• Home
  • About Us
  • Consultancy & Training
  • Coaching
  • Counselling
  • Online Courses
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Contact
    • Login
Voxel Hub
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Consultancy & Training
  • Coaching
  • Counselling
  • Online Courses
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Contact
  • Login

Digital Creativity

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Digital Creativity
  • What I’ve learned from hosting online entertainment in the pandemic

What I’ve learned from hosting online entertainment in the pandemic

  • Posted by Liam McKinnon
  • Categories Digital Creativity
  • Date March 1, 2021
  • Comments 2 comments

Way back in July, I blogged about the different platforms enabling performers to carry on entertaining audiences remotely throughout the pandemic, using technology at a time where venues across the world sadly shut their doors.

Since then, I have, albeit almost accidentally, immersed myself in the world of online gigs, hosting and supporting a series of music and comedy events on Zoom. I’ve been involved in over 60 shows, each of which have had special, memorable moments for the act and audience alike.

At the start of 2020, my musical comedian friend Boothby Graffoe and I were shaping up for a handful of gigs across the UK, but after all live performances screeched to a miserable halt, he asked if I could explore online alternatives. 

Similarly, Steven Page – who in ‘normal times’ I have the honour of playing alongside – very proactively set up ‘Live From Home’ concerts from his basement studio as early as April 2020; successful to the extent that as a series it has now passed 42 shows, barely skipping a beat on Saturday nights ever since.

Not only were acts the world over sacrificing their raison d’être – being in a room in front of an audience – but the reality is that, often as self-employed entities, the financial impact for artists worsened the longer the pandemic lasted too. Notwithstanding that some comedians and musicians have side-gigs writing and/or recording for other projects or acts, generally speaking the live show – together with merch sales and bar percentages – tends to account for the bulk of their income.

Here are some key insights I have learned in this space of time, which is now (amazingly) verging on a year. Rather than providing a walk-through of the technical features or platform nuances employed for these online events, most of which are by now well-documented, I will focus on the impact I’ve noticed on people – the online concert experiences and how communities have been shaped and wellbeing improved by these virtual events.

  • Communities have been created around the live shows

Undoubtedly the most heartening aspect of running these shows has been seeing new relationships and communities emerge as a direct result. Many friendships are struck up between gig-goers at a venue where punters – strangers brought together by a common passion – recount shared experiences and interests over a drink. These online shows have allowed for a very similar connection. At Boothby and Steven’s shows, as with many others I’ve attended as an audience member, the chat box is non-stop and a place for fans to get to know one another. Steven’s fans now spend the Live From Home shows (and the week in-between, for that matter) chatting in a busy Discord server. Boothby watched on as two fans got engaged during one of his shows; the proposal took place in the Zoom chat. Both acts have recorded pandemic-themed songs, which fans have subsequently covered and championed on social media. I’m willing to bet that once gigs at venues return, there will be a whole wave of online friendships materialising in-person and audience members will recognise each other from the gallery view on Zoom.

  • Collaboration is (still) key

The most significant difference for artists performing online is the lack of immediate feedback and interaction normally provided by an audience at a live show. Boothby quips that telling a joke and being met with complete silence is “very much like all my gigs”, but in all seriousness, it’s a strange dynamic to be reliant entirely on visual feedback (‘jazz hands’ is the method of choice at his shows!)

Some acts have provided a ‘front row’ option, where a limited number of attendees are unmuted and can be heard throughout the show (and in some cases, this permission is monetised). In the formative weeks of Live From Home, Steven gave all 900  audience members the unmuting feature and almost broke the internet (and his own eardrums!)

With this in mind, a really joyful feature of Boothby’s gigs has been the collaboration with other acts. We’ve invited other comedians to join the shows, and the back-and-forth facilitated by the split-screen speaker view very often feels like being a fly on the wall with two friends chatting down the pub. Shows with the likes of Stewart Lee, Tim Vine, Omid Djalili, Rachel Parris et al have given audiences a rare opportunity to see performers swapping stories – framing these events as somewhere between a live show and ‘an evening with’. This not only keeps the shows diverse for regular audience members, but it also entices new people to each show – as the guest bring along some of their own fanbase and crossover interest is formed.

  • Online shows are often more efficient for the artist


Playing a show – or a series of shows as a tour – is an expensive business, and there are many costly elements to hosting a night’s entertainment: Venue and equipment hire, travel and fuel costs, hotel expenses, food and drink, insurances, licensing. Then there are the personnel costs involved in hospitality: drivers, tour manager, the crew (lighting, sound, security), promoter/s, venue staff, merch seller/s. In no way is this meant to be celebratory of their removal from the process, as the lack of shows, of course, sadly takes away income for those people. The point here is that, for the act themselves, online shows allow them to recoup much higher percentages and cuts of the gross takings. Many acts who are able to are, thankfully, in many cases using this to pay the aforementioned staff on retainer contracts, or those workers who are so integral to running live entertainment have been able to revert to an alternative online role (I, for instance, am way more comfortable sat on my cajon than I am tweaking Zoom audio and visual settings – but it’s a job I’m very happy to do in the meantime).

  • Many artists will continue online shows post-pandemic


This is entirely subjective of course, but there’s a growing sense that online shows will continue to run even when we’re out of the pandemic. I personally don’t feel that the energy of a live show can be captured or replicated online: the adrenaline-fuelling dimming of lights as the act takes the stage, the buzz of a packed venue, the jostling at the bar – these are all things that now feel very much missed as part of the whole gig experience. However, there is definitely a convenience and accessibility that allows a space for online shows to run in conjunction with ‘in-person’ events. There are already ideas floating around using subscription services like Patreon where artists incentivise attendance at online events with discounted tickets to ‘real life’ gigs. For those who struggle either financially, socially or physically with events, online shows provide a safe and accessible alternative.

It has been eye-opening and quite a privilege to host online concerts in the last few months, and while there are sometimes tech hurdles and dodgy connections to navigate, the Zoom gigs have provoked a range of emotions – they’ve been moving, funny, silly and surreal. Most of all, they have been a way to retain a connection to people and performers, and for some – myself included – having a night’s entertainment in an otherwise relentlessly dull and emotionally challenging pandemic is actually a lifeline. 

Have you attended online concerts in the last few months? I’d love to hear your thoughts and reviews in the comments below.

  • Share:
author avatar
Liam McKinnon

Liam McKinnon is Marketing, Communications and Digital Manager at Off the Record (OTR), a mental health social movement by and for young people in Bristol.

Previous post

"How to Grow Your No." - Map Review
March 1, 2021

Next post

UWE Bristol - Mental Health Panel Discussion - "Switch it off" - the media, a global pandemic and its impact on us
March 11, 2021

You may also like

s-o-c-i-a-l-c-u-t-FluPNkHfCTs-unsplash
“How to Stay Sane in an Age of Division” by Elif Shafak – book review
6 February, 2021
eliott-reyna-5KrZ3UoDKC4-unsplash (1)
Social Dilemma – resources to consider before watching the movie
2 November, 2020
2020-10-27 3
Take a Moment campaign in support of Mind
28 October, 2020

    2 Comments

  1. Jo
    March 9, 2021
    Reply

    I’ve absolutely adored the SP LFH shows, permeating the monotony of lockdowns and self imposed isolation and actually gives me something to look forward to on a Saturday night. I was kindly invited for my first Boothby show last week too, and that was brilliant- thank you! Long may they continue while ‘normal’ gigs are out of the question.

    I was kindly invited for my first Boothby show last week too, and that was brilliant- thank you!

  2. Liam
    March 11, 2021
    Reply

    Thanks Jo 🙂

Leave A Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search

On this website

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Consultancy & Training
  • Coaching
  • Counselling
  • Online Courses
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Contact

BLOG CALENDAR

April 2021
M T W T F S S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
2627282930  
« Mar    

Key blog categories

  • Business & Leadership
  • Contributor Post
  • Digital Communication
  • Digital Content
  • Digital Creativity
  • Digital Identity
  • Digital Literacy
  • Digital Tech & Innovation
  • Digital Wellbeing
  • Events
  • Family
  • Founder's thoughts
  • Mental Health & Wellbeing
  • Our Advisory Board
  • Our Events
  • Our Interviews
  • Our News
  • Our Services
  • Our Tips
  • Personal Development

Other blog topics

activism Advisory Board apps biases Black Lives Matter books Bristol business children coaching collaboration collective connection counselling creatives cultures cyber activism digital wellbeing events health innovation Instagram interview leadership mainstream media mental health mindfulness music nature newsletter pandemic ProReal remote work resilience rest self-care stories streaming tips VR webinars wellbeing women rights workplace YouTube

BLOG ARCHIVES

Latest Courses

Digital Wellbeing Primer (coming soon)

Digital Wellbeing Primer (coming soon)

Free
Exploring FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) (Coming Soon)

Exploring FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) (Coming Soon)

£39.00
Reflective Writing in the Digital Age (coming soon)

Reflective Writing in the Digital Age (coming soon)

£39.00

Recommended Links

Our collections
Digital Wellbeing Voices on Twitter
Digital Wellbeing book list on Amazon 
Digital wellbeing on digital platforms
Digital Wellbeing course by Google
Digital Wellbeing course by the University of York
Digital Wellbeing Google
Digital Wellbeing Android 
Digital Wellbeing Apple
Digital Wellbeing Facebook
Digital Wellbeing Vodaphone
Internet Matters by Virgin Media
Digital Literacy courses by BT
Research and news
Centre for Humane Technology
Oxford Internet Institute 
BPS Cyberpsychology
Cyberpsychology EU
Cyberpsychology ORG News
Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking
Other related journals
Pew Research (Internet)
We Are Social blog 
Digital parenting
Digital Wellbeing Childnet
Digital Wellbeing UK Safer Internet Centre
Common Sense Media
Parenting for a Digital Future
EU Kids Online
Danah Boyd Blog
Contextual Safeguarding Network
UK wellbeing research
GOV.UK 5 Ways of Wellbeing Report 2008
NEF 5 Ways of Wellbeing Report 2008 
NEF 5 Ways of Wellbeing – New Evidence 2011
NEF Wellbeing blog
State of the Nation 2019
Happy City
Thriving Places Index
Happiness Pulse
Local wellbeing indicators 
Digital Wellbeing for Academia
Digital wellbeing blogs
Positive Computing
Mind Matters News
Tech Happy Life
Hero Wellbeing Blog
What Works Wellbeing
Positive psychology 
Positive Psychology Center
Network of Wellbeing
Positivity Test
VIA Institute of Character

Copyright © Voxel Hub 2019-2021 // Privacy Policy // Cookie Policy

No apps configured. Please contact your administrator.

Login with your site account

No apps configured. Please contact your administrator.

Lost your password?

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.

For our full Privacy Policy click here.

Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT