LOS ANGELES—For 15 years, Adam Chester has subbed for Elton John, performing John’s parts in rehearsals with the rocker’s band. But with John sitting out the pandemic, Chester had to find another gig.
And he did: weekly, socially distant concerts in his suburban Los Angeles cul-de-sac.
Which is how Chester has come to serenade a few dozen of his face-masked neighbors from inside a broad rectangle of rainbow chalk with “Social distance” and a heart written at its edge. They dance to John’s “Crocodile Rock” and sing along to the Beatles’ “Hey Jude.”
They call this “Quaranchella,” and it has become a source of community and connection at a time when they’re sorely lacking.
“It’s been an incredible experience,” said Chester’s wife, Maria, who serves as his road crew along with their two teenage sons. “It kind of organically happened because he needed to play, and it’s been evolving.”
“I was going out of my mind inside the house here as a lot of musicians are,” said Chester, who played a major role in the 2018 Grammy salute to Elton John, and at his own club and party gigs, before the lockdown put all that to a halt. “I thought, ‘Why don’t we take this outside once a week?’”
Each show raises money for charity. This week it was Single Mothers Outreach. The response from neighbors has been overwhelmingly positive.
“All week I look forward to that Saturday show,” said neighbor Lisa Silver, who along with others pitched in to buy a tripod to hold Chester’s phone so the shows can be streamed on Facebook.
Exhilarated after the concert, Chester said these Saturday night shows may outlast the quarantine era. He said: “I can’t imagine going back to anything normal after this.” AP
Image credits: AP