During these times of quarantine and COVID 19 each day can bleed into the next. It’s not often we get to mark our calendars with anything and it’s even rarer when we find something that we can look forward to. However, artists and musicians are finding ways to interrupt the mundane with live-action performances and concerts. Concerts and events are being hosted by organizations such as the Berlin philharmonic symphony all the way to Swae Lee doing a live set for his fans in his studio.

Spreading Joy

Some musicians are finding ways to spread hope during the quarantine, via Facebook live sessions. Specifically for singer and guitarist, Tom Munch, this has been a good alternative for his usual nursing home performances. Because nursing homes have had to take extra care in keeping their residence safe, Munch could not make his normal visit to Spanish Peaks Veterans Community Living Center in Walsenburg, Colorado in the United States, of course though, the show must go on. Tom Munch was able to visit with and perform for the elderly community through a Facebook live concert through a television within the facility. According to Next Avenue’s article on Munch, event coordinator, Sophia Perez said: “They (the residents)  were clapping, they were happy, they were excited that they were remembered, that somebody took time out of their day to go above and beyond to bring that to them.”

Bringing the People Together

Bing in quarantine has even opened up creative avenues like Instagram live. Tory Lanez, Canadian rapper, started a weekly series called quarantine radio that has reached up to 350,000 viewers at a time. Lanez plays music mashups, welcomes other celebrities on his show, and even hosts dance and special talent competitions that have cash prizes all from his living room on Instagram Live. 

An even stranger way to see your favorite musicians during quarantine, Indie band Soccer Mommy has even been the first band in history to do a concert on the online multiplayer game club penguin. Normally Club Penguin is a site users can meet on, chat and play games, as penguins but on April 16th, 2020 was also a place fans could gather to listen to the band Soccer Mommy’s new album and even attend a Q&A from the band after the event on the site. 

New Experiences for All

A few weeks ago I attended my first online music festival during quarantine, Digital Mirage. Electronic artists from all over the world lined up to perform live sets on a youtube stream.  The three-day festival was free but required users to register on the Digital Mirage webpage. Users were sent a link to watch the live sets and asked for donations. 100% of any donation made went directly to COVID 19 relief fund. 

Being in quarantine is an isolated and hard time for many people. It means not being able to see loved ones, not being able to do the things you normally love doing, and generally being isolated and away from groups of people. However, during this heartbreaking time, there are people doing what they can to still bring joy to people. Even if we are still separate there are ways to find togetherness.