Over the last year or so, I have been optimistically sharing my area of specialism with you all, in the hope that we can return to some form of live performance sooner rather than later, when you can start putting these tips into action. Of course, a year on, we’re still seeing live shows being rescheduled or cancelled, although the much-anticipated relaxation of lockdown rules seems likely to occur as the months pass.
With that in mind, let’s explore how ‘live performance’ has evolved during the current global pandemic, and what opportunities there are for us to perform in some capacity. If you haven’t been hiding under a rock, you will know that most artists have mobilised to play online streamed concerts – whether informally at home via social media, or more recently beaming from venues with full productions and ticketed links. In both instances, the live environment from the artist’s perspective is somewhat stifled. There’s no physical audience, no raucous post-performance feedback, no cyclical transfer of energy and no atmosphere, creating arguably one of the toughest live performance scenarios for musicians – but not one that is uncommon.