"This is one of my all-time favorite country duets," the masked singer said on Monday (March 23).
Masked insurgent country singer Orville Peck had a number of special treats for his Peckheads on Monday (March 23) during an hour-plus solo acoustic livestream from his house.
In addition to playing most of the songs from his acclaimed 2019 debut, Pony, during the show performed in front of a lit-up cowboys painting, he also busted out a cover of one of his favorite country duets.
Just days after the passing of country icon Kenny Rogers, Peck paid tribute by playing a reverent cover of Rogers’ iconic 1983 team-up with good friend Dolly Parton, “Islands in the Stream.” Rogers died at age 81 of natural causes on Friday night. “I wanted to do a Kenny song and this is one of my all-time favorite country duet,” Peck said, urging viewers at home to sing along with him.
Strumming his acoustic lightly and singings both the male and female parts with a mournful drawl, the fringe from his black mask swinging back and forth, Peck did Rogers and Parton justice with his meditative, Elvis-tinged ramble through the song.
Among the guests for the show that included the songs “Turn to Hate,” “Hope to Die,” “Take You Back (Iron Hoof Cattle Call), “Dead of Night” and “Winds of Change” were Peck’s bandmate singer/keyboardist Bria Salmena and his Bon Appétit Test Kitchen pal Brad Leone. Also dropping in was friend and comedian Margaret Cho, whose beloved dog Lucille was on hand as Cho and Peck commiserated about canceled tours, reaching your self-love overload and staying busy during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
There was a costume change into a silvery cowboy shirt for the final act of the set and some hopeful words of wisdom from the masked singer. “I just want to remind all of you that we have gotten through a lot of terrible stuff in our lifetime, in our civilization,” Peck said. “And I think art and creativity and caring for one another and caring for ourselves and self-reflection — I think those things help us get through all of this.”
Peck is just the latest act to take their music online during the coronavirus lockdown, which has led to artists finding myriad creative way to connect with fans during quarantine, from livestream concerts to Instagram talk shows, dance parties and cooking demos.
Watch Peck’s livestream (and the Rogers cover at the 39-minute mark) below.
