On Saturday, May 30th, 70+ artists and many thousands of fans joined together for Quarantine Comes Alive, a virtual music festival benefiting musicians and a slew of charities via the comprehensive PLUS1 COVID-19 Relief Fund.
The 15-hour livestream marathon featured new contributions by artists 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.
As you no doubt know, while the virtual festival was streaming, racial and social tensions were erupting around the country. In that light, we felt it appropriate to start the Quarantine Comes Alive video rollout with Nick Cassarino‘s performance of iconic Sam Cooke protest anthem, “A Change Is Gonna Come”. The stark yet optimistic appeal for social justice during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s still rings just as true today. It’s been a long time coming, but we have to believe a change is gonna come and take action toward bringing it to fruition.
As Cassarino, the singer/guitarist in The Nth Power, tells Live For Live Music about his Quarantine Comes Alive performance, “I have played and profited from black music for 20 years. It has made me who I am. I encourage all my white brothers and sisters to publicly speak out against the blatant racial inequality in America.”
[Editor’s Note: While Nick noted in the beginning of the video that the song goes out to the Editor, that was only because it was a special request—thanks, Nick. Both Nick and I, however, agree that the performance really goes out to the fight for social justice.]
Watch Nick Cassarino perform “A Change Is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke at Quarantine Comes Alive below:
Nick Cassarino – “A Change Is Gonna Come” [Sam Cooke cover] – 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.
You can still donate here or by texting “QCA” to 50155.