The Post-Pandemic Era of Live Music
Tame Impala performing at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY a part of the “Slow Rush Tour”, rescheduled multiple times due to the 2020 global pandemic. Photo courtesy of Sam Johnston for Priority Speaker.
As we reach the beginning of April, we approach the two year mark on a very crucial, and quite frankly, historical period of time within the United States. April 2020 marked a period of confusion, frustration, and downright anxiety for Americans, as well as the entire world, with school and university shutdowns, event cancellations, and state-wide enforced mask mandates. For many, this marked a generational first, a serious international pandemic. But for music fans all across the spectrum, the idea of a lockdown, health and safety precautions, and this new term, "social distancing”, one question loomed over all else. What will happen to live music?
As an avid music lover with a concert itinerary lined-up for my summer, this question was at the center of my attention as I watched the world around me slowly begin to consist of quarantines, masks, no toilet paper, and…whipped coffee? It would be unfortunate to see tickets refunded for the majority of the shows I had planned to attend, but as worries increased, it was apparent that a break from the shows meant the best. Little did I know, though, that I wouldn’t satiate my desire for live music that started that March of 2020, when shows initially shut down, until the very end of August 2021, an entire 17 month hiatus from my ‘happy place’. This first live show back is where I would experience my first (and thankfully only) pandemic era concert: a mask mandated, outdoor performance spread out by plots of painted off grass. This experience, instead of reassuring, made me fear for the state of concerts, specifically general admission shows. Would this be concerts, forever? Would the unexplainable joy that came from being smooshed together with like-minded music fans, dancing to our favorite songs, ever even be possible again?
Tyler Joseph of Twenty One Pilots performing at the House of Blues in Boston, MA a part of the “Takeover Tour”, in support of smaller venues effected by the pandemic. Photo courtesy of Sam Johnston for Priority Speaker.
Lucky for me, my worries would be put to rest two months later as I attended Twenty One Pilots’ Takeover Tour in Boston. In support of small venues that faced hardships throughout the pandemic. Twenty One Pilots introduced a unique tour schedule, performing for a week in each city they visited, working up from a small venue to an arena for the final night. After watching this band perform for years in large venues and headlining festivals, it was a rewarding experience to catch them in Boston University’s 900-capacity dive-bar-with-a-stage, Paradise Rock Club. Marking some of the band’s first live performances in nearly two years, Tyler Joseph, lead singer, would go on to say “You know, we toured for a full ten years, but that last pause there.. that messed with us.” It finally felt like live music, and the world alongside it, was returning to some level of normalcy.
Ms. Lauryn Hill performing with The Fugees at Pier 17 in New York, NY a part of Global Citizen Live, marking Fugees first live performance in fifteen years. Photo courtesy of Sam Johnston for Priority Speaker.
As I come to terms with the way life has evolved over the past two years, I can’t help but to find myself grateful for that “pause” that Joseph mentioned. Witnessing live music, or any live entertainment, is a privilege not afforded to everyone. Anyone lucky enough to have that privilege, but be put on hold for two years knows the pure joy that came with the first time they were able to enjoy it again for the second-first-time. I think, it’s also why so many bands have decided to reunite following the pandemic. Live music shouldn’t be taken for granted, as it doesn’t last forever.
What we’re left with today is the post-pandemic era of live music. A wake up call to appreciate it for what it really is, a gift. A privilege. What was deemed impossible for the past two years and maybe even lost can now serve as a true celebration. A celebration of not only making it to the other side of this difficult time, but especially celebrating the artists and songs that got us through it.
