Goo Goo Dolls Singer Plays From Westfield Porch Amid Coronavirus

WESTFIELD, NJ — John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls, a Westfield resident, gave a live concert from his porch on Friday afternoon to send a positive message among the coronavirus spread, and to raise awareness for a new fund to help independent Westfield businesses.

Mayor Shelley Brindle, who introduced Rzeznik, posted on Facebook, "LIVE with Westfield resident John Rzeznik, lead singer of the Goo Goo Dolls, as we kick off our We Love Local fundraiser to support independently owned Westfield businesses impacted by this crisis. Please donate at Westfieldunitedfund.org and they will match the first $15k in donations. #welovelocal."

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The town has also posted lists of restaurants that deliver and ways to help local businesses.

"I'm always happy to help out," the musician said, and then encouraged social distancing: "I hope everybody is doing the right thing, staying a few feet away from everybody, staying home."

After singing a lyric saying "Now's not the time to hide," he corrected himself, saying, "Now is the time to hide. Stay on your phone."

The concert lasted more than ten minutes. You can check it out here.

Four residents in Westfield have tested positive for the virus, including a 38-year-old man who shared his story this week.

Experts say that the new coronavirus (COVID-19), because it's new, is more lethal and much harder to treat than the flu.

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called COVID-19, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21.

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