Music lovers and concertgoers around the globe may be singing the Blues, but they sure can’t do so live, and in-person. Covid-19 has created a new stark reality for every facet of our waking life. Concerts aren’t coming back anytime soon. The idea of hundreds or even thousands of concertgoers crammed into a club or even a major outdoor venue is a pipe dream for the next year or beyond.
The only silver lining is that music is still being created, performed, broadcast, transmitted, and performed over social media and the Internet. We still have our records, CDS, cassettes, Itunes, and YouTube. Music fans and musicians are still able to connect with their fans, but it’s just not the same as the magic that artists and fans experience at the flesh-and-blood live show. That sense of community and sharing a moment is gone…for now.
At Sonic Nation, we miss the sense of camaraderie we had enjoyed of our fellow concert photographers, the artists, and the fans. We miss the excitement of looking at a jampacked calendar of shows, visiting our favorite record store, enjoying a beverage in the company of our fellow travelers in the rock n’ roll, metal, alternative, pop, jam band, alt-country, country, blues, hip-hop, and jazz communities.
We are really feeling powerless to help our favorite artists, labels, live music venues, indie promoters, publicists, and others that help bring the live concert experience to us all. We feel even worse for the staff members of labels, door staff, sound companies, lighting companies, bar staff, security, booking agents, and, of course, the artists that were barely eking out a living before this plague rolled around.
Now, more than ever, it’s important to do more than like your favorite artist, it’s time to put your money where your mouth is. Buy music. Buy merch. Send a small donation to an artist for their on-line performances or just to keep them from starving. I know that many music fans are also experiencing hard times, so give what you can, if you can.
Remember this quote from one of America’s most consequential presidents:
Music is energy. Energy cannot be destroyed. We will be back to something approaching normal someday, and it will be glorious. For now, stay safe, wash your hands, and keep your chin up.
