With nearly every human tragedy comes a celebrity response. They’re almost always well-meaning, though sometimes they miss the mark.

People are still largely divided on whether the Global Citizen’s All-Star “One World: Together at Home” COVID-19 charity special was a much-needed respite, a meaningful fundraiser, or a publicity stunt for those involved. And while everyone is entitled to their opinion on the effort, the fact is that the virtual concert featuring the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Lizzo, and more raised over $127 million for the WHO’s coronavirus response efforts.

In a statement, Global Citizen’s co-founder and CEO Hugh Evans said:

“As we honor and support the heroic efforts of community health workers, One World: Together at Home aims to serve as a source of unity and encouragement in the global fight to end COVID-19. Through music, entertainment and impact, the global live-cast will celebrate those who risk their own health to safeguard everyone else’s.”

We can certainly all agree that those on the front lines deserve our support.

One of the performances that helped make the special so memorable was a new rendition of the song “The Prayer” performed by Lady Gaga, Celine Dion, Andrea Bocelli, and John Legend. The 1999 song was originally a duet between Dion and Bocelli.

And let’s just say that when you make the legendary Stevie Nicks shed a tear with your performance, it’s safe to say it was amazing.

Joining the talented foursome was Chinese pianist Lang Lang whose emotional piano backup will hopefully turn him into the household name he deserves to be.

The entire concert was staged remotely, therefore so was the performance of the song.

It was certainly a technical feat to mashup the live feeds from 4 different places to create a seamless quintet!

Each of the performers appeared to be casting their part live from their homes (John Legend is even on a staircase with one earbud in!).

And yes, this really is Lady Gaga without her full regalia – she’s almost unrecognizable!

In fact, the entire concert was quite the accomplishment as it ran across multiple platforms for a whopping 8 hours on April 18th.

While the event made a point of not being a telethon in which donations from viewers were constantly solicited, it was still a financial success, perhaps because it acted as a celebration of the heroism of those on the front lines of the pandemic. It’s hard not to give what you can when you think about what they’re going through.

Lady Gaga was particularly touched by the donations since she was one of the main curators of the concert.

Global Citizen, which took the lead in arranging the concert is “a movement of engaged citizens who are using their collective voice to end extreme poverty by 2030.” They do this by holding a music festival every year and began in 2012.

The organization works with NGOs and corporate sponsors to deliver content to people who are willing to learn about the underlaying causes of global poverty and act as agents of change to do their part around the world.

If you’re interested in learning more about their efforts during the coronavirus epidemic or finding ways to help slow the spread, click here for resources.

And be sure to scroll down below to see the stunning performance of “The Prayer.”

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Source: Rolling Stone, Global Citizen via YouTube, Global Citizen