Faith Miller
Even though the pandemic has caused several events to have been canceled or postponed into 2021, many venues and artists have found a way to still perform and provide events for fans.
The methods include virtual opportunities, drive-in performances, and some venues are even scheduling to begin having in person concerts once again with social distancing and new safety measures being put in place.
Sophomore Nour Lofty, attended a virtual concert on Oct. 17 for the band “Glass Animals.” She purchased her tickets through Ticket Master and was sent a specific code and link giving her to the concert.The event also included a merch section on the website that was accessible throughout the entirety of the event.
“I believe that it was really well done,” Lofty said. “I loved the way they did it and thought that with live concerts not being an option right now, it was a fantastic alternative.”
Even though the streaming quality was very good throughout the show, it “went down toward the end,” due to a high volume of comments. To make up for this, “Universal Music” gave attendants access to the stream for an extra 72 hours so that fans didn’t miss anything and could get their money’s worth. The artist also included a recording of their fans from a previous Zoom and projected it for one of the songs during the concert.
“It was a full production, extremely visually entertaining with props and a concept and all,” Lofty said.
Another option a lot of artists have turned to is drive-in concerts. Popular Christian band “For KING & COUNTRY” has planned a concert to be held at several drive-in locations across the United States including “Silvermoon Drive-In” located in Lakeland. Even though tickets recently sold out, it is a great example of how drive-in presentations are being handled.
Tickets were being sold by the vehicle, allowing only six passengers per car. Instead of selling by the parking space, guests were allowed to choose the zone of the parking area they wished to be placed in.
Then, depending on when guests arrive, they will be directed to the next available parking space within the area. Bryan Scott, the Director of Concerts and Events for the Joy F.M. radio station, described the concert as being “a once in a lifetime” and that merchandise will be available for contactless delivery the night of the performance.
“The Drive-In Model is working extremely well across the country,” Scott said. “I really believe that people want to get out of their homes and that they miss live concerts.”
Amalie Arena, located in Tampa, Fla., has recently announced that it will be hosting one of the first in-person concerts since the beginning of the pandemic. Artist TobyMac will be performing on his “TobyMac Hits Deep Tour” in person, along with special guests Tauren Wells, We Are Messengers, Unspoken, Cochren & Co. and Terrian. The performances will be held on Feb. 19 and 20 at 7 p.m.
“Over the summer we’ve safely produced multiple tours at drive-in movie theaters providing our fans with an outlet to continue enjoying live music, and we’re excited to keep that momentum going this spring,” said Dan Fife, CEO and Founder of Awakening Events in the press release announcing the event.
