If you're like the rest of us and hankering for a simpler time when you didn't worry about whether your anticipated concerts and music festivals were canceled or not, James Blake is here to take Miamians back to the halcyon days of February 2019.
Beginning today at 3 p.m. EST, the "Retrograde" artist and III Points 2019 headliner will broadcast a performance to fans via Instagram Live. The English singer-songwriter and all-around heartthrob announced the virtual show via his Twitter account on Sunday, March 22.
"Ok looks like we're in this for the long haul so I'm jumping in... gotta play for you guys somehow," the tweet said. "See you then!"
Blake followed up his initial tweet with a post taking the piss out of the recent uproar over the misguided celebrities who responded to the ongoing coronavirus catastrophe by sharing a tone-deaf cover of John Lennon's overplayed and sadly sullied classic "Imagine."
"Requests?" Blake asked. "I will of course be opening with 'Imagine.'"
Blake is among the multitudes of artists who've taken their musical talents online in response to concert cancellations and social distancing measures implemented to counteract the COVID-19 pandemic. Besides headlining III Points 2019 — which, notably, was his first live show following the release of last year's widely acclaimed LP Assume Form — Blake also visited Miami in December 2014 for an Art Basel show that's taken on a legendary status among many who attended.
If sensitive dubstep and hip-hop tinged crooning aren't your thing, be sure to check out New Times' other roundups of notable online performances that have taken place in the wake of the coronavirus health scare.