Music Artists Take to Instagram Live as ‘Free Concerts’ Sooth the Deafening Effect of Nationwide Quarantine

March 31, 2020 Maria Pineda Contreras, Staff Writer, Sonoma State Star Newspaper

With major music events canceled and venues closing their doors across the country due to the Coronavirus, several artists and musical institutions have taken their shows online via social media platforms and other live-streaming services to provide much needed entertainment during the strenuous time. Many artists, from the comfort of their own homes, live-streamed concerts to combat isolation and as a temporary way to bond with fans during the quarantine. 

John Legend, Swae Lee, Diplo, and Miley Cyrus are just a few of the many musicians that are getting in on the act of providing live-music and concert experiences for the world to enjoy without sacrificing safety. With as many of them using Instagram, Youtube, and Facebook live to do so, each create their own kind of experiences to deliver to their fans. The idea has been picked up by theatres, too, as the cast of the West End improv show, “The Showstoppers,” broadcasted its Tuesday, March 24 performance live to Facebook after the Lyric theatre was closed to audiences.

John Legend helped launch “Together At Home,” a virtual concert series campaign which is supported by Global Citizen in partnership with the World Health Organization; it is described as, “a series of online concert performances hosted on artists’ social media platforms to fight coronavirus, promote social distancing and to mobilize Global Citizens in taking meaningful action to help.” 

Concerts began on March 21 and 22, the first weekend of quarantine, as hundreds of thousands of people from around the world attended virtually through their devices to listen to sets from artists like Miguel, Rufus Wainwright, Bastille, Lindsey Sterling, Sauti Sol, DJ Cuppy and many more. Included was Colombian legend and multi-award winning artist, Juanes, who presented a nearly two-hour-long set that brought in an incredible 700,000 views. 

Outside of the organization, artist Miley Cyrus began a series called “Bright Minded,” via Instagram live, which includes an array of influencers and discussions that are now being aired Monday through Friday at 11 a.m. PST. As described by Billboard magazine, the show’s name is an acronym for each subtopic Cyrus plans to address with her special guests across the episodes. 

“Bright Minded” encompasses the following: Blessings/curses of social media, Reliable sources, Immune Boosters, Getting active, Healthy anxiety, Thoughts and attention/toxins, Memories, Inflammation, Negative thoughts, Dedicating 15 minutes to something new and Sleep. 

Cyrus posted on her Instagram story, as she said, “Me and my guests [are] using our influence and platform to bring optimism while connecting from afar in a time of social distancing; it will prove this does not mean isolation!” 

Many students and young adults alike expecting to spend their spring break weekend celebrating at the 10th annual Beyond Wonderland music festival were stripped of doing so due to quarantine regulations put in place that same weekend. Yet, as the ever evolving social media and music dynamic carries forth during the coronavirus crisis, many of them were still presented with the opportunity to enjoy the sets that were going to be featured at the show.

Insomniac Events went live on their YouTube channel on March 20 and 21 from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. to put on the first ever “Beyond Wonderland Virtual Rave-A-Thon.” Insomniac Founder and CEO, Pasquale Rotella, along with his team, transformed the lobby of Insomniac’s LA headquarters into a fully themed Wonderland stage, decked out in the show’s distinct psychedelic style. A live-stream crew captured performances by 4B, Party Favor, SVDDEN DEATH, Drezo and many more. According to a press release from Insomniac, the total event drew over 3.5 million views. 

While these times are uncertain, and a struggle to find ways to fill up our days while we must be staying indoors, unless it is essential to leave: consider checking-in on your favorite artists’ social media pages, as they might be one of the many that have turned to web-streaming to share their music and live content.