The "Together at Home" virtual concert series — launched last week by Global Citizen in partnership with the World Health Organization — got into full swing over the weekend with no fewer than 12 artists and celebrities bringing us some incredible music and entertainment live from their homes.
The Instagram live concerts ran throughout Saturday and Sunday, as many of us were experiencing our first full weekend of practicing social distancing – meaning taking the crucial step of staying in as much as possible to help contain the spread of coronavirus.
Hundreds of thousands of people from around the world tuned in to hear amazing sets from artists like Miguel, Rufus Wainwright, Bastille, Lindsey Sterling, Sauti Sol, DJ Cuppy, and even an unexpected piano concert from news anchor Katie Couric (!).
Performers encouraged fans to take meaningful action and lend their voice to global efforts to tackle COVID-19 through our Together at Home campaign.
You can find out more on our Together At Home campaign page about coronavirus and how you can take action to help combat it, like calling on G20 states to support the global effort against COVID-19, and spreading the word on social media about the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.
The Together At Home live concerts are happening every day, so you can find out who's coming next and how to tune in by following our social media channels for updates.
Here’s a round-up of all the Together At Home performances over the weekend, and links to performances you might have missed!
Saturday
Rufus Wainwright
The multi-talented singer and musician Rufus Wainwright greeted us with his soothing tones at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET), kicking off the weekend. He was dressed in his bathrobe – which he said he’d be wearing for a few days while being stuck at home – and played some favorites, including closing with a beautiful rendition of “Hallelujah."
Wainwright called on fans to take actions and support efforts to combat coronavirus, adding that it was something we all need to do right now “whether we like it or not.”
Lindsey Stirling
People know her as the "dubstep violinist" from America’s Got Talent, but she's carved out her own career since. “My heart goes out to all of you, we’re going through a hard time right now,” Lindsay said as she opened her live show.
Her calming violin music was really apt for taking some time out to relax. Lindsey also spoke about how her last album Artemis helped her through a tough time; and how she found comfort in the symbolism of the moon (how it's sometimes light, sometimes dark) as a metaphor for mental health.
Juanes
The Colombian legend from the noughties, the multi-awarding winning Juanes did a massive set for nearly two hours. He sang in Spanish with melodic guitar playing in the background — his guitarist standing an appropriate distance behind of course, to abide by social-distancing practices. His show has mustered an incredible 700,000 views, get involved! You can watch his full set here.
DJ Cuppy
Surrounded by heart-shaped balloons at her decks and dressed in her PJs, DJ Cuppy was here to bring the fun. Dancing the whole way through her live set, DJ Cuppy gave us the house party vibes we needed on a Saturday spent at home. It went OFF.
Sunday
Katie Couric
We bet you didn’t know journalist Katie Couric could play the piano. Well, she can! She greeted us to a lovely wholesome late-morning recital on Sunday, 11 a.m. PT (2 p.m. ET) and even took requests.
“I’m not John Legend, I’m not Chris Martin, but it will be fun!” Couric said opening her show, and she was right!
Sauti Sol
Sauti Sol are one of the biggest bands in Kenya. In between sunny afro-pop tunes which transported listeners away from the stress of news bulletins, Sauti Sol got out the message to fans about the importance of staying home, social distancing, and washing hands. They said they are sadly having to cancel gigs on tour so are getting their music out this way!
Evanescence
Later on Sunday, fans were treated to a solo set from Amy Lee, the lead vocalist for rock band Evanescence. Surrounded by synths, Lee chatted to her fans while playing sometimes two instruments at once, taking requests, and doing covers in her own distinctive style. To close she switched things up and covered "Stand By Me" on the ukulele.
Anitta
The Brazilan pop artist and dancer headed to Instagram live on Sunday, not to sing songs this time but to do a live Q&A with her fans. She didn’t record it so you’ll have had to tune in to see this one!
Bastille
The lead singer for indie legends Bastille, Dan Smith, performed live on Sunday.
He had a really important message for listeners in the UK (although it also applies around the world) to help support the NHS by being conscious about social distancing.
“It’s so important that we stay apart... [I] know it’s really hard,” he said. He added a shout-out thanking the doctors and nurses working through the pandemic.
Miguel
Sunday also saw US singer songwriter Miguel perform “live from the kitchen" as he said. Bringing an electric guitar and beats into the mix, Miguel treated the audience to some of his biggest hits including "Skywalker" and "Simplethings". You can see Miguel's whole set here.
Anthony Hamilton
The soulful singer-songwriter Anthony Hamilton brought in one of the biggest audiences of the weekend for his live show, and was trending on US Twitter by the end of his performance! As well as his own songs, he also performed the comforting classic “Stand by Me”.
Alex Aiono
The singer with over 6 million followers on YouTube, Alex Aiono rounded-off the evening with a mini-set for his Instagram audience. After playing favorites and requests, Aiono encouraged everyone listening to stay safe and stay indoors.
We’ve got more Together At Home concerts lined up so be sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at for the latest news about who's next. You can also head to our Together At Home campaign page to take action in support of global efforts to combat coronavirus.
You can see all of Global Citizen's COVID-19 coverage here.
Related Stories