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Stars deliver pitch-perfect performances in 'One World: Together At Home'

It was a night to remember from Lady Gaga & co.
April 18, 2020 11:58 p.m. EST
April 21, 2020 2:56 p.m. EST
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Most people can agree that it’s been a weird handful of weeks. But through the entire coronavirus pandemic there have been some truly bright spots of hope, and that’s exactly what Lady Gaga and her A-list pals wanted to highlight with One World: Together At Home. The musical montage of hope and awareness was a star-studded night to say the least, with legends, chart-toppers (Lizzo! Billie!), and even Abby and Oscar from Sesame Street coming together to prove that we’re all in this together.

Thanks to a variety of sponsors and donors the event raised a whopping $50 million for the World Health Organization ahead of broadcast, which meant the two-hour global show was more about spreading hope, giving messages of thanks for healthcare workers and teachers, and reminding everyone that it’s okay to ditch the sweatpants and bust out the snazzy suits every once in a while, even while in isolation.

Lady Gaga kicks it off with a smile… and ends with Céline Dion

When it came to finding the right person to kick off the night, was there ever any question that it would be Lady Gaga? She is the one who put this whole thing together, after all. So after a brief introduction from the evening’s three hosts, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon, the one and only popstar addressed fans everywhere with a smile. Like, an actual smile, with a stunning rendition of Nat King Cole’s “Smile.” Was it weird seeing the Mother Monster with pared back makeup and hair? Sure. But that didn’t make her voice any less effective. Especially when she bookended the show with another performance with Céline Dion and John Legend that brought it all home.

Legends take the home stage

When’s the last time you attended a concert featuring Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney, Eddie Vedder and Stevie Wonder? They were just some of the legends that set up home performances for the shindig, reminding everyone that not only can these guys sing, but they also know their way around a guitar or piano. (Even if that piano was set up in the driveway, a la Elton John.) As Kimmel put it at one point, “You know the coronavirus is in trouble when a Beatle gets involved.”

The Stones get creative with the camera effects…

With so many performers to coordinate, this show was ambitious to say the least. But that didn't stop The Rolling Stones from coming together from their four respective pads for a performance of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want," though it took a while for everyone to actually pop on. (As it turns out, you can’t always get what you want, especially if what you want is a good video connection.) But Mick Jagger knows his way around an audience, and he kicked it off pretty well as everyone else’s feeds caught up—only to reveal that no one does air drums like Charlie Watts, by the way. Whether slow WiFi was the culprit, or the Stones simply wanted to make the most of their video chat's 'camera on/off' feature, the band eventually came through with the virtual reunion.

...and Keith Urban is a tech wizard

One guy who seems to have this tech thing down pat? Keith Urban. During his iteration of “Higher Love” he performed magic and did a spell where he became three people. Because obviously three Keiths are always better than one. Throw in a Nicole Kidman cameo at the end, and you've got the makings of a fan-favourite performance.

Some recognition to the OG Global Citizen

While Lady Gaga certainly deserves all the credit for bringing this special to fruition, it wouldn’t be right if no one brought up the original guy who kicked off the Global Citizen movement, Coldplay’s Chris Martin. The special threw back to his Instagram Live performance of “Yellow” before cutting to another message of hope from the current queen of daytime, Ellen DeGeneres. “The strength of human kindness means we’re never alone,” she assured fans from her living room.

Shawn and Camila are self-isolation #relationshipgoals

If you’ve spent an obsessive amount of time wondering what social distancing looks like for sweethearts Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello, you definitely got your fill on Saturday night. The musicians hunkered down at a romantic, candlelit piano to perform a soulful rendition of “What a Wonderful World,” proving that it is indeed a wonderful world when two voices like theirs find each other.

[video_embed id='1941582']RELATED: Beyoncé makes surprise TV musical cameo[/video_embed]

Beyoncé proves she’s still the Queen Bey

Can Beyoncé sing? She sure can. But she didn’t lend her voice to the night of performances, and that made her message of equality and safety that much more powerful, don’t you think? “Tonight we celebrate true heroes, those who are making the ultimate sacrifice to keep us all safe, fed and healthy,” she said. “We are one family and we need you. We need your voices, your abilities, and your strength all over this world.”

JLo is a candlelit goddess

In case anyone forgot that Jennifer Lopez does in fact glow, she had one of the sweetest setups of the night, perched in front of a string-lit tree with some oversized candles while singing Babs’ “People.” It was the backyard performance fans everywhere could only dream of, filmed, probably, by her excellent cameraman Alex Rodriguez. Or at least that’s how it went in many fans’ minds.

John Legend and Sam Smith stand together

People may have expected John Legend to appear along with his wife, Chrissy Teigen, kind of like how David and Victoria Beckham, or COVID-19 survivors Idris and Sabrina Elba did. Instead he decided to be the EGOT winner that he is by teaming up with his zillions of trophies and Sam Smith for a performance of “Stand By Me” that was lit. The song was also the perfect lead-in to Billie Joe Armstrong’s soulful rendition of “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” which the Green Day frontman sang over photo stills of popular landmarks that are hauntingly empty these days.

Taylor Swift breaks out the big guns

Taytay fans are well aware that the singer writes all of her own songs, so she really didn’t need any preamble before launching into a heartfelt rendition of “Soon You’ll Get Better.” It was 100 per cent the song her fans needed to hear right about now, as everyone tries to find their own way of healing from the impacts of coronavirus.

Other A-listers do what they can

Look, no one was expecting Kerry Washington, Amy Poehler, Lupita N’yong’o or Matthew McConaughey to perform a musical masterpiece… or, perform at all for that matter. But that didn’t stop them from giving their own messages of hope and to remind everyone to stay safe and healthy, both from a mental and physical perspective. Those appearances, performances, and words from frontline healthcare workers and officials all culminated in a message that hopefully rang true for everyone just trying to do their best right about now. And wasn’t that the main goal of One World: Together At Home? After all, music is the universal language. Watch and re-live every moment of One World: Together At Home on CTV.ca

[video_embed id='1941624']BEFORE YOU GO: Rachel McAdams donates $10K during hometown charity stream-a-thon[/video_embed]

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