance. However, with the chaos that has currently taken the form of the COVID-19 outbreak, this especially holds true in today’s world.

 In an effort to battle the effects of the quarantine such as boredom and depression, many famous musical artists have joined together in a movement called #TogetherAtHome. Big named artists including John Legend, Camila Cabello, Chris Martin, and Shawn Mendes have all taken part in this movement and there are many more that are expected to join as well in the near future.

The main idea of the #TogetherAtHome movement is that singers broadcast live concerts which include themselves singing and playing instruments at their homes for the fans’ entertainment.

These Livestream concerts have garnered millions of views by now, and with the social distancing practice in place, are the only way fans are able to see their idols perform live shows. The reaction to these concerts has been very positive.

One particular fan tweeted about the concerts:

Another great part about this movement that people have picked up on is that unlike regular concerts which are staged in one particular venue, people all over the world are able to participate and watch.

A twitter user from Italy thanked John Legend for taking part by saying:

In addition to all these mini-concerts that are going on, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Global Citizen put together a special charity concert named “One World: Together at Home” that was broadcasted live on Saturday, April 18, 2020 globally on a lot of the major channels including ABC, CBS, NBC and the CW.

The entire event lasted over eight hours and included a two-hour main event that included nineteen different performances. The aim of the concert was to raise money to support the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Specifically, the money will be used to fund the development of vaccines, improve healthcare systems, and be donated to over a hundred charities. In the end, Global Citizen announced that nearly $128 million was raised thanks to this concert.

Hopefully that will not only help out massively in finding ways to contain the virus so that we are able to live our lives in a normal manner again but also protect people who are already sick and suffering from the virus.

In addition to some of the artists mentioned earlier such as Camila Cabello, John Legend, and Shawn Mendes, there were even more world-renowned artists that took part including Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Elton John, Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney and Jennifer Lopez.

Some of the artists delivered performances of their own songs like Taylor Swift, who played a moving rendition of “Soon You’ll Get Better”, one of the songs from her new album, “Lover”.

Other artists like Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes opted to cover older songs instead. The pair sang an equally touching version of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World”.

The passion and enthusiasm displayed by all the artists were clear to see and it made for a perfect night of music and dedication to an important cause.

The concert ended up being extremely successful not only because of the amount of money it raised but also more than 20 million viewers tuned in to watch it on TV. The 20 million viewers also set a record for the biggest audience for any Saturday night program this year without counting the NFL playoffs.

In addition to those 20 million viewers that saw it on TV, there were also 20M viewers on YouTube, 8.8M on Facebook, and 8.7M on Twitter.

All in all, it is estimated that nearly 60 Million people watched the concert, and judging by the reactions on social media platforms such as Twitter, it is safe to say most people were not disappointed.

Because this was such a huge event that took a lot of time to plan, it is unlikely there will be another event of this magnitude. That being said, many artists are still expected to perform on their own accord and there should still be many Livestream concerts to look forward to in the coming future.

 Nobody knows when normal life and daily interactions with other people can resume. However, the #TogetherAtHome concerts are a creative way to keep fans engaged and entertained for now. No, it certainly is not the same as being able to attend a real live concert with your friends and thousands of other people.

That being said, when that is not an option, it is important to find other ways to keep music a part of our lives as it has been proven time after time that music is always good for our health.

The #TogetherAtHome movement is a great short-term solution as we look to tackle this pandemic. For now, all we can do is stay home, stay healthy, and enjoy good music through these Livestream concerts!