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How we really miss music concerts during pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced concerts to shift from the big stage to the small screen. Can an online concert beat the sensation of watching music performed live?
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People in a boat listen to Latvian band Dagamba performing during a performance at the crossover music festival Laivā on Juglas Lake near the Latvian capital Riga on Aug. 14. Latvians are taking to the country's waterways for socially distanced musical experiences this summer, boarding kayaks, dinghies and motor yachts to enjoy music -- even if unvaccinated. (AFP/Gints Ivuskans)
F
or many of us, 2020 and 2021 have been tough. We cannot deny that the COVID-19 pandemic that has lasted for almost two years has ravaged every line of our lives. Including enjoying music.
Previously, we could attend and enjoy live music performances easily. Suddenly we are forced to move from big stages to our small rooms at home, and then listen and enjoy music concerts on screen, either through Zoom or a YouTube channel, in order to protect us from COVID-19.
Watching concerts via streaming in our living room is fun and comfortable. However, we have to admit that there is something magical about watching a live concert that attracts a huge crowd.
When we attend a concert, we do not just enjoy the music being performed. We absorb not only the energy of the performing musicians but also that of the spectators around us, and this is what makes it an amazing experience.
Music is often interpreted as the conjoined twin of language. If words convey ideas or knowledge, music is there to convey emotions.
Based on this view, a musician presents his or her message, through music, to the audience. Viewers or listeners then decipher this message based on their music listening habits. This way the audience translates the emotions conveyed by the musicians through the music.
Then a question arises: if music can convey emotions, then watching an online concert should not be any different from going to a live music show, right? Because in both cases, the audience listens to the same melody, the same harmony and the same rhythm.
