Online concerts serve as passive way to interact

Pop artist Charli XCX released her latest album on May 15, and along with it came a release party. Artists like Dylan Brady and A. G. Cook attended and delivered high-energy performances to celebrate the album’s release. The event emotionally impacted a lot of fans due to the sense of triumph at the party and the passionate live sets from a diverse range of artists. However, this release party happened entirely on Zoom.   

A new way to connect with friends while staying socially distanced has emerged, in the form of online concerts. Online concerts allow students to keep themselves from getting bored and connect with friends in a unique way, and they also let people individually choose how engaged they want to be. 

While a lot of people’s first reaction to online concerts may be to instantly dismiss them, ninth grader Ariadne Merchant, a fan of K-pop groups such as BTS, sees them in a different light, even if she may prefer in-person concerts. She was glad that online concerts in a foreign language were more enjoyable to her as someone who didn’t speak that language. However, she still agreed that an artist-to-fan connection may be missing, and the concerts had less energy from emotional fans.

“Of course in an American tour they speak English, but they won’t say as much. The leader won’t say as much even if he’s fluent. They were speaking in Korean, but they had English subtitles, so I could understand what they spoke fluently,” she noted. “If I went to a concert in Korea, where they spoke Korean, I would have no idea what they’re saying, so that is a plus.”

Zara Baig, also a ninth grader, has been to two online concerts, and her experience has been very positive. She enjoys the nostalgic feeling of these concerts and the fact that some of her favorite artists performed. However, she does not at all enjoy them as much as in-person concerts.

“In real life the artist is right in front of you, and you are surrounded by a contagious energy of people who enjoy the artist just as much as you do,” Zara said. “I felt less engaged. I could pause the live streams whenever I wanted. But I am thankful that they put these together even though they can’t compare to actual concerts. They gave me something to look forward to at the end of my day and made me motivated.”

For students who feel online concerts do not appeal to them, there are several other ways to meaningfully engage with music during lockdown. Online music forums allow listeners to connect with people across the globe while still bonding over music. It isn’t even necessary to go farther than a social media site like Instagram or Twitter, which both have thriving music communities. There are also many blogs and online publications that give readers excellent and frequently lesser-known music recommendations.  

For those interested in online concerts, Billboard’s website frequently updates their database of every upcoming online concert, and NPR has a similar list.