Chris Martin performed Coldplay tracks, covered David Bowie and answered fans’ questions on Instagram Live on Monday. The broadcast is the first installment of Together, at Home, in which artists perform virtually on the platform in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
“Maybe 9/11 was the last time I felt like we were all together,” Martin said of the pandemic, sitting at a piano and intently reading users’ comments. He took requests from fans, including Coldplay’s 2000 hit “Yellow” and a cover of David Bowie’s “Life on Mars,” stopping at the chorus because it was too early for his voice to reach that octave.
“I feel like I’m on Celebrity Big Brother,” he added, laughing that his every move was visible to nearly 50 thousand people. “I was never asked to go on one of those things.”
Together, at Home is a collaboration between the World Health Organization (WHO) and Global Citizen. They launched a campaign called the Solidarity Response Fund, aiming to raise $675 million throughout the month of April towards COVID-19 relief.
At the end of the broadcast, Martin announced that John Legend would be the next artist to participate in Together, at Home. “You can see a real piano player who doesn’t need fireworks to play,” he said.
