Musicians globally continue to offer online concerts and release new content amid the coronavirus pandemic
March 23, 2020
Updated March 26.
As many individuals across the globe are being ordered by their governments to stay at home to help stop the spread of the coronavirus, people are searching for ways to keep themselves entertained and engaged with others. Musicians have offered this opportunity by livestreaming themselves performing free online concerts.
While online concerts are lacking in social contact, there is still a sense of community, with hundreds or thousands of people watching a video at once and communicating through the live chats. Online concerts give people an opportunity to still feel like they are a part of something, even though they are stuck at home.
Global Citizen has been one source for online concerts, broadcasting a series of concerts as a show on Instagram Live called “Together at Home.”
“Celebrities around the world are taking a stand to support efforts to fight threats to global heath. In times of crisis, artists can use their platforms to mobilize the public and help unite the world,” Global Citizen notes.
Artists who have already played shows on the platform include Common, Niall Horan, Charlie Puth, and a joint show with Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello.
Some artists are simply putting on live concerts on their own.
Indie bands Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service’s singer, Ben Gibbard, have been livestreaming every day for the past week, and intend to do so for the next few weeks, a Death Cab for Cutie tweet said. They noted that Gibbard will be taking requests, and is also accepting donations for various charities each day.
On March 23 at 4 p.m. PST, country singers Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood plan to livestream a concert of their own. They are also taking requests from fans.
“Let’s let music connect us during this disconnected time,” Brooks wrote on Twitter.
For individuals who cannot attend the livestreams on time and still want to see the show, most livestreams are recorded and can be re-watched at later times. However, Garth Brooks’ team advise that his concert will not be recorded for posting after the livestream has ended.
Some people may not get the appeal of watching a livestreamed show, as watching a show through a screen compared to watching it in person is a different experience. Not to mention that with YouTube, people can easily find almost any concert or live performance they desire to watch at any time.
However, online concerts aren’t the only source of musical entertainment available during these times, as many artists are still releasing new music. There were some recent releases by popular artists to which music lovers can give a listen.
On March 20, R&B and pop artist The Weeknd released his fourth studio album titled “After Hours.” The album surpassed 100 million streams on its first day, and is expected to move 400,000 units of the album equivalent (sales) in the first week of its release.
On March 22, hip-hop and pop artist Childish Gambino released “3.15.20” on streaming services. This is his fourth studio release, and the album is unique in the fact that it available a week earlier than scheduled in a surprise drop on the website DonaldGloverPresents.com in one continuous, looping stream.
On April 3, pop artist Dua Lipa is set to release her second studio album called “Future Nostalgia.” The album’s lead single “Don’t Start Now” was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for selling 500,000 units.
Regardless of what genre of music you enjoy or how you enjoy listening to music, there are still plenty of music-listening options out there during the quarantine. The time we have at home should encourage us to potentially get out of our comfort zone and try out new things we wouldn’t otherwise spend our time on, like listening to a new music artist or watching a livestreamed concert.
Some shows coming up include. This list will be updated as shows are announced:
March 23:
Christine and the Queens at 11 a.m. – https://www.instagram.com/glblctzn/?hl=en / https://www.instagram.com/christineandthequeens/?hl=en. Though, it seems some artists for this program go live sometimes on the event’s Instagram or sometimes their own Instagram.
Ziggy Marley at 1 p.m. – https://www.instagram.com/ziggymarley/channel/?hl=en
Garth Brooks at 4 p.m. – https://www.facebook.com/GarthBrooks/
Ben Gibbard at 4 p.m. – https://www.facebook.com/deathcabforcutie/
Years & Years, TBA – https://www.instagram.com/glblctzn/?hl=en / https://www.instagram.com/yearsandyears/?hl=en
March 24:
Diplo at 7 p.m. – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKp7UVaoVuiW1qtyPLPVFMQ
March 26:
Stray Local at 9 p.m. Catch the concert from @halfunited’s Instagram and at https://www.facebook.com/StrayLocal/.
March 27:
Crystal McGrath at 7 p.m. PST- https://www.facebook.com/crystalmcgrathmusic/.
For King & Country at 7 p.m. PST- https://www.facebook.com/events/2552250225023963/.
Tanchia Lopez at 9:10 p.m. EST. Register through @musicasaa’s Instagram for an invitation to the concert.
Wade Bowen with the Randy Rogers Band at 8 p.m. CST. Text song requests to (830)-240-7978. https://www.facebook.com/thewadebowen/.
March 28:
Couchella; the event will be including Miette Hope, Jackie Foster, Naika, Cisco Swank and more. The time is still to be announced, so stay tuned. Check @thehunterlamar’s Instagram for a concert link once it has been released.
March 29:
iHeart Living Room Concert at 6 p.m. PST. The concert will be livestreamed by Fox. Hosted by Elton John, and including Alicia Keys, Billie Eilish, the Backstreet Boys, Tim McGraw, Billie Joe Armstrong, Mariah Carey, and more.
For those that would like to replay some online concerts that they missed:
Brad Paisley with Carrie Underwood, Tim McGraw, and Chris Young- https://youtu.be/uLXF2dxooL0.
Chris Martin of Coldplay- https://youtu.be/YMBK9OfsKO4.
John Legend- https://youtu.be/I2NTcBmQkjw.
Keith Urban- https://youtu.be/yPF_dHS5eM0.
Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello- https://youtu.be/6d7k9M6bUqo.
