As cameras panned over the audience at VAX LIVE: The Concert to Reunite the World, it was clear this wasnât a typical show.
Masks up, scrubs on, the crowd at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, was filled with frontline health care workers being honored for their heroic work fighting COVID-19 and saving lives over the past year.
Because they were fully vaccinated, there was an ambient feeling of relief to be at a concert â a feeling that Jennifer Lopez channeled when she invited her mom to the stage at the start of the evening for a performance of the karaoke classic âSweet Caroline.â Â
It was a feeling shared by J Balvin, who survived COVID-19, as well as Selena Gomez, who hosted the event and thanked the nurses and doctors in attendance, and David Letterman, who called on viewers to get vaccinated to ease the burden on hospitals.Â
Hosted by multi-platinum recording artist, actress, and producer Selena Gomez, VAX LIVE featured performances by Jennifer Lopez, Eddie Vedder, Foo Fighters, J Balvin, and H.E.R. Special appearances included VAX LIVE campaign chairs Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Ben Affleck, Chrissy Teigen, David Letterman, Gayle King, Jimmy Kimmel, Nomzamo Mbatha, Olivia Munn, Sean Penn, and more.
The guests collectively celebrated the ongoing vaccination effort and called for global solidarity in the fight to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, a fight that is far from over.
âWe cannot rest and fully recover until there is fair distribution to every corner of the world,â Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, told the audience. âWe need to lift up all of humanity and make sure nobody is left behind.â
Several speakers echoed this call, demanding an end to the extremely unequal way vaccines have been distributed around the world.Â
âMany in Africa might not get a vaccine until 2023,â South African actress Nomzamo Mbatha said. âThatâs two years from now and itâs simply unacceptable. The spirit is in us all to rally together and demand that no one, wherever they were born, is left behind.â Â
All told, the event mobilized $302 million in commitments from governments, corporations, and philanthropists to aid the fight against the coronavirus and secured more than 26 million vaccine doses to combat vaccine inequity.
For a brief evening under strict public health protocols, VAX LIVEÂ was also about having fun and dancing to live music, hugging vaccinated loved ones, and imagining a brighter future.Â
Here are 24 of our favorite moments from VAX LIVE.
1. The Try Guys wreaked havoc backstage.
The YouTube creators and comedians lost their J Balvin backup dancer privileges but received the opportunity to kick off the night.Â
Eugene tried on Jennifer Lopezâs dress and then the guys jammed out on the Foo Fightersâ equipment, sabotaged Ben Affleckâs birthday cake, broke into a fistfight over who would do the honors of opening the show, and got the bad news from Olivia Munn that they werenât hosting before welcoming everyone to the event.Â
2. Jennifer Lopez dedicated a cover of "Sweet Caroline" to her mom.
Lopezâs mom, Guadalupe Rodriguez, used to sing Neil Diamondâs "Sweet Caroline" to her when she was a child, so it was only fitting that she performed a rendition of the classic ahead of Motherâs Day.Â
Rodriguez serenaded her daughter with a version of the song that she used to sing when rocking her as a baby ââ "Sweet Jennifer" ââ as they danced on the beautifully decorated floral stage.Â
3. Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, thanked health care workers and called for vaccine equity.
âThis pandemic will not end unless we act collectively with an unprecedented commitment to our shared humanity,â Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, said in a moving speech on why âthe vaccine must be distributed to everyone, everywhere.âÂ
The VAX LIVE campaign co-chair stressed that vaccine access should be a basic right and should not be determined by geography.Â
âNone of us should be comfortable with thinking that we can be fine when so many others are suffering,â he said. âIn reality, and especially with this pandemic, when any suffer, we all suffer. We must look beyond ourselves with empathy and compassion for those we know, and those we don't. We need to lift up all of humanity and make sure that no person or community is left behind.â
Prince Harry reminded the world that how we respond now will go down in history, and heexpressed solidarity with the millions of people in India who are devastated by the pandemic.Â
4.  Amitabh Bachchan appeals for help for India.
India is currently grappling with the worst COVID-19 crisis in the world, averaging more than 300,000 new infections per day for two weeks now. The acclaimed Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan made a rousing appeal for help.Â
"My country India is battling with the sudden surge of the second wave of COVID-19," he said. "As a global citizen, I appeal to all global citizen to rise up speak to your governments, your pharmaceutical companies, and ask them to donate, to give, to extend a helping hand to the public that needs it the most."
"Every effort counts," he added. "As Mahatma Ghandi said, 'In a gentle way you can shake the world.'"
5. H.E.R. performed âGloryâ with over 200 Fender Play guitar students.
People receiving vaccines at the mass vaccination site just outside SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, were met with a pleasant surprise. They were rewarded for getting vaccinated with a chance to watch H.E.R. from their cars as she shredded with students who are learning to play guitar on the Fender Play app.
6. Olivia Munn stood up against Asian-American hate.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been used to divide communities, Munn pointed out.
âSince COVID-19 began, thereâs been more than 3,800 incidents of violence against Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders recorded in the US,â Munn said.
âAs an Asian-American, these hate crimes have been really close to home. A virus doesnât have an ethnicity or a region. And when you regionalize, you weaponize.â
The actress reminded the audience of the power of unity.Â
âWhen we come together, we can do great things.â
7. Eddie Vedder called for COVID-19 vaccine equity.
âWhat weâve just been through in the last year and a half was something everyone had to deal with,â the Pearl Jam frontman said backstage. âNow that we have vaccines, itâs important to make sure that the vaccines can be distributed to everyone who needs it. Get this thing on a trajectory where the whole planet can be healthy again.â
Vedder performed Pearl Jamâs âCorduroyâ and interrupted his set to urge leaders and key stakeholders to take urgent action to end the COVID-19 pandemic.
âIf youâre a government, if youâre a world leader, and you have excess vaccines, please donât stockpile, please make it available for the countries that need it,â he said.Â
âPlease distribute it ASAP, and if youâre a drug company, we thank you for your inventions. If you really want to be heroes, it would be great if you would distribute the vaccine at cost and then you would have a fair and equitable distribution system throughout the planet. And thatâs how we will survive and conquer this pandemic.â
Vedder closed his set with Pearl Jamâs âI Am A Patriot.â
8. J Balvin Performed âOtra Noche Sin Tiâ and âTu Venenoâ in space â sort of!
Balvin opened up about having COVID-19. âIt almost killed me,â he said. âI donât want people to feel what I felt.â
âRight here in [the] US itâs like a bubble. Itâs a blessing to be in this bubble, but out there, Iâm from Colombia, and we just have 2% of people vaccinated. The rest of South America is going through the same hell. Itâs just reality: We need more vaccines around the world.â
While performing on a space-themed stage, the âPrince of Reggaetonâ shared that seeing people at the concert gave him hope before launching into âOtra Noche Sin Ti.â
Balvin interjected the song to share his battle with COVID-19.Â
âThe simple answer is to get vaccinated for your loved ones,â he said, before performing âTu Veneno.âÂ
9. Daniel El Travieso nailed impressions of peopleâs vaccineâs reactions.
The YouTube creator started on a serious note, calling the vaccine âimportant for the whole worldâ before hilariously poking fun at and transforming into different characters receiving the jab.Â
Travieso impersonated everyone from young people eager to get back to concerts, a goth man playing it cool, a stoic, neurotic dad, an oversharing mom, and Grandma ready to party.
10. President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden shared a message of hope.
US President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden encouraged viewers to get vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus and painted an inspiring picture of what the world can look like once herd immunity is achieved.
âWhen you get vaccinated, you donât have to miss [your loved ones] any longer,â Dr. Biden said. âEvery person vaccinated is helping to save lives and give us back those moments that weâve missed so much.â
11. Ben Affleck and Jimmy Kimmel had a wardrobe mishap.
Kimmel took the stage in a Robin costume and was disappointed to learn that Affleck didnât get the memo to wear his Batman suit. Kimmel joked that he bought his costume with his COVID-19 Relief Package stimulus check, before the two celebrated the return of shared experiences post-vaccination.Â
The bit kicked off Global Citizenâs Rewards to Reunite the World, through which major sports leagues and live entertainment companies have committed to provide tickets to some of the most amazing live events of the coming year. Global Citizens in the US who are vaccinated will have an exciting chance to take action and share why they received the COVID-19 vaccine with the hashtag #VaxBecause, which enters them into the running to win tickets for events. So far, commitments have been made by longtime Global Citizen partner Live Nation, along with the NBA, WNBA, NFL, MLS, NHL, WWE, Formula 1, NASCAR, and MLB.Â
12. Saweetie sang her new song, âFast (Motion).â
In the music video for her new song âFast (Motion),â Saweetie pushes her body to the limit, jumping out of a plane, sprinting around a track, scoring in a football match. Her performance of the song for VAX LIVE was similarly high-octane, giving viewers a sense of what they can expect as she hits the festival circuit this summer.Â
13. Picture This rocked out to âThings Are Different.âÂ
The Irish band played their 2021 single in an empty theater. The song, about resilience and coming back stronger, could easily be an anthem for the COVID-19 recovery effort.Â
14. Barbershop Medicine confroned vaccine hesitancy in the Black communityÂ
Drs. Italo Brown and Cedric âJamieâ Rutland traveled to a barbershop to speak with barbers and patients about the COVID-19 vaccine. After encountering a closed shop, they go to a relocated outdoor barber studio and sit down to chat.Â
âI lost my grandmother to COVID and as a man that likes to really fix things,â one barber said, âI couldnât do nothing. I couldnât see her, I couldnât help, so when the vaccine came out, I wanted to educate myself, I wanted to want this.
âIf we donât get the vaccination, already knowing that there are health care disparities and equity problems, if we donât get the vaccination, itâs actually going to widen that gap,â Rutland said. âBecause if less Black people get the vaccination, more Black people are going to get sick.âÂ
15. Prince Harry and Thembe Mahlaba addressed the threats of COVID-19 misinformation.
Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, returned to the VAX LIVE stage to discuss the threat of vaccine misinformation.Â
âI understand why people are confused or sometimes donât know what to think or believe about vaccines,â he said. âWe are experiencing a viral pandemic alongside a digital pandemic.Â
âI believe that misinformation is a global humanitarian crisis and the crisis is getting worse,â he added. âIn recent months, weâve seen a stark rise in vaccine hesitancy. For the nations that have received so few doses and the countries where cases are rising and the human loss is staggering, hesitancy is not an option. Misinformation is not simply harming those who believe it but also those who donât. We must tackle each of these issues head-on, vaccine hesitancy and misinformation. If vaccine distribution moved half as quickly as misinformation, just imagine how many lives could be saved.â
His speech was followed by a segment featuring the South African influencer Thembe Mahlaba that explored the obstacles blocking the countryâs COVID-19 vaccination campaign.Â
âOver a year ago, COVID-19 brought the world to a standstill,â she said. âA year on, the vaccine seems to be the only credible intervention to halt the spread of the virus and bring us back together. But vaccine mistrust, hesitancy, and inequity continues to undermine global efforts.âÂ
16. David Letterman shared his Dr. Fauci story.
The celebrated late-night talk show host strolled onto the stage to deliver some sage advice.Â
âLike a lot of people from the past year, my family and I have been hiding and while we were hiding, frontline workers became the infantry that made it safe for us to eventually come out," Letterman said. âLast weekend, I ran into Dr. Fauci at the Kentucky Derby and I said, âWhat am I going to do for the people who on a daily basis risk their lives to hold this thing at bay?â And he said, âThe best thing you can do is get vaccinated. That will make their jobs much easier.â"Â
17. Foo Fighters jammed out with AC/DCâs Brian Johnson.
After Foo Fighters performed their hit song âAll My Lifeâ to a live audience for the first time in âmore than a year and a half,â frontman Dave Grohl decided to make the moment even more special by inviting rock legend Brian Johnson from AC/DC to perform âBack in Black.â
Johnson unleashed his trademark wail as Foo Fighters, thrilled to play alongside one of their heroes, head-banged to the chorus.  Â
Foo Fighters have a long history of supporting Global Citizen, having taken the stage for the inaugural Global Citizen Festival back in 2012.Â
âMusic is the one thing that can bring people from all walks of life, no matter any differences we might have as human beings,â Grohl said before his set. âItâs usually a song that can bring people together.âÂ
18. Sung-hoon Kim showed off archery skills.
The world champion archer Sung-hoon Kim showed off his archery skills by meticulously spelling out âvaccineâ on easels with dozens of arrows to encourage viewers to get their shots.
19. His Holiness Pope Francis called for a temporary waiver of vaccine patents.
The spiritual leader joined VAX LIVE from the Vatican, where he delivered a moving speech about unity and perseverance. The pope said lifting the intellectual property rules that currently restrict vaccine production worldwide would the help ensure true vaccine equity.
âThe coronavirus has provoked much death and suffering, affecting the lives of many, especially the most vulnerable,â he said in his native Spanish. âI beg you not to forget the most vulnerable. In the midst of so much darkness and uncertainty, we lack light and hope. [We need] a spirit of justice that mobilizes us to ensure true universal access to the vaccine, and a temporary suspension of intellectual property rights.âÂ
20. NCT 127 showcased synchronized dance moves.
The beloved K-pop group performed âKick Itâ as part of VAX LIVE. And this isnât the first time NCT 127 wowed fans on a Global Citizen stage â in 2019, the band performed at the Global Citizen Festival in New York's Central Park to encourage people to take action to end extreme poverty.Â
21. Vice President Kamala Harris called for global solidarity.
US Vice President Kamala Harris echoed President Joe Bidenâs call to action earlier in the evening, encouraging viewers to get vaccinated.Â
âThroughout this terrible pandemic, we have seen so much loss: loss of life, loss of jobs, loss of normalcy,â she said. âIf we have gained anything, it is a reminder of the responsibility we have as a global community to see one another, to support one another, and to protect one another.âÂ
22. Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, highlighted the need to protect the future generation of women and girls.
VAX LIVE campaign co-chair Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, delivered a moving video speech calling for solidarity and a gender-responsive COVID-19 recovery.Â
âMy husband and I believe itâs critical that our recovery prioritizes the health, safety, and success of everyone, and particularly women who have been disproportionately affected by this pandemic,â she said.
âIf we work together to bring vaccines to every country and continent, insist that vaccines are equitably distributed and fairly priced, and ensure that governments around the world are donating their additional vaccines to countries in need, then we can begin to fully rebuild â not only to restore us where we were before, but to go further, and rapidly advance the conditions, opportunities, and mobility for women everywhere."
23. Chrissy Teigen shared a powerful message of solidarity with women of color.
Author and entrepreneur Chrissy Teigen reminded viewers that women, in particular women of color, have shouldered the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic.Â
âIt was only six months ago that the vaccine was first administered to a health care worker, an immigrant woman from Jamaica named Sandra Lindsay,â Teigen said. âThe doctor who gave her this shot, a Black woman, Dr. Michelle Shester. The symbolism wasnât lost on a single woman of color. We have seen the most: the most death, illness, and hardship.Â
âAnd we will lead us out of this mess because this is more than a stadium full of people,â she said. âItâs a house of hope. This is what women do.âÂ
24. Jennifer Lopez closed the show with the triumphant âAinât Your Mama.â
J.Lo returned to the stage for an ecstatic rendition of âAinât Your Mama,â with dozens of masked dancers in bright outfits who gave a hint at what the months ahead could look like if everyone, everywhere receives a vaccine.Â
As part of Global Citizenâs Recovery Plan for the World campaign, VAX LIVE: The Concert to Reunite the World brought together artists, entertainers, world leaders, and more to ensure equitable vaccine distribution around the world, tackle COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, and celebrate a hopeful future.
You can still catch the concert on the Global Citizen YouTube channel and on various channels and platforms. Be sure to join us in taking action to end the pandemic and ensure that everyone, everywhere has access to COVID-19 vaccines. Then, head to our multimedia hub VAX BECAUSE to join candid conversations about the pandemic and find answers to your biggest questions about the vaccines.
Want to take home part of the show? Check out our VAX LIVE merch at the Global Citizen official store.