Livestreams & Virtual Concerts to Watch: Week of February 22

As the recent brutal winter weather finally starts to ease up, livestreams and virtual concerts are picking up back up.

After delaying their Feb. 17 benefit show due to bad weather in Nashville, Florida Georgia Line are back this week to do good while celebrating their new album, Life Goes On, on Feb. 25.  H.E.R., Killer Mike and others will be celebrating Black  history makers on the 26th, while Post Malone celebrates the 25th anniversary of Pokemon on the 27.

See what other virtual music events are available for your enjoyment from the warmth and comfort of your own home the week of Feb. 22-28. We’ll update this list as more events are announced.

Feb. 23: Loudon Wainwright III is hosting a virtual tribute to friend singer-songwriter George Gerdes, who died Jan. 1. Performers include Wainwright, Suzanne Vega, and many others. The show begins at 7 p.m. ET on Mandolin.com; tickets are $20.

Feb. 25:  Florida Georgia Line is performing a livestream concert to benefit the businesses impacted by the Christmas Day bombing in Nashville, and also to celebrate new album Life Rolls On. The show, which was rescheduled from Feb. 17 due to inclement weather, kicks off at 9 p.m. ET on Amazon’s Twitch channel.

Jarrod Lawson is offering an intimate performance from his home studio in Portland, Ore., via URSA Live. Every ticket sale will be matched 100% by URSA Live to benefit Little Kids Rock, which supports the expansion of music programs across the country. The show kicks off at 5 p.m. ET; tickets are $10. 

Josh Groban is celebrating the deluxe edition of Harmony with a 92Y chat about recording during the global pandemic, his work in film and TV, and more. The event begins at 7 p.m. ET; tickets are $10.

Feb. 26: H.E.R., Kelly Rowland, Killer Mike, Anderson .Paak and many others are participating in YouTube Originals’ Black Renaissance celebrating Black history makers. The special program will be available for streaming on the YouTube Originals channel.

Feb. 27: Post Malone is celebrating Pokemon Day with a virtual concert. “Celebrating 25 years is a big deal, so we decided to do it together,” said the artist, who, like the franchise, is 25 years old. The free concert begins at 7 p.m. ET on Pokemon’s YouTube and Twitch channels, as well as the anniversary website.

The Mavericks’ fourth episode of their pay-per-view concert series will be recorded live from their Nashville studios, and will feature music, art, interviews and more. The show begins at 8 p.m. ET on Nugs.net; tickets are $19.99.

Neon Dreams, The Carolyn, and more are playing the virtual 59 X Fest to benefit 320 Changes Direction in an effort to raise awareness for mental health awareness. The show begins at 4 p.m. ET; tickets start at $10.

Feb. 28: A virtual party is being held to celebrate Harry Belafonte’s 94th trip around the sun. Common, Chuck D, Aloe Blacc and others will be making appearances during the event, which will benefit The Gathering for Justice. The party kicks off at 7 p.m. ET; tickets start at $25.

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Janet Jackson Surprises Gymnast Whose Floor Routine Went Viral: ‘It Just Inspired Me’

Miss Jackson calling! Janet Jackson surprised Margzetta Frazier with a FaceTime call on Friday (Feb. 19) days after the UCLA gymnast went viral with a floor routine set to the superstar’s music.

According to Good Morning America, the athlete got a text saying she was getting a call in one minute. When the phone rang, the caller turned out to be Jackson herself.

“I would one day love to learn to tumble. And if I do, I would love for you to teach me!” the star tells Frazier in a video of the chat Jackson shared on Twitter. “I did it once in the video ‘Pleasure Principle,’ and the way it was shot, people didn’t think that it was me, but it was me doing the backflip!”

Frazier, with a big smile on her face, quickly agrees to give Jackson a lesson. The artists laughs, “I would love for you to teach me. … Hopefully, I won’t break anything!”

“I just want to say thank you, thank you for sharing your talent. It’s so beautiful to see you tumble, really inspiring,” Jackson continues in the call. “And it just inspired me to want to do more and be better and be stronger. I absolutely loved it.”

She wrapped up the call by telling an emotional Frazier again that she’d love to learn some of the gymnast’s moves and would be reaching out the next time she’s in Los Angeles, warning her, “I’m gonna be a mess, a hot mess!”

Frazier gained attention after a Feb. 10 routine during which she did an impressive set filled with powerful flips and a few of Jackson’s moves. It was set to a medley of the singer’s hit songs that included “Nasty.” The nearly flawless routine earned Frazier a score of 9.925.

The day after the routine, Jackson shared UCLA Gymnastic’s tweet of the clip, writing, “#iLuvIT” and tagging the athlete. Frazier reshared it with disbelief: “WOKE UP SCREAMING [crying face emojis] I LOVE YOU,” she tweeted. “I AM SO HAPPY THAT YOU LIKE IT!!! YOU ARE WHY I LOVE TO DANCE.”

According to the Los Angeles Times, after Frazier’s call with the pop icon, the athlete had another event, during which she set two personal bests.

“She is the reason why I love gymnastics,” Frazier told the L.A. Times after the meet. “I really try my best to make it a performance to entertain, and that’s because of her.”

Watch Frazier’s call with Janet Jackson and her viral floor routine below.

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Olivia Rodrigo Turns 18, Celebrates With a Playlist of Her Favorite Songs: Taylor Swift, Lorde & More

Olivia Rodrigo celebrated her 18th birthday on Saturday (Feb. 20) by looking back at some of the songs she’s loved and the songwriters who have influenced her.

“In honor of me turning 18, I’m going to share with you guys 18 of my favorite songs that shaped me into the girl I am today,” the “Drivers License” hitmaker said in a video uploaded on YouTube on her big day.

Rodrigo, who hasn’t been shy about her admiration of Taylor Swift, included three Swift tracks on her list, which is heavy with music by female artists. Songs by Fiona Apple, Phoebe Bridgers, Billie Eilish, Halsey, Lorde and Kacey Musgraves were among Rodrigo’s other picks.

“‘Picture to Burn’ was my first favorite song,” she said of the early Swift track, off of her debut album that was released in 2006, when Rodrigo was just 3 years old. “I was super young when it came out, and I remember I like wasn’t allowed to say ‘stupid old pickup truck’ because I thought stupid was a bad word.”

Her more recent Swift picks were 1989’s “Out of the Woods,” also a favorite of her mom’s — “The bridge is just so good. I scream it at the top of my lungs” — and Folklore’s “Betty.”

Rodrigo opened up about her love of Lorde’s “A World Alone,” from Pure Heroine: “It was the first record that I remember listening to and being like, ‘Oh my god, I see myself in those lyrics … I feel seen by what she’s saying,” she said.

Her playlist of 18 songs included some choices inspired by childhood memories of what she listened to with her family, like Carole King’s “It’s Too Late” (Tapestry was once a thrift store find for Rodrigo and her mom) and The Killers’ “Somebody Told Me” (an example of the alt-rock her parents raised her on).

Watch Rodrigo discuss her picks below, and listen to the playlist on Spotify.

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Cardi B, Mariah Carey & More Wish Rihanna a Happy Birthday: ‘One of the Nicest in the Industry’

Rihanna celebrated turning 33 on Saturday (Feb. 20), and birthday messages poured in on social media.

Cardi B, Mariah Carey, Megan Thee Stallion and more artists took the time to write birthday messages in honor of the singer’s special day.

“One of the nicest person in the industry,” Cardi wrote on Twitter, where she shared a photo of them together. “She deserves all her success and many more.”

“Rihanna!” Carey tweeted. “Happy birthday girl! I hope you’re feeling festive as always.. wherever you are!!!! Love you gorgeous!!!!!!”

“Happy ri day,” Meg posted on her Instagram Stories, along with a recent Instagram picture of the star.

“Happy Birthday to the [queen]. We love you @rihanna,” actress Kerry Washington tweeted.

“A little Sunshine in our life hbd @badgalriri god bless you,” Fat Joe said on Instagram, while DJ Khaled uploaded a video clip and wrote, “Happy bday @badgalriri the light is love. BLESS.”

Earlier in the week, Rihanna celebrated the release of a new collector’s item, an oversized, 504-page book featuring 1,000 images from throughout the singer’s career. The Rihanna Book: Queen Size is limited to only 500 copies and retails for $1,495. “It’s a piece of art that I am really proud of,” RiRi said.

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Twitch (Hilariously) Replaces Metallica BlizzCon Performance With Elevator Music

Twitch users were in stitches Friday night (Feb. 19) when the gaming channel of the live streaming service placed lame music over Metallica rocking out at BlizzCon 2021.

The iconic heavy metal band was part of the opening ceremony of the annual gaming convention held by Blizzard Entertainment.

And as soon as James Hetfield and the gang began rocking their classic song “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” Twitch piped in generic, boring (free) music to avoid a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown order. It appears only the Twitch gaming channel replaced the music.

The moment was enough for viewers to be in hysterics, the incident trending on Twitter Saturday morning. The event, dubbed “BlizzConline,” was streamed this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Between the laughs, fans pointed out Metallica was one the most outspoken acts when it came to creating musical streaming laws, suing Napster in 2000.

Last year, Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett said the band’s battle against streaming was in hindsight a lost cause.

“We didn’t make a difference — we did not make a difference,” Hammett told Dean Delray on the Let There Be Talk podcast. “It happened, and we couldn’t stop it — because it was just bigger than any of us, this trend that happened that f—ing sunk the fucking music industry. There was no way that we could stop it. … What had happened was all of a sudden, it was just more convenient to get music and it was less convenient to pay for it, and there you have it.”

Watch Metallica’s censored performance at BlizzCon 2021 here.

This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.

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