Copyright KCL
The key to any live performance is fans.
Picture this: the year is 2009, a record-breaking turnout at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium, a record that has yet to be beaten, 73,354 fans tightly packed together, eagerly awaiting the appearance of the legendary U2.
The £20m stage, dubbed ‘The Claw’, for its protruding steel frames that held a rotating LED screen, housed the Irish ensemble for an unforgettable evening of music.
That was 11 years ago. A lot can change in that period of time.
Though, most of that changing has been done in 2020, and all signs point to the fact that not only music, but the rest of the world will never be the same again.
While anyone who has ever been to a gig or concert will probably tell you how bad it is that we’re missing out on live events, it’s important to consider how much worse it is for the artists themselves and the hefty financial toll they’ve likely taken.
For smaller indie artists, live gigs make up the majority of their income and with there being a complete lack of gigs this year, it’s undoubtedly been tough.
The pandemic has seen artists scrambling for alternatives.
A virtual event might’ve been viewed as a novelty when first introduced by artists earlier this year, but it has been rapidly implemented by all sides of the music industry.
You don’t have to look very far to see just how one of these events work, as Immersed Festival did one of their own in January
. Often a hotbed for discovering talented up and coming musicians, Immersed, as well as many other festivals have temporarily found a new home online.
Immersed Festival 2021 Copyright KCL
Across 3 days countless artists performed, most in front of a very small crowd, but each performed with a level of energy and presence that the lack of a proper crowd was unnoticeable.
Being an entirely student led festival, performances took place at USW’s Atrium as various levels of production were handled by those at the University.
The event was live streamed on YouTube and after an artist finished their set, there were interviews from people behind the scenes and other musicians giving their thoughts on live events.
The show in its entirety was a success and it showed how well they adapted to the current situation.
Also, mentioned on the Immersed livestream was Save Our Venues. It is a movement to support venues across the UK who are struggling financially.
They have set up a crowd funder for the 556 venues which are at risk of being permanently closed down. With a £1,000,000 target, they have raised over £1.2 million.
Though while smaller venues and gigs have been forced to close their doors, larger festivals have been at risk too. One of the biggest of the year, Glastonbury, has been cancelled. Usually occupying thousands, this year there won’t be an event at all.
Many artists who were set to tour last year went on to reschedule for this year in the hope that progress would’ve been made in getting rid of the virus.
Artists ranging from The Rolling Stones to Bob Dylan postponed their tours till the latter half of 2021, though their performances will be in front of a very limited crowd.
Predictions have been made that we won't see a full capacity crowd any time soon, not for a few years at least.
Live events are better than no events but watching from home is only half the fun as it’s pretty much impossible to replicate the live experience.
In other areas of entertainment, fans are slowly being ushered back into attendance. Concerts may be one of the last though, as a venue, big or small, can be quite an intimate setting.
With all of these changes occurring, it has been interesting to see how artists have adapted to this unique situation.
When any form of normality resumes, it’s safe to say that going to gigs again will be a priority for most music lovers and having that privilege isn’t something we’ll take for granted ever again.
Brad Cox