With venues and bars shut down from coast-to-coast, here’s your guide to the best livestreamed music content right now.
As the nation adjusts to the new reality of life under self-quarantine in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, a number of artists and musical institutions are taking the show online to share some musical joy during these trying times.
With venues and bars on lock down across the country, there are plenty of things you can watch from the safety of your couch, thanks to everyone from Miley Cyrus to the New York Metropolitan Opera and the fine folks at Disney.
While sites like Stageit have been offering up livestream shows for less-known artists for years, the loss of road time has inspired some acts to look for a new, temporary way to bond with fans until a return to normal.
Check out our ever-expanding list of shows and musical events to stream from the comfort of your home.
May 11: Bon Jovi, Billy Joel, Mariah Carey and Sting will perform for Rise Up New York!, a citywide virtual telethon to raise awareness and funds to help New Yorkers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It begins at 7:00 p.m. EST on CNBC nationally, and on all New York City stations.
Code Orange’s livestream series “You And You Alone” continues tonight at 8:00 p.m. EST on the band’s Twitch channel.
Dave Hause plays Martin Guitar Presents Jam In Place at 4 p.m. ET.
May 12: Jane Lynch remotely hosts NBC’s “Hollywood Game Night” with Nick Jonas, Kristen Bell, and Kenan Thompson competing against John Legend, Sean Hayes and Retta in a series of pop culture games at 10 p.m. ET.
Henry Jamison plays Martin Guitar Presents Jam In Place at noon ET.
May 13: Grayson Capps plays Martin Guitar Presents Jam In Place at noon ET.
Lewis Capaldi will perform a VR concert from his parents’ home at 7 p.m. ET on Oculus Venues. Produced by Supersphere, the concert will be simulcast on Lewis Capaldi’s Facebook page.
May 14: Jazz Foundation of America hosts #TheNewGig to benefit its Cover-19 Musicians Emergency Fund. Hosted by Keegan-Michael Key, performers include Elvis Costello, SHERYL CROW, Robert Cray, Angelique Kidjo, Jon Batist, Stanley Jordan and Milton Nascimento. The fund, established in March, helps musicians affected by the pandemic cover basic living expenses. The event will also include memorable archival performances from past fundraisers from such artists as Herbie Hancock, Brittany Howard and the Count Basie Orchestra. The show will also include special appearances by such celebrity friends of the JFA asWayne Shorter, Bootsy Collins, Jeffrey Wright, Rosie Perez, Bruce Willis, Danny Glover, Mark Ruffin, Michael Imperioli, and Steve Schirripa. Watch here starting at 8 p.m. ET
Lyncs plays Martin Guitar Presents Jam In Place at 3 p.m. ET.
Josh Groban continues his series of “movie nights,” featuring a screening of his past concert films as well as a simultaneous Q&A with Groban and his running commentary on his Youtube channel at 8 p.m. ET. Today’s selection is “Awake Live.” on May 28, he will screen “Live at the Greek” and on June 11, he will play “Josh Groban in Concert.”
May 15: Miley Cyrus is scheduled to perform her song “The Climb” during Facebook and Instagram’s Celebrate the Class of 2020 event in honor of graduating seniors who have had their commencement ceremonies canceled because of the pandemic. The ceremony will also feature words of wisdom from Lil Nas X, Awkwafina and others, as well as a commencement speech by Oprah Winfrey. It begins at 2:00 p.m. EST and can be streamed on Facebook.
Guitar hero Tommy Emmanuel, chart-topping former The Voice Australia winner Karise Eden, and veteran blues-rockers The Black Sorrows join the lineup for Bandwidth, a virtual concert streamed live on Facebook at 7pm AEST (5am ET). An encore screening is set for May 16, 2020 at 10pm ET. Bandwidth was born out of Australia’s Blues on Broadbeach festival, which has been scrapped this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Braison Cyrus plays Martin Guitar Presents Jam In Place at 7 p.m. ET.
May 16: Tones And I, Missy Higgins, Pierce Brothers and The Jezabels are among the artists lined up for the inaugural Recharge 2020 Festival. A partnership of streaming event specialist Delivered Live and Victorian Government, the virtual concert is said to represent “the best of Victoria, from its farms to its pubs, from its estuaries to its kitchens,” and will beam out on YouTube from 12:00 p.m. AEST on Sunday, May 17 (10:00 p.m. EST May 16). Also performing will be The Black Sorrows, Archie Roach, Ainslie Wills, Dallas Frasca, Fanny Lumsden, Hannah Blackburn, Thando and Wagons. Visit deliveredlive.com.au or rechargevic.com.au for more.
May 18: Jon Bon Jovi, Dolly Parton, Meryl Streep, and other big names are set to perform for “A Night Of Covenant House Stars,” a live stream concert benefiting the Covenant House charity. The show kicks off at 8:00 p.m. EST on new streaming service Broadway On Demand.
May 21: Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, OneRepublic, Ellie Goulding, Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers, Sam Smith, James Taylor, Meghan Trainor and Tina: The Tina Turner Musical’s Adrienne Warren are all set to perform for this year’s Red Nose Day Special, which begins at 9 p.m. on NBC.
May 23: From May 23-25, organizers will stream Movement At Home, a virtual edition of Detroit’s Movement Music Festival, which usually takes place over Memorial Day weekend. In partnership with Beatport, the three-day live stream will be hosted on Beatport and Paxahau’s Twitch channels and broadcasted on Movement’s website, Facebook and YouTube channels. Look out for the lineup and programming to be announced soon.
May 24: The annual National Memory Day Concert that traditionally airs from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol will switch to a virtual event. Hosted by Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise, the PBS concert will feature new performances and tributes filmed around the country to honor the military as well as heroes on the frontline of the pandemic crisis. Among those appearing will be Gen. Colin Powell, Cynthia Erivo, Renee Fleming, Trace Adkins, CeCe Winans, Kelli O’Hara, Mary McCormack, the National Symphony Orchestra, Christopher Jackson, Sam Elliott, Laurence Fishburne and Esai Morales. Starting at 8 p.m. ET, the concert will stream on Facebook, YouTube and on PBS.
June 6: Lady Gaga, BTS and Barack Obama are set to give a commencement speech during YouTube’s “Dear Class of 2020” virtual commencement. The event will also feature appearances by Alicia Keys, Kelly Rowland, and more. The schedule will be announced May 17; the event can be streamed on YouTube.