Tony Drovetto is MoPOP's Content Marketing Manager.
I.C.Y.M.I.: 'All In WA' Concert For COVID-19 Relief Raises More Than $45M, With Performances by Pearl Jam, Brandi Carlile, Travis Thompson + More
Greetings, fellow pop culture aficionados, and welcome to week 20 of our I.C.Y.M.I. (In Case You Missed It) blog series. Our museum may be temporarily closed to visitors based on guidance from public health officials to slow the spread of coronavirus, but we're still here to recap a handful of trending tidbits from the past week(s) in popular culture, in case you missed them.
Last week we kept it local, spotlighting the beautiful Black Lives Matter mural (and the local artists behind it) that took shape in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. This week, we're once again sticking in the Pacific Northwest to start, as we highlight the star-studded 'All In WA' virtual concert for COVID-19 relief.
'All In WA' Virtual Concert
On Wednesday evening, the 'All In WA' virtual concert for COVID-19 relief raised more than $45 million as notable Seattle celebrities and city icons came together for a unique livestream event. A coalition of philanthropic, business, and community leaders, 'All In WA' aims to provide relief across the state of Washington during the coronavirus pandemic by donating to causes and communities in need.
Performances from popular musicians with PNW roots carried the 1-hour and 18-minute special, which was kicked off by Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and his wife Ciara. The couple set the scene for the evening and helped introduce "Glass Ceiling," a track by Travis Thompson—a MoPOP Sound Off! alum—off his 2019 album Reckless Endangerment, which features fellow Seattle hip-hop artists Macklemore, Sir Mix-A-Lot, and Prometheus Brown of Blue Scholars.
Chewelah, Wash. musician Allen Stone, who would perform alongside singer Mary Lambert later in the show, followed up by introducing The Black Tones, who performed a cover of Jimi Hendrix's "All Along the Watchtower." Singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile, who MoPOP honored with its Founders Award last year, would perform "The Story" while Dave Matthews—a tribute artist at Carlile's Founders Award presentation—performed "Mercy" by Dave Matthews Band.
- RELATED
Multi-instrumentalist Budo put on a fun rendition of "Footloose" before giving way to performances from Sleater-Kinney, The Head and The Heart, and Death Cab for Cutie / The Postal Service's Ben Gibbard. To help close the show, Pearl Jam executed "Dance of the Clairvoyants," from their new album Gigaton, for the first time ever as a band. That gave way to a show-capping set from Macklemore, who finished the night with his hit song "Can't Hold Us."
On top of all the musical performances, the list of on-screen entertainers included Bill Nye, Joel McHale, Rainn Wilson, and Jefferey Dean Morgan, plus notable sports figures like former Seattle Mariners centerfielder Ken Griffey Jr. and Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll.
The full stream is available to watch on demand on Prime Video. To make an 'All In WA' donation of your own, head to AllInWA.org.
Minecraft Inducted To World Video Game Hall of Fame
Around here, we're well aware of Minecraft's impact on popular culture. With tens of millions of active users, Minecraft, heralded as the top-selling video game of all-time, is as much a thriving community of creators as it is a platform for creativity. That dynamic was celebrated recently, as Minecraft was one of four new titles included in the World Video Game Hall of Fame for 2020, which will be hosted at The Strong National Museum of Play.
The game's inclusion was based on a set of criteria, including its icon status, influence, geographical reach, and longevity. Minecraft, along with Bejeweled, Centipede, and King's Quest, checked the box in each of those areas, warranting recognition from the Hall of Fame.
"No one could have predicted the amazing path Minecraft has taken, even those of us working on it," says Lydia Winters, Chief Storyteller at Mojang Studios. "It's been a crazy journey and one we are still on, since we keep updating Minecraft 11 years later. The beauty of a sandbox game is the player gets to decide what they want to do, and we've seen our incredible community use Minecraft in ways we never could have imagined. Seeing what players create in Minecraft constantly inspires and pushes us to continue innovating our game."
This year's Hall of Fame class emerged from a list of nominees that included Frogger, GoldenEye 007, Guitar Hero, NBA Jam (one of my all-time favorites), Nokia Snake, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? Since 2015, other Hall of Fame inductees include Super Mario Bros., Pac-Man, Tetris, World of Warcraft, The Legend of Zelda, Tomb Raider, The Sims, Final Fantasy VII, Mortal Kombat, Microsoft Solitaire, and more.
ESPY Awards Focus on Race & Equality
This year's ESPY Awards, ESPN's annual sports honors show, took place last weekend and carried a much different tone than years past. The show was hosted by a trio of Seattle sports stars, including Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird, and OL Reign forward Megan Rapinoe. The three wore Black Lives Matter t-shirts as they addressed the audience in the show's opening segment (embedded above), calling on the audience to keep the movement's dialogue going and asking their fellow athletes to keep using their platforms to fight for a better future. You can check out a full list of ESPY Award winners right here.
What Else To Watch, Read, Listen To or Catch Up On This Weekend
- Here at MoPOP, in partnership with Seattle Pride and Three Dollar Bill Cinema, we have a handful of POP+ Pride events coming up this Sunday, June 28, including an activism webinar, a youth book club chat, and short film watchalong series. You can register for all this weekend's festivities right here.
- Also for POP+ Pride, MoPOP Education Specialist Meysha centers the work of her fellow black queer creators.
- This past Tuesday—June 23, 2020—marked 20 years since MoPOP first opened. To celebrate, we asked visitors to share some of the favorite times they've had at our nonprofit museum and the responses we got are worth a look!
- We rolled out the latest in our Riot Grrrl Retrospectives series, recalling the story of how guitarist Erin Smith linked up with Molly Neuman + Allison Wolfe to form the punk trio known as Bratmobile.
- And for those curious about our reopening plans, MoPOP earned a mention in this piece from the Washington Post, which highlights some of the cool adjustments we're making to our exhibitions to ensure the health and safety of our visitors and staff.
What'd We Miss?
Now that we've filled you in on a few things, what do you feel we failed to mention? Let us know in the comments, or hit us up with a suggestion on social media. We'll look to include your ideas in our next edition of I.C.Y.M.I.
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