One World: Together at Home, Drives us to Stay Strong and Carry On.
The much awaited One World: Together at Home concert made its landing on Saturday evening, as it saw a brilliant cocktail of musicians and actors, sending off their uplifting messages in this difficult time.
For a little context, perhaps the most pertinent part of this Lady Gaga-curated event, is the fact that it has raised more than $50 million to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
The hosts of the evening, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert, guided viewers across the globe through this virtual event.
Lady Gaga, of course, was leading the charge. Seated at her piano, she reminded the world why she’s got one of the most stunning voices in the industry. Her rendition of the Charlie Chaplin classic “Smile” set the pace for the rest of the two-hour special. We would have loved the wild costumes and maybe even a bit of dancing, but Gaga decided to take things down a notch with this one, the idea being not so much to entertain but to bring a sense of comfort and reassurance to those listening in.
Beyonce. We have to talk about Beyonce. She brought a powerful message to the table, reminding everyone that we are privileged to be able to stay at home, or rather work from home. “Black Americans disproportionately belong to these essential parts of the workforce that do not have the luxury of working from home,” she said. And that’s the harsh reality. Minimum wage workers have it the roughest during this lockdown. Their daily earnings is what brings food to the table and without it, navigating through this complete shutdown is not easy.
Lizzo took the stage, or rather, her room, next to perform Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come”. She loves her dancers, props and all that fancy lighting but let’s be honest. She can do the bare minimum and she’ll still steal the show.
Speaking of stealing the show, The Rolling Stones made their landing with a bang as they turned out the Let It Bleed classic “You Cant Always Get What You Want.” They sang their hearts out, separately, from their homes. And this performance goes to show that age really is just a number. The enthusiasm they brought to this event is what drives them to push forward and do what they love, whatever the circumstances.
And finally, our very own Bollywood superstar, Shah Rukh Khan, arrived with an empowering message. He pushed people to take action, and help in every little way they can. He also highlighted the fact that we can overcome this pandemic if we put our differences aside and come together to support and look out for one another. He the signed off with a simple, “I love you, stay strong.”
And this is just the tip of the ice berg, this event saw a string of other stars, who all gave us a taste of their stand out talent and uplifting messages. It’s little moments like these that prove that nothing can douse our flame.
