Curated by Lady Gaga and produced by Global Citizen, the virtual ONE WORLD: Together at Home concert raised nearly $130 million for the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.  And, while all twenty of the performances from the two-hour linear broadcast were great, these nine were my favorites.


9.  Keith Urban | “Higher Love”

Not only did Keith Urban deliver an upbeat cover of Steve Winwood’s “Higher Love”—in a video that featured Urban shot playing three different parts (lead guitar, rhythm guitar, and bass) that were then edited together to show a trio of Urbans at once—but his video featured a cameo from his wife, the always glamorous Nicole Kidman.


8.  The Rolling Stones | “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”

The Rolling Stones are always a fun band to watch perform, and their acoustic version of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”—a song they released more than a half-century ago—was no exception.  I really enjoyed how each member’s camera only clicked on when their respective part came in (though Charlie Watts’ air-drumming left me a bit befuddled).


7. John Legend and Sam Smith | “Stand By Me”

A golden oldie performed as a duet by two of today’s most golden-throated crooners, the rendition of Ben E. King’s 1961 hit “Stand By Me,” as delivered by John Legend and Sam Smith, was just a delight both for the ears and the eyes.


6.  The Roots featuring Jimmy Fallon | “Safety Dance”

“Safety Dance” by Men Without Hats has been a jam of mine since I first heard it on MTV in the early ‘80s—I even included it on my recent playlist, Self-Isolation Moods—so, I loved seeing The Roots and Jimmy Fallon using the New Wave dance song to inject some much-needed comic-relief into the overwhelmingly pathos-filled event.


5.  Paul McCartney | “Lady Madonna”

It’s hard to quantify the joy that comes from seeing Paul McCartney perform, and here, singing the Beatles’ post-psychedelic boogie-woogie hymn to working-class mothers—a song he’d penned more than five decades ago—as images of health-care workers from around the world faded in and out around him, was just what the doctor ordered.


4.  Elton John | “I’m Still Standing”

Out of all of the performances that comprised ONE WORLD: Together at Home, none was more skillfully filmed than Elton John’s.  This shouldn’t come as any surprise because his husband, David Furnish, is a talented filmmaker, and, oh yeah, he’s friggin’ Elton John (with all that that entails).  There were at least three cameras used, and Sir Elton looked and sounded terrific delivering his 1983 hit, “I’m Still Standing.”


3.  Jennifer Lopez | “People”

Jennifer Lopez is no half-stepper.  Case in point, her cover of Barbra Streisand’s “People”—which she sang covered in a shirt (from Coach’s SS20 collection) emblazoned with Richard Bernstein’s photo of Streisand from the cover of Interview—was kinda perfect.  Meanwhile, a song about ‘people who need people’ was precisely what the occasion called for, and landed, beautifully.


2.  Billie Eilish and Finneas | “Sunny”

I’ll admit that I came late to the Billie Eilish party, but when she and Finneas (her brother/accompanist) began performing Bobby Hebb’s 1963 jazzy soul classic “Sunny”—a song I’ve loved, with its message of looking for a brighter day, whether covered by Boney M, Cher, Mieko Hirota, José Feliciano, or Dusty Springfield—I realized what was behind all the fuss about this preternaturally talented family.  Also, props on the organ, Finneas!


1.  Lang Lang, Andrea Bocelli, Celine Dion, Lady Gaga, and John Legend | “The Prayer”

I’m fortunate to have seen Celine Dion join Andrea Bocelli on stage to sing “The Prayer” as a duet, live (thanks, Keep Memory Alive!), but never with Lady Gaga and John Legend, and certainly without the incredible Lang Lang tickling the ivories, as only a true prodigy can.  And while there were some fantastic duets throughout the virtual concert, this one was the headline, as well it should have been (and was no doubt intended).  Meanwhile, I just hope these five mega-talents decide to team-up on something else, because this was fantastic.

ONE WORLD: Together at Home
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The world’s greatest hip-hop collective returns this weekend with the second edition of the history-making WU-TANG CLAN: THE SAGA CONTINUES… THE LAS VEGAS RESIDENCY