You Can Put Me Straight

Is anybody else out there pulling their hair out over homeschooling?? It is Monday. I’ll just leave it at that and move on….

On Saturday evening, I watched the mainstream network broadcast of “One World Together at Home”. I can’t say I was excited, or even looking forward to the broadcast – I just caught it because there wasn’t much else on. The show was, at times, fun to watch.

Hosts Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, and Stephen Colbert had the honors of working from their individual homes and announcing the people as they appeared. They told a few jokes and tried to keep the energy light. There were some fairly serious topics that the program focused on, which really brought the entertainment factor down, in my opinion. I wish there had been more focus on an evening of music keeping us going and less of one where every single song chosen was a reminder of the times.

Even so, I appreciated seeing each artist without the lights, makeup, hair, glitz, and glam that so many programs focus on. The entertainment was based almost solely on what each artist was able to do without the help of special effects, dancers, autotune, or even mic pop-filters, in some cases! While sure, it was obvious that the performances had been pre-recorded, in a time of social distancing and staying at home, there’s only so much that can be done by way of smoke and mirrors to enhance what was already there.

What I did find profoundly obvious though, was how few artists were featured in the broadcast. Only the very biggest of names were shown, with some notable exceptions. (on what planet would Billie Eilish be a bigger name than The Killers? Hint: you’re living on it!) Several celebrities from TV and movies were also on the broadcast, and had they been omitted, there might have been more room for music, something I would have appreciated.

From The Rolling Stones (through the wonders of video and technology, they were able to play together, even in different places!), to Elton John (had to applaud the recording/stage habit of not pronouncing the “S” in “I’m Still Standing” along with the few missed piano notes I heard), it was easy to see and connect with the humanity. Even John Legend was edited a bit out of the broadcast during “The Prayer”, the song he did with Lady Gaga, Andrea Bocelli, Celine Dion and Lang Lang because (not unlike Simon), he hit a bum note. We’re not perfect beings. I liked knowing that these celebrities and artists are more similar to me than not. The mistakes just make us all human.

Overall, I enjoyed the show. I wish there had been more emphasis on the music and MUCH less on the pandemic, staying home, and how long it may be before we see a vaccine – most of us are faced with those reports nearly every hour of every day. The point of honoring the health workers on the front lines wasn’t lost on me, but the same could have been done without the relentless reminders.

I can’t help but wonder how this period of time will change our expectations? Will the general public continue to accept less-than-perfection? What about celebrities and artists? More broadly, how will all of this change music and art? Will music get back to basics? Acoustics over auto-tune? Hmm…perhaps that’s asking too much!

-R