2020 has been the beginning of the end of a lot of things including concerts. As concert and festival seasons come and go, we loathe the experience of getting fresh to go party with our favorite artists and all of their fans alike. However, with concerts com fans and with crowds comes high risk of exposure to the novel coronavirus. We saw the announcement of festivals like the anticipated “Lovers & Friends” Festivals, Coachella and Seattle’s very own Bumbershoot all cancel and the long list of local concerts and tours come to an abrupt stop. I’m so glad that I was able to see Young M.A. at Neumos the day before the events and gatherings limitations were announced, but even though I got my concert fix, I’m still missing the overall experience and summer time feels as well!
Quarantine gave birth to new types of connection including the Instagram Live Verzus Battles which brought us almost live musical performances between Rick Ross & 2 Chainz, Timbaland & Swizz Beatz, and the upcoming Brandy and Monica amongst others. A month ago the Weeknd teamed up with Tik Tok, for “The Weeknd Experience” which brought the “first-ever interactive augmented reality broadcast,” complete with a Doja Cat cameo, merchandise and the debut of an unreleased song. The Weeknd isn’t the only one going virtual, Meg The Stallion is moving forward from the biggest controversy of the summer with a virtual concert through Live Nation, scheduled this Saturday August 29th at 3PM PST.
Some places unplugged and left the house for their concert experiences. Last month a video went viral showing the UK holding their first socially distant concerts aiming to provide guests with the concert experience under the safety guidelines. Barriers set up in the arena were all positioned six feet from one another, with a limit of 5 people to each area. Last week in Germany, concert goers or volunteers participated in a study by scientists to track the risks of coronavirus posed by large, indoor events. “Researchers hope to use their results to determine which elements of events pose the greatest risk of transmission and help create new guidelines for live performances around the world”.
While the future of concerts is unknown, the need for live performance between fans and artists is a necessity and driving force of the music industry. With artists like The Weeknd schedule to tour in early 2021 and the return of music festivals like Coachella and Bumbershoot, the future of concerts is almost near! Are you ready to go back to concerts? Cound off in the comments below!
Photo by Getty Images