Musicians serenade the world from their living rooms in sweet concert hosted by Elton John, raise more than $1 million

On Sunday night, Elton John presided over a slew of musical household names each broadcasting from their own households.(FOX)

They were household names, playing from their own households.

Social distancing does not have to mean isolation, as a lineup including Billie Eilish, Backstreet Boys, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey and a host of other renowned musical acts attested to Sunday night. Hunkered down just like a large chunk of the U.S. population, a slew of award-winning musicians played their hearts out, sitting in their living rooms while exhorting viewers to stay home.

The goal was to benefit food banks and first responders via Feeding America and First Responders Children’s Foundation, respectively, as well as provide an antidote to cabin fever for cooped-up families.

The hour-long broadcast started at 9 p.m. and, by 9:12, they had already raised $1 million, thanks to a $500,000 donation from Proctor & Gamble and a match from FOX, which aired the program.

The show aired during the time slot originally reserved for the iHeartRadio Music Awards, which were postponed due to the pandemic. A number of the artists who performed had to cancel concerts and tours over concerns about crowding during a pandemic.

“We’re glad you’re with us. We know that your concerns are a mile high," said Elton John, who hosted the show and introduced the acts. “We hope that this bit of entertainment can feed and fuel your soul. And maybe some strength… to prepare for the days to come.”

His words came the same day that Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a cornerstone of the Trump administration’s coronavirus task force, said we could easily see 100,000 deaths from coronavirus, if not 200,000 — with millions infected.

The first to sing was Alicia Keys, who started with a signature ballad that she said was akin to a prayer.

“I hope we remember how resilient we are. And how we defy the odds,” she said as she played piano in what looked like her living room, dedicating the song to all the first responders and medical professionals who "are risking their lives to keep us safe.”

The lineup included Billie Eilish, Backstreet Boys, Alicia Keys (pictured), Mariah Carey and a host of other renowned musical acts.(FOX)

She was followed by the Backstreet Boys, each harmonizing from different cities, some flashing shots of their kids. Then came Billie Eilish, jamming on her sofa with her brother Finneas.

The lineup included Billie Eilish (at right), Backstreet Boys, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey and a host of other renowned musical acts.(FOX)

Interspersed throughout were mini-profiles and personal testimonials of those on the front lines of the epidemic - hospital workers, emergency-room doctors and nurses. There were also appearances by truckers, grocery store owners and workers and others who are upholding the supply chain for goods and services that we can’t do without.

One doctor combined both the medical and musical, performing a cover of Imagine, the song made famous by John Lennon. Dr. Elvis Francois of the Mayo Clinic was accompanied on piano by a colleague in scrubs, and juxtaposed alongside photos of masked hospital workers, grieving families, health care workers conducting tests, a child staring out a window, clutching a Teddy bear, both of them swathed in masks.

One nurse spoke into a dash cam as she drove home from a 13-hour shift that she had spent caring for two “critically ill patients” whose fate was uncertain – her “normal, however many months, until this virus dies out,” she said, looking strained.

“I’m already breaking,” she said, tearing up. “So people please need to take this seriously. It’s so bad.”