iHeart Living Room Concert for America
The iHeart Living Room Concert for America was a concert special held on March 29, 2020 by iHeartMedia in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; to provide relief and support to the public in an effort to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The special aired on Fox and was simulcast across their sister cable networks, along with a number of iHeartRadio broadcast radio stations and within its mobile app.[2]
iHeart Living Room Concert for America | |
---|---|
Presented by | Elton John |
Starring | Alicia Keys Backstreet Boys Billie Joe Armstrong Billie Eilish Finneas O'Connell Camila Cabello Shawn Mendes Tim McGraw Dave Grohl Sam Smith H.E.R. Demi Lovato Mariah Carey |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Executive producers | Joel Gallen[1] Rob Wade John Sykes Tom Poleman |
Camera setup | Videotelephony |
Release | |
Original network | Fox iHeartRadio |
Original release | 29 March 2020 |
External links | |
Production website |
Overview
The concert was hosted by Elton John, and it served as a partial replacement for the original timeslot for the 2020 iHeartRadio Music Awards, which was initially delayed to a later date and later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3][4] It also served as a benefit for Feeding America and the First Responders Children's Foundation.[5] The entire production utilized video conferencing and video apps from each artist and band who appeared to compile the special.
John, himself, volunteered to host the special, despite not having a piano in his Los Angeles home. Originally, Fox and iHeart were in talks with an undisclosed comedian to host the special, but it fell through.[1]
It initially saw donations of nearly $8 million (and counting) raised for the charities.[6] This was credited from not only numerous fan contributions, but also $500,000 from corporate partner Procter & Gamble, which Fox matched, and also additional funds raised by Fox employees and corporate partner PricewaterhouseCoopers.[6] It was later reported that special eventually raised more $10 million for the charities as well.[7][8]
Performances
Artist(s) | Song(s) |
---|---|
Alicia Keys | "Underdog" |
Backstreet Boys | "I Want It That Way" |
Billie Joe Armstrong | "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" |
Billie Eilish Finneas O'Connell |
"Bad Guy" |
Camila Cabello Shawn Mendes (on guitar) |
"My Oh My" |
Tim McGraw | "Something Like That" |
Dave Grohl | "My Hero" |
Sam Smith | "How Do You Sleep?" |
H.E.R. | "Keep Holding On" |
Demi Lovato | "Skyscraper" |
Mariah Carey | "Always Be My Baby" |
Elton John | "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" |
Appearances
Broadcast
The special was broadcast at 9pm EST on Fox and was simulcast on Fox Corporation-owned networks Fox News, Fox Business, Fox Sports 2, and Fox Deportes. It was also broadcast on a majority of iHeartRadio broadcast radio stations, including its mobile app.
In Canada, the special was simulcast on Much, MTV, and CP24, wherein its broadcast benefits the Canadian Red Cross.[11]
On Fox, the special scored 5.5 million viewers.[12][6] It also scored 1.5 in the key 18-49 ratings demographic, beating American Idol as most watched show for the evening in this demographic.[12][6] Overall, the special scored 8.7 million viewers.[6]
References
- Schneider, Michael (March 30, 2020). "Fox, iHeart Execs Reveal Secrets Behind 'Living Room Concert' Performances (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
- "iHeart Living Room Concert For America: Here's What Happened". Billboard. March 29, 2020.
- "Camila Cabello & Shawn Mendes Perform 'My Oh My' at Concert for America". Billboard. 2020-03-29. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
- Grein, Paul (August 24, 2020). "iHeartRadio Music Awards Canceled For 2020 -- But Winners Will Still Be Announced". Billboard. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
- Braine, Theresa. "How to catch Sunday's iHeart Living Room concert hosted by Elton John". nydailynews.com.
- "'FOX Presents the iHeart Living Room Concert for America' raises nearly $8 million (and counting) for Feeding America & First Responders Children's Foundation".
- Alexander, Bryan (2020-04-03). "Elton John's 'Living Room Concert for America' performance will re-air on Fox this Monday". USA Today. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
- Bell, Amanda (2020-04-05). "Elton John's Living Room Coronavirus Benefit Concert Raises $10 Million, to Reair on Fox Monday". TV Guide. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
- "Lady Gaga & Ellen DeGeneres Join Elton John's COVID-19 Relief Concert". E! Online. March 29, 2020.
- "All The Special Guests Who Appeared On iHeartRadio's Living Room Concert". iHeartRadio. March 29, 2020.
- "iHeartRadio Living Room Concert".
- "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.29.2020 | Showbuzz Daily". www.showbuzzdaily.com.