On Saturday night, Chicago residents were all staying home but turned out in force to sing from their windows and balconies as state officials ordered residents to stay inside amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Residents in various parts of the city belted out a rendition of Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On A Prayer” when the clocks hit 7 p.m. Saturday. A day earlier, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced that a stay-at-home order would go into effect Saturday and stay in place until at least April 7 in an effort to contain the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, which has infected at least 1,049 people and killed nine in the state.
The couple who organized the event, Rebecca Kell and Jenni Spinner, had done so for a bit of a laugh with their Facebook friends while stuck working from home, Kell told HuffPost.
Inspired by the videos of similar events coming from Italians on lockdown in the European epicenter of the pandemic, the pair made the event Wednesday, and were stunned when almost 20,000 people responded on the Facebook page.
“I’m blown away by the response. I’m so happy that we were able to provide a needed distraction that made people happy for a few minutes,” Kell said.
She said her neighborhood in Rogers Park “turned out in force,” and even their state representative, Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D), joined the fun ― and has since promoted next Saturday’s singalong of Michael Jackson’s “ABC.”
Jon Bon Jovi, whose Bon Jovi bandmate David Bryan announced Saturday he’d tested positive for COVID-19, told Chicago he wanted to join the singalong.
“In these trying times, I am with you with all my heart and soul,” Bon Jovi said, to “everybody in Chicago and across America.”
“Sing it out, baby, we’re all going to come through this together, be strong.”
Whether en masse or representing their district solo, Chicagoans let loose hearty renditions of the rock classic across the city and shared with the world via #ChicagoSingalong.