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 slew of charities and participating musicians—who remain out of work as the pandemic continues to preclude regular touring—via the comprehensive PLUS1 COVID-19 Relief Fund.
The 15-hour live-stream marathon featured virtual performances and never-before-seen videos by an array of artists including Leftover Salmon guitarist Vince Herman, who delivered a three-song solo acoustic set comprised of “I Wanna Talk About That”, his fitting cover of Jimmy Cliff‘s “Sitting In Limbo”, and “Brand New Good Old Days”.
The 10-minute performance for all the “Funksters and Punksters and Jazz-Grass Crunksters and Crooners on Boomers and Facebook-ers and Zoom-ers” tuning in opened with an upbeat, carnival barker-like welcome by Herman—a virtual “FESTIVAL!” for the virtual festival, if you will.
“I Wanna Talk About That”, an upbeat but cautionary tune about the powers that be, kicked things off before an amusingly ad-libbed rendition of Jimmy Cliff‘s “Sitting In Limbo” gave Herman the chance to implore the public to stay in, quarantine, and get on board with “watching a whole bunch of people pickin’ tunes on your screens, man. That’s gotta do for this year, folks, while we’re sitting here. Do some fun things, man, learn how to paint or something…”
Vince’s feel-good energy stayed high as he finished off with “Brand New Gold Old Days”, singing joyfully about the silver linings of this pandemic-dominated year. One of the more beloved personalities within the jam scene, Herman’s set didn’t disappoint in reminding us to smile and not forget the joys of enjoying music together. Relive the Vince Herman performance from Quarantine Comes Alive in full below:
Vince Herman – Full Set – Quarantine Comes Alive
[Video: Live For Live Music]
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.