Big Sam's Funky Nation Gets Down In The Driveway At Quarantine Comes Alive [Watch]

On Saturday, May 30th, over 70 artists and thousands of fans came together for Quarantine Comes Alive, a virtual music festival that raised money for a litany of charities via the comprehensive PLUS1 COVID-19 Relief Fund.

The 15-hour livestream marathon featured new contributions by an array of amazing artists from around the world. It was a lot to take in and you surely missed at least a few of the many performers, so we’ll be rolling out the individual segments over the next few weeks to highlight each of the individual performances.

Throughout the ongoing lockdowns, few artists have been more prolific with live streams than New Orleans funk outfit Big Sam’s Funky Nation. The band’s regular performances streamed from frontman Big Sam Williams‘ New Orleans driveway have garnered national media attention from the likes of the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. As one of the most active bands still playing “live shows” during the ongoing live event hiatus, Big Sam’s Funky Nation was a perfect fit for Quarantine Comes Alive. Of course, as has been the case with many of Sam’s driveway livestreams, the band members aren’t the only people seen on screen getting down—as the performance goes on, you can see neighbors begin to gather on the sidewalk and get funky with the Funky Nation.

As Big Sam told Live For Live Music about the Quarantine Comes Alive performance, “Hey Y’all! Here’s a mashup of 2 of my favorites that’ll guarantee to get your body moving & grooving! COVID-19 Can’t stop The FUNK! We’re here to stay! Quarantine Comes Alive in my driveway, so Have A Funky Great Day!”

If you enjoyed the performance, you can drop a tip in the band’s virtual tip jar here on Venmo (@FunkyBigSam), Cashapp ($FunkyBigSam), or PayPal (Noladelic@gmail.com). Follow Big Sam’s Funky Nation on Facebook for regular livestreams from Sam’s driveway. Party like it’s Mardi Gras with Big Sam’s Funky Nation’s full Quarantine Comes Alive performance below:

Big Sam’s Funky Nation – “POKECHOP” > “FUNKY DONKEY” – Quarantine Comes Alive

Presented by Live For Live Music in partnership with PLUS1 and Nugs.TV, Quarantine Comes Alive was conceived as a way to celebrate and support musicians, provide fans with unique musical experiences from the comfort of their couches, and raise money for comprehensive COVID-19 relief during this time of uncertainty. The $160k+ in donations raised from the event will be split evenly between the artists on the bill and the PLUS1 COVID-19 Relief Fund, which works directly with leading non-profit organizations like Sweet Relief, MusiCares, Center for Disaster Philanthropy, World Central Kitchen, Partners In Health, Trans Lifeline, and Backline to provide aid where it’s needed most. For more information, head here.