The ‘One World: Together at Home’ concert was truly a once-in-a-lifetime event that mobilized some of the biggest stars from both the 20th and 21st century. The concert was completely personalized for the viewer, and touched on many major issues that our world is facing amid this pandemic. These stars repeatedly expressed their gratitude to first responders and health care workers while thanking all of us for staying at home. 

While watching this concert, I noticed the effort each performer made to be understood by every watcher, no matter their age, culture, or primary language. Because music is our universal language, people from all over the world were able to enjoy this concert. The lineup included classic bands and singers including Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, and Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam. Also, the identifiable singers for younger crowds all over the world included Billie Eilish, Beyoncé, Camilla Cabello, Shawn Mendes, and Lizzo. 

The most interesting thing was the attempt made to identify with young children. During the concert, two different “Sesame Street” characters were featured, Oscar the Grouch and Abby Cadabby. Although the headlining of these characters seemed a little odd to me at a first glance, I realized how comforting this may be for younger children. Our current situation concerning COVID-19 was explained in simple terms and the characters also explained ways kids can deal with feeling scared or confused. Teaching children ways to cope with their feelings during this stressful time spreads the important message of mental health awareness to everyone. 

Another way that the creators of this concert made it accessible and enjoyable for everyone was their inclusion of singers from all around the world. The featuring of stars like Maluma, J Balvin and Nigerian singer Burna Boy emphasized the named theme of the concert: that we are “one world.” Since we are all affected COVID-19 in our daily lives, it is exceedingly important to enlist singers who are not just popular where the creators of the concert are from.

There were a few singers that gave noteworthy performances during the concert. Kacey Musgraves sang “Rainbow”, which was a beautiful choice. As, according to the BBC, the rainbow has become a symbol of hope throughout this pandemic. Maluma sang an acoustic version of one of my personal favorite songs, “Carnaval”. His amazing voice resonated and spread a more lighthearted message. John Legend and Sam Smith sang a duet of the classic song “Stand by Me.” To me, the most impressive element of this performance was how their voices still blended together even though they recorded themselves from different places. 

The ‘One World: Together at Home’ concert was an amazing experience that gives the watcher a very personal connection to a global community that we’re lacking during this time of isolation. The recording for the concert is now available for watching on Hulu and YouTube. 

By Madeline Robbins