The Lumineers frontman Wesley Schultz played an intimate acoustic set as part of the "Together At Home" virtual series on Friday.
Schultz said that he used to perform at small coffee shops and bars, where he would mostly play covers. He opened his set with an ode to Bruce Springsteen, playing "Who’ll Stop the Rain" to start and he closed out the show with Springsteen's "Thunder Road." He also sang the Lumineers’ songs "Walls," "The Dead Sea," "Sleep On Your Floor," "Long Way From Home," "It Wasn’t Easy Being Happy For You," and "Stubborn Love."
The singer-songwriter encouraged his fans to support the World Health Organization (WHO) in the fight against the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic and said that they can learn more at globalcitizen.org/coronavirus.
"What we’re trying to do is encourage social distancing and basically stay home," he said. "So [that's] what I'm doing right now, I’m in my little work space where I write music and play music. I have my guitar right here."
Schultz joked that he’s not much of a showman and wished he could summon the charisma of Chris Martin, who opened the "Together At Home" series. Schultz said his wife told him to smile more and that he has resting angry face.
But throughout the set, Schultz shared personal stories and delved into the background of various songs. "The Dead" is about a period in his wife’s life, "Sleep On Your Floor" was inspired by the Feliz Brothers, and "Long Way From Home" was inspired by his dad who died from cancer.
"He died on 7/7/07 at 7:07 a.m.," he said, revealing a tattoo of the number 7 surrounded by a heart. "I wanted to make that a lucky number instead of a bad number."
He talked about his experience social distancing, saying he was grateful to be spending time with his wife and missed playing with his bandmates. Schultz kept returning to the importance of everyone coming together to overcome the pandemic.
"I feel like a bad broadcaster," he said. "But we’re here to promote social distancing to try to stop and limit the damage this virus is doing all over the world."
"That’s why I’m endorsing Bruce Springsteen for president," he added.
The Lumineers are dedicated advocates for a range of issues including women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, and climate action. The band performed at the 2017 Global Citizen Festival in New York.
The "Together At Home" campaign was launched on March 16 by Global Citizen and the WHO. Dozens of artists, actors, and health experts have joined the campaign to support the WHO’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. Through the campaign, Global Citizens can take actions on a number of topics, including calling on world leaders to fund relief efforts.
Globally, more than 509,000 people have been infected by the coronavirus and 23,335 people have died from it, according to the WHO. The WHO is assisting governments around the world by providing essential supplies and resources. The organization is also researching potential treatments and cures, and guiding the global response on a country-by-country basis.
As researchers rush to develop effective coronavirus remedies, scientists insist that the most effective way to stop the pandemic is through social distancing and shelter-in-place mandates that minimize person-to-person contact.
By visiting Global Citizen’s "Together At Home" campaign page, you can learn more about coronavirus and find ways to get involved in your community.
The "Together At Home" series has featured dozens of artists and influencers, including Chris Martin, John Legend, Charlie Puth, Camila Cabello alongside Shawn Mendes, Lindsey Sterling, Kerry Washington, Chloe X Halle, H.E.R., Jon Batiste and more.
There are many more virtual events to come this week, including these sets on Saturday:
- Skip Marley 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET
- Jack Johnson 3 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. ET
You can see all of Global Citizen's COVID-19 coverage here.
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