On Thursday, I was supposed to fly to New York to see a show. A couple of my friends from around the country were also flying in to see that show. We were then going to spend the weekend together and road trip to Baltimore to see another show. It was going to be a great time, as it always is when you mix great friends with great music.
However, COVID-19 had other plans for all of us. Obviously, those shows, and many others over the next couple months, have been postponed to a later time. Luckily, the airlines are flexible and I was able to get a credit for my flight. Hopefully, I’ll be able to fly out when that show gets rescheduled.
This story is the same for so many fans, as most shows through May have been postponed or cancelled all together. Now we are without our live music, without our reunions with long-distance friends, and for many of us, without our happy place. Our one place to get away from the rest of the world, to get away from our worries, and to have a couple hours of freedom has been completely cancelled for the foreseeable future.
Many artists are getting hit hard financially by the cancellation of shows, but I think emotionally, it’s hitting them just as hard as it’s hitting all of us fans. As many artists are being forced to stay home, they have reached out to their fans and scheduled live streams. They could be curled up on their couch, binging Netflix or spending time with their families – which is often something they lose out on while on the road, but instead, they are taking requests for songs and scheduling times to sing to us.
So, I am writing to say thank you to the artists who are sitting in their living rooms doing acoustic performances via whatever social media platform they choose. Thank you for continuing to share your gift with us. Thank you for giving us a little bit of light during this concerning time. Thank you for giving us a reminder that our happy place still exists as we follow the social distancing guidelines.
Yesterday, I watched the Flatland Cavalry live, today I plan to watch Hailey Whitters’ facebook live stream (as I would have been seeing her on Thursday in the show that got cancelled). It’s amazing how much better I felt to hear a little bit of live music. I highly recommend. Make sure you’re following your favorite artists and turn on your notifications. Maybe this is a chance to check out a few new artists, as well. If you don’t like it, you can just exit out and no one will even know.
I hope more artists decide to do this and continue to do this throughout our time of social distancing. As a fan, please know how much it is truly appreciated.
And you missed Keith Urban’s performance last night, you can watch it right here.
