Culture in the time of Covid-19
Music, festivals and concerts under quarantine
Photo: Shutterstock
Concerts and festivals have been cancelled for the foreseeable future, but many venues have gone on-line to keep music alive during these depressing times.
Below is an eclectic list of events including a festival in a custom Minecraft world, the premiere of an animated sing-a-long by The Beatles, a series of performances hosted by Jack Johnson on his back porch in Hawaii, and more.
Band Together is an online benefit festival to help support the once-thriving music scene in New Orleans. New Orleans has fallen eerily quiet during what would usually be peak festival season, with tourists swarming to the French Quarter to catch concerts by local street performers and world-class bands. With a line-up including famous performers such as PJ Morton, Tank and the Bangas, Jon Cleary, and numerous local acts, Band Together aims to bring music back to the public in one of the largest humanitarian efforts in New Orleans music history. If you want to take part, or simply listen to some tunes, be sure to check out their website where the festival will kick off at 3:00pm (CT), April 25th.
From April 24-26, the Warner Music Group is set to host their virtual Play On Fest as a benefit to the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. Throughout the weekend, they will be livestreaming previously recorded concerts from the label’s most renowned artists including Coldplay, Cardi B, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Lil Uzi Vert, Janelle Monae, Twenty One Pilots, Panic! At the Disco, Roddy Ricch, Charli XCX, Gucci Mane and more. The three-day concert will kick-off with LL Cool J at 12:00pm (ET) on Friday.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, Jack Johnson will be hosting a livestream version of his long running Hawaii-based Kōkua Festival. This 2-hour musical extravaganza will see renowned musicians such as Ben Harper, Ziggy Marley, G. Love and more join Johnson on the digital stage to deliver a unique performance.
On top of the music, Kōkua Festival will include cooking workshops by some of Hawaii’s top chefs. All donations to the festival will go to their foundation promoting environmental education in schools and communities across Hawaii as well as Covid-19 relief efforts. If you’re interested, be sure to tune in at 6:00pm (ET), April 25th.
If you’re a fan of folk, country, bluegrass, Americana or all of the above, make sure to check out Pickathon’s A Concert a Day series. The series opens up Pickathon’s vault of recorded performances to bring one full concert a day for 60 days. This weekend, viewers can look forward to recorded performances by Andrew Bird, Willie Watson (co-founder of Old Crow Medicine Show) and The Lone Bellow. The performances will be streaming for free via The Recording Academy’s Facebook page, Amazon Music’s Twitch channel, and on YouTube as part of #StayHome #WithMe with all proceeds going towards the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund.
Probably one of the more interactive festivals on the internet, Square Garden is a virtual experience hosted by artist 100 gecs in a custom-built Minecraft world. If you’re not familiar with the open world, sandbox game that took the world by storm, don’t worry, 100 gecs will also be livestreaming the event over YouTube and Twitch. Besides its unique format, the festival will be showcasing some of today’s most innovative pop artists on the scene today including Charli XCX, Dorian Electra, Kero Kero Bonito, Cashmere Cat, Benny Blanco, Tommy Cash and more. The festival starts this Friday, April 24th, with all proceeds benefiting the hunger-relief non-profit Feeding America.
If you’re not already familiar with NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series, now is the perfect time to get acquainted. Shot behind the desk of Bob Boilen, who hosts the show All Songs Considered on the public radio station, Tiny Desk has invited some of the biggest names in music to perform an intimate, stripped-down set in their cosy, and somewhat cluttered, work space. What results is a very humble version of MTV unplugged, whose videos by artists such as Anderson .Paak, Lizzo, Taylor Swift, Alt-J have taken the internet by storm. In their effort to deliver content to their viewers, NPR has decided to bring their format into the homes of artists. Already they have featured performances by artists such as acclaimed pianist Lang Lang, rapper Black Thought and Michael McDonald.
Michael Reinertz is the Luxembourg Times culture critic Photo: Guy Wolff
If you’re not already familiar with NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series, now is the perfect time to get acquainted. Shot behind the desk of Bob Boilen, who hosts the show All Songs Considered on the public radio station, Tiny Desk has invited some of the biggest names in music to perform an intimate, stripped-down set in their cosy, and somewhat cluttered, work space. What results is a very humble version of MTV unplugged, whose videos by artists such as Anderson .Paak, Lizzo, Taylor Swift, Alt-J have taken the internet by storm. In their effort to deliver content to their viewers, NPR has decided to bring their format into the homes of artists. Already they have featured performances by artists such as acclaimed pianist Lang Lang, rapper Black Thought and Michael McDonald.
This Saturday, The Beatles will be streaming their animated film Yellow Submarine as a sing-along for families around the world. The band invites you and your children to dress up as your favourite character from the film and escape to an imaginary world. Following the premiere, The Beatles will be sharing the images and videos you post using #YellowSubLive in their Yellow Submarine Sing-A-Long After-Party.
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