On Saturday, May 30th, over 70 artists and thousands of fans came together for Quarantine Comes Alive, a virtual music festival that raised over $150,000 for a litany of charities via the comprehensive PLUS1 COVID-19 Relief Fund.
The 15-hour live-stream marathon featured virtual performances and never-before-seen footage by an array of artists from around the world including Circes Around The Sun who debuted a live video of “Money’s No Option” from a tour stop in Burlington, VT earlier this year with help from guitarist Scott Metzger as well as special guest keyboardist Frank LoCrasto. The instrumental was featured on CATS’ self-titled album which arrived earlier this year—the band’s final studio effort featuring late guitarist Neal Casal.
Though the live video certainly isn’t what many would consider being “high quality” resolution, the performance of “Money’s No Option” from CATS’ March 1st, 2020 show at Burlington’s Higher Ground does offer somewhat of a retro throwback to the days of grainy, DIY concert footage before smartphones took over.
“Our Quarantine Comes Alive set came from a show at the hallowed Higher Ground in Vermont during our last tour in Winter 2020,” bassist Dan Horne explained about the clip showed during QCA. “It was actually the only show that didn’t get recorded by us, but luckily our archivist hung a camera from the backstage balcony. The video quality isn’t great, but it reminds us of an old VHS tape of Guns N’ Roses at the Roxy or something. It was a really fun show, as Burlington always is!”
If you enjoyed the performance, the band asks that you make a donation to Backline. Relive the rendition of “Money’s No Option” by Circles Around The Sun debuted as part of Quarantine Comes Alive below:
Circles Around The Sun w/ Scott Metzger, Frank LoCrasto – “Money’s No Option” – 3/1/20 – Debuted At 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. All funds raised from the donation-based 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.