A Change in Venue

There’s something about sharing the space with a voice you’ve come to know so well that can cause people to lose themselves in the moment.

VENUES AND ARTISTS ARE ADAPTING TO AN ENVIRONMENT WITHOUT LIVE MUSIC EXPERIENCES.

Written by Olivia Peters, Arts Staff Writer Photos contributed by Channing Smith, Art Director

I recently saw a Tik Tok describing those moments when life doesn’t feel quite real, such as leaving a concert in search of your car. I thought about this Tik Tok for the rest of the day and how true it is that a post-concert daze offers a largerthan-life feeling. For many, a concert is a highly anticipated date on the calendar, especially if you’ve shelled out for tickets to a recognizable name. There’s something about sharing the space with a voice you’ve come to know so well that can cause people to lose themselves in the moment.

Something can also be said of the community at a concert. Packed like sardines, touching on most sides, singing unabashedly: it’s intimate. You’re surrounded, but unwatched because all eyes are forward. For once, you can just be as you want to be without worrying about appearances. Yet, you’re still with hundreds of people who share your love of the artist. You’re strangers, bonded together for one night. Now enter: Covid-19, mass shootings and the multitude of other scary things that can occur in crowds. These things have called for a change in concert life. But is the intensive emotional experience of a concert obtainable in a virtual world?

Concert halls and small venues are suffering financially. It’s not certain that they’ll make it to a post-Covid-19 world. In Madison, the Sylvee was selling merchandise and gift cards in party packs to try to create a revenue stream; but fundraising can only go so far as the event space remains unavailable to the public. To stay alive long-term, venues and artists are forced to explore new options, changing the old notions of “normal” for fans everywhere. →

Recently, drive-in concerts have been popping up across the country1 . Socially-distanced outdoor events are being attempted, but trouble arises when safety guidelines are ignored. Most musical experiences have turned completely to digital delivery. Lollapalooza announced a free, weekend-long virtual event in place of the annual festival this year. There will be over 150 performances and appearances to stream.2 However nice this sounds, it doesn’t exactly replicate the experience of an inperson music festival. One band, Glass Animals, is putting on a ticketed, live stream concert where they plan to imitate the community aspect of the concert experience. Lead singer Dave Bayley framed their intentions in an interview with New Musical Express Magazine: “You can do things on the internet that you can’t do in real life. It is a new type of performance space. Just like you’d perform and interact differently in a tiny club to how you’d perform in a stadium… you have to interact differently on the web.”3

It seems like Dave has the right idea in mind, there is a need for innovation in the digital concert space. The online experience is still developing, and there isn’t a real substitute for in-person concerts. At the end of the day, it’s being a part of a musical moment in history with people who appreciate it in the same way you do that really makes a concert. You can help your favorite artists and venues by supporting the new endeavors they are trying out to keep their connection with you. Digital intimacy isn’t something that is easily achieved, but it’s something that we’re going to have to figure out together in order to resurrect the experiences we cherish.■

1 R. Marya, “Smaller music venues face ‘the great unknown’ before live shows can resume at full capacity.” Fortune. July 26, 2020. 2 F. Basbas, “Lollapalooza confirms cancellation and announces virtual show - lineup revealed.” Bandwagon. July 28, 2020. 3 T. Skinner, “Glass Animals announce special ‘Live In The Internet’ performance.” New Musical Express. September 22, 2020.

You can do things on the internet that you can’t do in real life. It is a new type of performance space. Just like you’d perform and interact differently in a tiny club to how you’d perform in a stadium ...you have to interact differently on the web. Dave Bayley of Glass Animals

You’re Not Alone

HOW ARE COLLEGE STUDENTS ADAPTING TO AN ISOLATED COLLEGE EXPERIENCE?

By Mason Braasch, Staff Writer Illustrated by Riley August

I have had a crazy 2020. I moved away from my family, went through a devastating breakup, tested positive for COVID-19 and experienced drama within my living situation. It has been one of the most challenging periods of time in my life. Throughout all of these challenges, I have not only been going through a spectrum of strong emotions, but I have been dealing with it all while trapped inside my room, alone.

Almost every college student has a story that is reminiscent of mine. To say the very least, 2020 has been a very unique and emotional experience for everyone. This way of life is hard. Not being able to socialize with peers, learn within an actual classroom, or fulfill your dreams of a “college experience” is overwhelmingly upsetting. So, how are students doing it?

Uma Parhar, a sophomore at the University of WisconsinMadison described that when she’s feeling trapped and overwhelmed by the confines of her room, she simply takes a walk. This is a common answer among students, as the outdoors is really the only place anyone is allowed to go. Whether it be hammocking by the lake, playing a game of frisbee outside, or simply taking a few moments to breathe in the fresh air, it seems that many students are depending on the outdoors for peace this year more than ever before.

It is especially hard to be a freshman this year, as COVID-19 restrictions make it difficult to meet anyone new. Freshman Shashwot Tripathy and Aiden Regen described that jumping on any and every opportunity to meet new people has been especially important. That mindset has led them both to have many social experiences they maybe wouldn’t have had without these restrictions. While they may not be quarantined in tiny dorm rooms, this year’s seniors are experiencing challenges of their own. Senior Payton Camili described that while she and her friends have been trying to make the best of their final year of college, it has been challenging letting go of their expectations of what senior year is supposed to look like.

“I thought as a senior I would finally have everything figured out,” Camilli said, “but nothing is certain anymore and it’s tough because we don’t have the same sense of community to get through it because we’re avoiding other students.”

Others have actually grown to love this way of life. Sophomore Khushboo Gupta described that online school has taught her a lot about herself.

“I never realized how much I needed alone time until I was forced to have it,” she said.

While it may not be the ideal situation, isolation has forced many people to face the ways that they deal with their mental health. While I believe that the best way to cure a case of COVID-19 burnout is having a Taylor Swift dance party in my living room, the loneliness, stress, anxiety, and longing that come along with this year can sometimes need more serious solutions. Despite the curveballs that this school year continues to throw, students are finding ways to adapt that help them make the most out of it. So take a walk, whip out your journal, talk to someone you love, or do anything that brings you peace; just remember to prioritize the things that make you happy in this crazy, difficult and isolated time.■