A Night of Covenant House Stars: Dolly Parton, Bon Jovi's performances leave fans enthralled
On Monday night, May 18, a host of stars united over Livestream at 8 pm ET for a benefit fundraiser called A Night of Covenant House Stars. This live concert aimed to raise COVID-19 relief aid for the Covenant House non-profit charity, which provides supportive services for youth facing homelessness. Numerous celebrities were in attendance for the event, including Meryl Streep, Morgan Freeman, Dolly Parton, Diane Keaton, Jon Bon Jovi, Nicki Sixx, Stephen Colbert, Dionne Warwick, Stephanie J Block, and Tony Shalhoub.
Plenty of Broadway stars were also in attendance, including Audra McDonald, Jeremy Jordan, Jordan Fisher, Stephanie J. Block, and more. The Broadway Inspirational Voices choir and the Covenant House youth also gave special performances.
The two-hour-long exclusive event was hosted by the 6-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald and the '60 Minutes' correspondent John Dickerson. Funds raised during the live event will benefit Covenant House's international relief work. The non-profit provides food, housing & health care for homeless youth across 31 cities in six countries, and it is also currently working to keep at-risk children safe during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The evening kicked off with a special performance of Bill Withers'classic 'Lean On Me' sung by a massive choir of talented voices. The Broadway stars Jeremy Jordan, Bobby Conte Thornton, and Laura Osnes then united for a soaring performance of Elton John’s 1970 hit, 'Your Song' and later on Meryl Streep and Diane Keaton read out letters from kids talking about their homeless experiences.
Music icon Dionne Warwick and Motley Crue bassist Nicki Sixx also made special appearances to support Covenant House's work, but did not perform.
Rockstar Jon Bon Jovi made an appearance from his home, playing an acoustic version of his 1995 song 'Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night'. Even the lyrics were appropriate for the Monday night event, as the 58-year-old singer sang, “I'm feeling like a Monday, but someday I'll be Saturday night.” Broadway star Stephanie J. Block beautifully sang 'Not While I'm Around' from 'Sweeney Todd' while holding her daughter, and singer Deborah Cox absolutely nailed 'A New Life' from the musical 'Jekyll & Hyde'.
Jordan Fisher of 'Dear Evan Hansen' fame gave a moving performance of 'Waving Through a Window', as kids held up signs talking about the help and support they had received from Covenant House. Elsewhere, Keala Settle sang an impeccable version of 'This Is Me' from 'The Greatest Showman', while Audra McDonald blew us away with a gorgeous rendition of 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow'.
Country music legend Dolly Parton also played a heartwarming version of her 2014 song, 'Try' on acoustic guitar, urging us all to try harder each day and to get up every time we fall. A fan wrote, "Dolly Parton singing 'Try' is practically a dare to make your eyes well up in the best of times."
Plenty of online viewers were definitely moved by this virtual music extravaganza, with one admitting "I genuinely sobbed over [the] trio Laura , Jeremy, and Bobby." Another fan said, "Thank you @CovenantHouse for embracing our young who are struggling and feel as if they have no hope... to know there is a place for them. Their stories deserve happy endings. Amazing night full of love and song. Loved the acoustic Saturday Night @jonbonjovi. Love this charity."
Another viewer said, "Well damn. Stephanie J Block singing for @CovenantHousemakes me want to go my mama too! Beautifully done, queen." Another admirer tweeted to Stephanie saying "I love Dolly [Parton] and I love YOU and seeing you sing to Vivi [her daughter] was so unbelievably sweet!"
Another fan concluded, "I loved every minute," while another viewer declared the night was "A true blessing to humanity!!"