On Friday, the chart-topping American rapper and rockstar Post Malone performed a Nirvana tribute concert from his home in Salt Lake City, Utah. The event was livestreamed on YouTube, and Malone encouraged viewers to contribute to the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund by clicking a blue button on the screen. As of this writing, the effort has generated 6.6 million views and nearly $4.2 million in donations. Google is matching those funds 2-to-1, bringing the philanthropic haul to over $12 million.
The 24-year-old Malone shredded on electric guitar and crooned for the duration of the performance, which lasted an hour and a quarter. Drummer Travis Barker, bassist Brian Lee, and guitarist Nick Mack accompanied Malone, each in a different room of his home. To the delight of many in the virtual audience, Malone and Lee donned flowery house dresses that may have been picked from their grandmothers’ wardrobes.
We’re here to play some songs for you and to try our best to stay at home and still make some rock-and-roll and party hard… There’s people who need help and we wanna keep kickin’ ass.
Post Malone
The group’s energetic performance was hailed by grunge enthusiasts everywhere. Courtney Love, the widow of the late Nirvana frontman Curt Kobain, expressed her hearty endorsement on Instagram. And, former Nirvana Bassist Krist Novoselic live-tweeted his approval, writing “I don’t think these fellows can play any better. They are on fire!!!!”
Watch the full concert below and/or donate here:
Set list
The tribute featured expert renditions of tracks from Nirvana’s albums Nevermind, Bleach, and In Utero. Notably, it did not include Nirvana’s megahit “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Here is the full set list:
- “Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle”
- “Drain You”
- “Come as You Are”
- “Lounge Act”
- “School”
- “Heart Shaped Box”
- “Something in the Way”
- “About a Girl”
- “Stay Away”
- “Lithium”
- “Breed”
- “On a Plane”
- “Very Ape”
- “Territorial Pissings”
- “In Bloom”
The Response Fund
The WHO’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund supports critical response efforts in countries most impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. On April 14, President Trump controversially suspended all US contributions to the WHO, citing the organization’s “role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus.” The next day, CDC Director Robert Redfield distanced himself from Trump’s remarks, telling Good Morning America’s George Stephanopolous that “CDC and WHO have had a long history of working together in multiple outbreaks throughout the world, as we continue to do in this one… And so, we’ve had a very productive public health relationship. We continue to have that.”
According to the WHO, contributions to the Response Fund go to:
- Putting in place activities to track and understand the spread of the virus;
- Ensuring patients get the care they need;
- Buying and ship essential supplies such as masks, gloves and protective ware for frontline workers;
- Producing evidence based guidelines and advice, and make sure health workers and responders get the information and training to detect and treat affected patients;
- Producing guidance for the general public and for particular groups on measures to take to prevent the spread and prevent themselves and others;
- Accelerating efforts to develop vaccines, tests and treatments.