Elton John's 2020 iHeart Concert Performance Almost Didn't Happen Because Of His House
On Sunday night, Elton John hosted "The iHeart Living Room Concert for America" on Fox. During the broadcast, a variety of popular musicians performed from their remote locations as a way to raise money for coronavirus relief. The "Rocket Man" musician himself may have planned a formal performance as well, but an unexpected scenario nearly prevented John from taking part in his own charitable effort.
According to USA Today, the singer-songwriter explained the unusual reasoning that stopped him from playing the piano during the show.
"I have to be quarantined in the only house I have ever been in without a piano," he stated. However, near the end of the show, he sat down at a keyboard belonging to his son as an attempt to lend his talents to the event.
"I don't normally play a keyboard like this," he said before dedicating his 1974 hit "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me" to "the incredible heroes" who are working each day to lessen the severity of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
A clip of his performance can be seen below.
As stated by Rolling Stone, John also discussed what he hoped the Fox broadcast would do for viewers. "Our concerns are a mile high, but we hope this bit of entertainment can feed and fuel your soul, and maybe bring you some strength and a touch of joy to prepare for the days to come," he stated.
"Bad Guy" singer Billie Eilish, Camila Cabello, Shawn Mendes, and others also appeared on the broadcast. Additionally, Mariah Carey performed towards the end of the show, singing a version of her 1995 song "Always Be My Baby." After giving it the "Full Mariah treatment, goosing the end with falsetto trills," as noted by the outlet, she then reportedly signed off by saying, “Stay happy. Stay blessed."
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