Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman take to Instagram live again, as Guy Sebastian performs online for isolated fans
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban have taken to Instagram live again for a DIY concert, as Guy Sebastian joined the global line-up for virtual concerts in the wake of coronavirus.
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Keith Urban is getting his virtual gig on again. “Last Monday was fun, let’s do it again?” the country music superstar posted on Instagram.
Calling the concert Urban Underground, the singer announced he would be playing from 8am AEDT on Tuesday.
Urban delighted quarantined fans with an impromptu concert from his Nashville warehouse last week, with dancing and roadie assistance from his wife Nicole Kidman.
The concert has had more than 570,000 views via his Instagram page.
“You’re up, baby,” signalled a giggling Nicole Kidman as her country music superstar husband Keith Urban prepped his online concert for fans self-isolating due to coronavirus.
Urban told his audience last week he had limited the amount of his bandmates for the gig to a sound and camera operator and Kidman, his audience of one.
“I had to have someone to play to,” he said, laughing before launching into half an hour of tunes.
Artists are rallying to offer online gigs or videos to keep people entertained as the live industry is shut down across the world and millions are confined to their homes and neighbourhoods.
Guy Sebastian joins the global line-up for the #TogetherAtHome series of virtual concerts at midday on Thursday.
Pop stars galore are joining with Global Citizen and WHO for the #TogetherAtHome Solidarity Sessions to alleviate anxiety and feelings of isolation and encourage people to stay at home, with Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello, Bastille, OneRepublic, Chris Martin, John Legend and Common among those who have staged gigs in the past week.
“I’m thinking I am going to do it at the piano in the lobby of my home, if I can get it in tune,” he said, laughing but also acknowledging his perfectionist nature.
“I don’t care if the (live feed) goes out of synch as long as the audio sounds good!”
He may premiere a new song he started writing when he received the news he would have to quickly leave Los Angeles where he had been in songwriting sessions to make it home before Australia’s borders were closed.
Sebastian said the cheeky song called All For It attempts to put a positive spin on being in quarantine with your loved one.
“I had to write a cornoavrius song,” he said.
“It’s a lighthearted take on bunkering down, that if I have to bunker down with you and repopulate the world, let’s do it.”
Sebastian has been in self-isolation since arriving home last Tuesday.
With production of The Voice postponed due to the other coaches unable to enter Australia and future touring plans shelved, Sebastian admits he fears for the financial and mental health of not only his band members and crew but the wider music community.
He is exploring options to put on an online benefit concert for his team and is also advocating for live music to return to prime time television during the pandemic shutdown in a social distance-friendly format.
“Within my industry, there’s some real fear about the real ramifications of venues shutting down and tours being cancelled,” he said.
“I’m trying to get some Government attention and also maybe get television thinking about putting live music back on because there’s an appetite for it and it could be a way to keep artists and musicians and crew employed as long as we could adapt it to fit the health requirements.
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“So many artists are doing the Global Citizen concerts and other things but there also has to be a direct response from artists at the level I have been lucky enough to operate for a while to make a difference to our band members and other colleagues.
“Some of them literally don’t know how they are going to pay their rent and there will be a massive mental health cost to all of this as well.”
Other artists have contributed humorous handwashing videos to drive home the CoVid hygiene messages including Neil Diamond who surprised fans with his performance of a CoVid-inspired rewrite of his classic Sweet Caroline, switching up the chorus to sing “hands, washing hands.”
And Liam Gallagher posted a series of hilarious handwashing videos rewriting much-loved Oasis songs to Wonderwash (Wonderwall), Soapersonic (Supersonic) and Soapernova (Champagne Supernova).
More than 70 Australian artists, including Julia Jacklin, Stella Donnelly, Didirri, Hayley Mary and Angie McMahon, entertained fans on the weekend via the Isol-Aid Festival on Instagram’s live story platform, playing about 20 minute sets from their homes.
The festival, which will run again this weekend, also sought to highlight the Support Act music charity campaign to raise funds for tens of thousands of artists, roadies and industry workers whose incomes have been devastated by the coronavirus shutdown of concerts and festivals.
Originally published as Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman take to Instagram live again, as Guy Sebastian performs online for isolated fans
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