Sophia Michaels
Common delivered a set as part of Global Citizen and the World Health Organization’s ongoing ‘Together at Home’ concert series from his living room on Thursday.
“This ‘Together at Home’ thing I got really excited about because, you know for me, when a lot is going on, in the world or even within myself, dealing with a lot of things — music has always been something that brings me peace and I always get to enjoy it with other people,” he said to open his livestream. He also encouraged people watching at home that “we will be all right,” and to “wash our hands, take care of ourselves, take care of each other, be aware social distancing is something that we’re into. Spread love with the heart.”
The rapper broadcast on Instagram Live, where he played a bit on a keyboard before saying, “As you can see, I’m not a piano player … I’m not John [Legend], I’m not Chris [Martin],” he joked mentioning his fellow artists who also participated in the ‘Together at Home’ series, before he picked up a mic to freestyle and perform tunes. Accompanied by DJ Dummy, Common delivered a number of songs as well as took requests. Among them were “One-Nine-Nine-Nine,” “Take it EZ” and “I Used to Love H.E.R.”
Common’s set came immediately on the heels of a performance from Niall Horan. The two artists were “nominated” to participate in the series by Charlie Puth, who delivered a 30-minute virtual set on Wednesday. The other two artists to partake in the series so far have been John Legend and Coldplay’s Chris Martin.
The World Health Organization and Global Citizen launched the Together At Home sessions to benefit their Solidarity Response Fund, which is raising money for preparedness and response efforts to fight the coronavirus outbreak. The at-home concerts notably offer music fans stuck at home the chance to gather in a virtual space now that the coronavirus has caused a slew of tour and festival cancellations throughout the world.
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