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The Show Must go on
How Rock Bands are Responding to the Shutdown
“It is not the most intellectual of the species that survives; it is not the strongest that survives; but the species that survives is the one that is able to adapt to and to adjust best to the changing environment in which it finds itself.” — Charles Darwin
You might have expected to see a quote from Freddie Mercury, or more specifically Brian May, but in this case, Charles Darwin is much more applicable.
The last twelve months have had a catastrophic effect on us as a global society and have devastated countless industries. Most industries have found ways to be creative and survive so far, even though many are limping to the finish line. Hopefully, that finish line is close and getting closer by the day.
The music industry, or more specifically, rock bands, is an excellent example of this. Covid-19 has basically ground live music to a halt, which is a major source of revenue for bands and venues. To survive, bands had to adapt, which many have done brilliantly. We have seen increased social media engagement with fans, Zoom living room concerts, albums produced completely remotely, webfests, video podcasts, and live, online concerts from some well-known, but closed, rock venues.
The above innovations have allowed bands to connect on a more intimate level with their fans which has been amazing for all involved. Early in the pandemic, living room performances began with bands performing from their own individual houses and were a unique way to connect while everyone was still adjusting to global quarantine. Sammy Hagar and the Circle produced enough songs this way to create an album entitled “Lockdown 2020”.
It includes some fantastic covers and a couple of Van Halen songs from the Sammy Hagar years. If you haven’t listened, go ahead and buy it or give it a stream. Revival Black, from Liverpool, England, also released “Live in Your Lounge” on both CD and DVD and was another great example of pandemic adjustment.
Flexing even more innovation, bands began to link up for webfest concerts through Facebook groups like the New Wave…
