With lockdown restrictions easing, it begs the question, will live music ever return to how we knew it?
Fond memories of gigs have been something constantly on my mind during the lockdowns: thinking back to arena concerts to grassroots music venue gigs of local bands. I have attached a picture of the last gig I went too, in February 2020 to see Catfish and the Bottlemen - I know I have written about this concert in a previous blog post, but being the last concert I have been to, I feel it is apt to talk about it in this post too. The atmosphere was electric: hundreds of people rammed in to one room, all sharing a common passion for the music and the band that night, all there to have a good time, none considering it could be their last gig for a long while. I remember it was around the time covid was first coming to the forefront, and was the first time I was on a packed train, shoulder to shoulder with strangers but genuinely starting to worry about my health... never mind the claustrophobia!
Thinking back to this, not only does it bring fond memories, a tear to my eye and excitement for the future, but it also begs the question what will live music be like in the future?
As much as I would do anything to be back in a room of people jumping around in a mosh pit to my favourite bands, I, for one, am scared to do so. Would the experience really be worth it if it meant the cases start to rise again? I then start thinking about alternatives: outdoor gigs I would feel much happier at, while still taking on certain precautions such as mask wearing, but there is a certain environment that an indoor gig brings that an outdoor gig doesn't. I then thought about social distanced gigs. - I can safely say this would be one of the strangest experiences... I imaging having my own little box, and a social distanced mosh pit, somewhat resemblant of a Star Wars film where Darth Vader uses his invisible force... but it just isn't the same.
The problem is that, I and many people are struggling to come to terms with, life is not the same as it once was, nor do we ever know if it will be. As someone who has been desperate to go back to see live music, now the prospect of the option coming around is somewhat frightening.. just because restrictions are lifting does't mean covid is going away. I'm curious to know your thoughts too... would you feel happy going back too live music venues, and what could be done to make you feel safer?
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