On Sunday night, Elton John hosted a virtual benefit Livestream ‘iHeart Living Room Concert for America’. The virtual concert was organised in place of the scheduled iHeart Radio Music Awards, which were forced to cancel amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The one-hour special feature was dedicated to the those on the frontline battling the COVID-19 outbreak.

Elton John kicked off the proceedings with an acknowledgement to the heroic doctors, nurses and scientists in the thick of the pandemic.

“Here we are, all together at home. You’ve got your family and loved ones, and I’ve got mine close too… We’re taking care of each other through this crisis,” John shared. “Let me tell you what’s going to keep us together: All the goodness that’s happening in the world. There’s doctors, nurses and scientists on the front lines. They’re living proof that most superheroes don’t wear capes.”

The concert saw performances from a bunch of the biggest and brightest names in music. Dave Grohl delivered an acoustic rendition of Foo Fighters classic ‘My Hero’, Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas cracked off a performance of ‘bad guy’, and Billie Joe Armstrong performed ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’. You can check out all three performances below.

Watch: Dave Grohl perform ‘My Hero’ for iHeart Living Room Concert for America
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Watch: Billie Eilish perform ‘bad guy’ for iHeart Living Room Concert for America
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Watch: Billie Joe Armstrong perform ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’ for iHeart Living Room Concert for America
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There were also performances from Mariah Carey who sang ‘Always Be My Baby, our favourite dishevelled quarantine couple Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes dueted on ‘Oh My’, and Sam Smith performed ‘How Do You Sleep?’. The special also saw guest appearances from Lady Gaga and Lizzo.

It’s truly heartwarming that in this time of complete chaos and uncertainty, that music serves as a uniting force.

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