The “All in Wa” benefit concert for coronavirus relief Wednesday night raised more than $45 million as a host of musicians, celebrities and noted Northwesterners made appearances on the live-streamed event.
Musical performers included Pearl Jam, Macklemore, Brandi Carlile, Ben Gibbard, Sir Mix-a-lot, Dave Matthews, Sleater Kinney, The Head and the Heart and more. Among several sports and TV stars, Bill Gates made an appearance, too.
All in Wa is a coalition of philanthropic, business, and community leaders whose aim is to provide relief across Washington state during the coronavirus pandemic.
Amazon contributed $10 million to sponsor and produce the event, and for the next 30 days it is available to rewatch on Prime Video. CEO Jeff Bezos pledged to personally match individual donations under $1 million to All In WA causes, up to a total of $25 million.
During the telecast, a note on the screen even advised viewers that they could donate by using Amazon’s voice assistant, Alexa. Here it is during a segment featuring Bill Nye The Science Guy:
Keep scrolling for more highlights.
“The Office” star Rainn Wilson did a video conference call with a bunch of sasquatches and managed to get a dig in at Washington’s southern neighbor.
Best part of the #AllinWA show. pic.twitter.com/4WYx5B7Wgm
— Alex Carson ⭐️⭐️ (@AlexCarson) June 25, 2020
Avi Schiffmann, the Mercer Island High School student who became a viral sensation after building a coronavirus tracking website early in the pandemic, called himself “just some random kid on my laptop.”
Schiffmann talked about why he made the website and what the experience has been like.
And the computer-savvy teen was followed by another pioneering geek.
“Hello, Washington, I’m Bill,” said Bill Gates as he joined to express his support for the event. Gates said he expects a vaccine sometime next year, adding that “science and innovation have helped us save millions of lives from diseases like smallpox and polio. They will do the same for COVID-19.”
Gates then tossed things over to Pearl Jam, and the longtime rockers performed their new song “Dance of the Clairvoyants.” The performance was released on YouTube, too:
Respect for Seattle’s professional sports teams was a constant throughout the broadcast. We spotted a whole lot of Sonics jerseys and hats and Mariners great Ken Griffey Jr. made an appearance. Seahawks QB Russell Wilson opened the show with Ciara, and coach Pete Carroll closed the event by introducing Macklemore.
The hip-hop star performed his hit “Can’t Hold Us” alongside his daughter. The pair hopped on a trampoline, zipped down Capitol Hill’s Broadway on an electric scooter to pick up Dick’s burgers, and then ended things by dancing on the turf at CenturyLink Field.
