Last night, The Voice contestants paid respects to the victims of the Sandy Hook school massacre, with judges Christina Aguilera, Cee-Lo Green, Blake Shelton and Adam Levine joining the tribute.
Dressed in somber, simple clothing, the group sang Leonard Cohen’s classic “Hallelujah,” while holding cards with the names and ages of the victims. Even the normally flamboyant Aguilera was dressed in demure white.
Then, it was back to the competition for the contestants, who gave final performances to win the recording contract with Universal. However, even though the contestants were competing, their song choices remained contemplative and heartfelt.
“This is the single most important performance I will have on this show,” Terry McDermott admitted. McDermott chose Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is,” and the emotional Mr. Mister’s “Take These Broken Wings.”
Also giving an emotional performance was Cassadee Pope, singing “Over You.”
Team Cee Lo’s Nicholas David offered some lighthearted American classics in his song selections. David gave an encore performance of Bill Withers’s “Lean On Me” and joined Cee Lo for a duet of Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music.”
The Voice will announce this season’s winner next Tuesday.
All in all, with the tribute, The Voice struck the perfect tone, going on in the wake of the tragedy, but accounting for the nation’s grief through more respectful dialogue and appropriate song choices. “America’s heart is heavy, and that’s about healing,” Shelton said.
Meanwhile, classes resumed Tuesday for Newtown schools minus Sandy Hook, for the first time since Friday’s massacre. The Associated Press reported that buses ferrying students to the town’s various schools were adorned with large green and white ribbons on the front grills, the school colors of Sandy Hook.
With a total of 26 people killed, the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary remains one of the worst mass shootings in U.S history.
