COVID-19 Roundup: Queen to Stream Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert
Queen announced that the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, which took place in London in 1992, will be streamed on their YouTube channel tomorrow to raise money for the World Health Organization’s work against the coronavirus pandemic.
The show – which commemorated Mercury’s life five months after his death – will be available for 48 hours, starting at 2PM ET; Google will donate $2 for every $1 contributed by fans.
You can watch a trailer for the show below.
Meanwhile, Guns N’ Roses released a T-shirt criticizing President Donald Trump’s behavior during the pandemic. It follows an incident where Trump’s team played GNR’s version of “Live and Let Die” during a political visit to a medical-mask factory where he didn't wear a mask. The shirt reads “Live N’ Let Die with COVID-45”; it’s available for pre-order now.
Sammy Hagar and the Circle released a lockdown cover of Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth,” while Extreme members led other musicians through a cover of the Beatles’ “Let It Be” and John Fogerty delivered Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Up Around the Bend” with his family.
You can watch videos of the performances below.
Four in 10 Americans have been discovering new music during the lockdown, a survey suggested. The research, released by Billboard, concluded that 43 percent were listening to music they’d never experienced before, while 84 percent were enjoying songs they already knew. More than half of those surveyed said they were “enthusiastic” for the return of live concerts with social distancing and sanitizing procedures put in place.
There are currently 4.43 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide, with 298,173 deaths and 1.66 million recoveries. Of the 2.47 million active cases, 98 percent are said to be mild, while 45,921 are serious or critical. In the U.S., the total stands at 1.43 million, with 85,197 deaths and 310,259 recoveries.