In the midst of the pandemic that's led many to be isolated in their homes across the world, celebrity artists are taking to social media to entertain and ease their fans from afar, instead of on tour. Chris Martin of Coldplay, John Legend and Diplo have already stepped up to the plate to relieve some panic and check in with their followers through their tunes.
Martin organized a concert on Monday on Coldplay's official Instagram using the hashtag, #TogetherAtHome. “Together, at Home,” is a new series of online concerts presented by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Global Citizen. The organizations have teamed up to launch a campaign called the Solidarity Response Fund that aims to raise $675 million throughout the month of April towards COVID-19 relief.
Martin says in his Instagram Live video: “I was supposed to be with the band Coldplay today from which I come but they are stuck in different countries, so we can't play together. So 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."
It’s not every day you get to hear Chris Martin serenade you acoustically from inside his basement, and for a good cause, at that. While going live, he took requests from fans messaging in and performed classic Coldplay tunes like "Viva La Vida," "Trouble" "Yellow" and “Sky Full of Stars.” He also teased a “new song, which I’m not supposed to talk about, so I won’t.”
Legend followed up with an announcement that he would next take requests in a live stream from his official Instagram account Tuesday at 1pm PT.
"My friend Chris Martin did a lovely little concert from home today," John Legend tweeted Monday. "I'll be doing one tomorrow at 1pm Pacific time. See you soon. We'll try to get through this together! #TogetherAtHome."
Separately, Diplo has announced nightly ‘Corona Sabbath’ livestreams amid the ongoing COVID-19 quarantines.
Diplo, a.k.a. Thomas Wesley Pentz, explained: "Last night I invited Rhye over for the first Corona Sabbath (We made that up because we we had iron on t-shirt letters...maybe it will stick). While we’re all in self-imposed quarantine and I’m grounded from playing shows I am going to get creative and make up random sets and shows live from my house."
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So far, he's played an ambient music set and, on Sunday, performed with his supergroup, Major Lazer, where they bumped material from their fourth studio album, Peace is the Mission.