Vax Live concert: Meghan Markle gives first TV appearance after Jennifer Lopez, Foo Fighters and more perform
Fundraiser was designed to ‘reunite the world’ following the pandemic
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Your support makes all the difference.Vax Live, a concert designed to “reunite the world” after the coronavirus pandemic, aired on Saturday (8 May) after taking place last weekend.
The pre-taped event brought together celebrities and political leaders, including President Joe Biden, Prince Harry, Jennifer Lopez and Foo Fighters. Ben Affleck, Chrissy Teigen, Jimmy Kimmel, Sean Penn and David Letterman also served as guest speakers during the event staged at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
Global Citizen, an action group seeking to “end extreme poverty by 2030”, was behind the show, which doubled as a fundraiser for the organisation.
Lopez opened the evening with a moving rendition of “Sweet Caroline”, welcoming her mother Guadalupe Rodríguez onto the stage. Rodríguez sang her own version of the Neil Diamond classic, changing the lyrics to “Sweet Jennifer” – as she used to do when Lopez was a child.
Eddie Vedder provided another of the evening’s highlights, in an energetic set introduced by Sean Penn.
In a guest appearance, Olivia Munn discussed the rise of hate crimes targeting Asian American people amid the pandemic. Several of the evening’s speakers stressed the importance for countries not to stockpile doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, sharing it instead with nations which need it.
Prince Harry appeared onstage on two different occasions during the show. He and Meghan Markle acted as campaign chairs for the event, promoting vaccine access equality and voicing their support for vaccination efforts. Meghan couldn’t attend the event in person, presumably because she’s currently pregnant with her second child, but she contributed a pre-recorded video message which aired during the broadcast.
“As campaign chairs of Vax Live, my husband and I believe it's critical that our recovery prioritises the health, safety and success of everyone – and particularly women, who have been disproportionately affected by this pandemic,” she said in her remarks, which marked her first TV appearance since she and Harry spoke with Oprah Winfrey for a headline-making interview which aired in March.
She added: “My husband and I are thrilled to soon be welcoming a daughter. It's a feeling of joy we share with millions of other families around the world. When we think of her, we think of all the young women and girls around the globe who must be given the ability and the support to lead us forward.”
Foo Fighters delivered the longest set of the evening and were joined by AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson for a rendition of “Back in Black”. Dave Grohl and his band mates, like the rest of the acts at Vax Live, seemed visibly thrilled to be back on stage, and gave an energetic, thrilling performance.
Follow the event as it happened with our live blog:
Grammy winner HER takes the stage for an incredible rendition of “Glory”:
Olivia Munn, one of tonight’s speakers, discusses the recent wave of hate crimes targeting Asian-Americans in the US. She also introduces a segment narrated by Oprah Winfrey, highlighting some of the research, science, and efforts behind the coronavirus vaccine and its distribution.
K-pop band NCT 127 are performing, and they have some SERIOUS moves. The act has been nominated for many international awards, including the American Music Award for Favourite Social Artist in 2020.
Here is how you can donate to tonight’s event, if you are able and inclined to do so:
Here’s how to donate to Vax Live
‘Vax Live: The Concert to Reunite the World’ will air on YouTube on 8 May
Sean Penn gave a brief address to introduce an energised set by Eddie Vedder, who is performing “Corduroy”. And did you hear that? Vedder is tweaking the lyrics to the song, for example turning “A-push me and I will resist” into “Give me the shot, I won’t resist.”
Earlier this evening, Olivia Munn spoke about the rise of violence against Asian-American amid the coronavirus pandemic. This is a topic she has been vocal about for months:
Olivia Munn laments spiking hate crimes against Asian Americans as friend’s mother is attacked
‘The racist, verbal and physical assaults have left my community fearful to step outside,’ actor wrote recently on social media
Eddie Vedder is now covering Jackson Browne’s “I Am A Patriot” after urging countries not to stockpile doses of the Covid-19 vaccine and pharmaceutical companies to distribute it fairly. You can read more about his address in this review of the concert:
Foo Fighters team up with AC/DC singer to rock Vax Live – but J Lo’s mum steals the show
Prince Harry’s in-person appearance scored the biggest spontaneous standing ovation of an event that marked a return to some familiarity
A few highlights from tonight’s show so far, courtesy of Global Citizen’s gifs:
J Balvin is now performing. The Colombian singer revealed last year he was recovering from coronavirus, saying (according to Billboard): “At this moment, I'm just getting better from COVID-19. These have been very difficult days, very complicated. Sometimes we won't think that we'll get it but I got it and I got it bad.” From the Vax Live stage, he mentions his own experience having Covid-19 to urge others to get vaccinated against the illness.
An important theme tonight has been that of vaccine stockpiles, a topic you can read more about in this story. As our writer Graeme Massie reports, health experts say that more than one billion doses have been given across the globe, but the disparity in access is a stark one.
‘Vaccine apartheid’: US under fire for sitting on stockpile while developing nations face deadly shortage
One billion vaccine shots now given worldwide but 75 per cent have gone to ten countries, Graeme Massie reports
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