Summer 2020: Virtual Concerts, Livestreams & A Drive-In Show
Sam Plascencia & Jenny Sorto
From brief Instagram lives to Zoom sessions, artists have continued to share moments, new music, or just play catch up on screen with their supporters. In times like these, music is something that brings almost everyone together, and for now it has become virtual.
Remi Wolf
Remi Wolf, a 24-year old artist based in Los Angeles, switched things up and organized a drive-in concert. Her funky soul pop aura is unlike anything else and plays a significant role in her recent success. We had the opportunity to meet the artist in October 2019 when she performed as an opening act for Still Woozy. Since then, we’ve been hooked on her eclectic energy.
Wolf’s Drive-In, presented by “This is Who We Are Now” took place in the heart of Chinatown, Los Angeles on June 24th. This was the city’s very first live music event since March, which meant we had to be there. As a way to celebrate the release of her new EP, “I’m Allergic to Dogs!”, Remi set the mood for the perfect summer night in an empty parking lot with an hour long set.
The sold out event was a rigorous project for Wolf and her team for about two months. They made sure everything was organized and made safety the priority by observing social distancing. As a result, we set the car to park, stuck our heads out the sunroof and tuned into an FM radio station. Luckily, there was a gigantic projector screen that videoed Wolf’s groovy dance moves and interactions with her band.
From honking horns and flashing headlights, 120 vehicles demonstrated their support for Remi Wolf and for the organizations in which all proceeds were sent to. The “Plus1” for Black Lives Fund and “summaeverthing” Community Center share initiatives to empower black communities and distribute organic produce to low-income communities in LA.
Closing off the show, Wolf greeted fans by enthusiastically running through the parked cars and singing along to “Photo ID” off her new EP. Hoping this is not the new normal for the future, Wolf gave fans a taste of something we’ve been missing for quite some time now and executed it flawlessly.
Moontower
If you’ve ever had the chance to see LA based three-piece group, Moontower, you know how energetic and captivating their live performances are. Even during a pandemic, where live music as we know it has become a distant memory, Moontower delivers a high energy set that transports you back to the familiar feeling of a concert.
Moontower’s What Day Is It? virtual tour entailed four nights of live performances, each with a different setlist. We joined in on day three, where the band performed songs from their latest EP, What Day Is It?, with the addition of their collaboration with Goldroom, “Guess I’m Jaded” and unreleased track “So Good”. The tour’s profits went to Know Your Rights Camp, Colin Kaepernik’s organization which works to empower and elevate Black and Brown communities, and NIVA’s (National Independent Venue Association) “Save Our Stages” campaign to preserve the life of independent venues.
In line with many virtual concerts, the show was streamed live through Zoom, but this was unlike most covid-era livestream concerts. Moontower and their team produced a live experience with full production consisting of wall to wall LED screens and multiple cameras that created a dynamic presentation.
The show began with the night’s opening act, Sleeptalk. There were introductions from band manager Carina Glastris and even title cards between sets. The transition from the screen indicating that Moontower was up next to a dark room mimicked the feeling at a venue when the lights go dark right before an artist comes on stage.
You could feel the energy through the computer screen the second the lights turned on and the first note of the band’s track “Bury Me” began. Each song was captivating with different lighting and visuals and each band member showing off what they do best. Jumping around and dancing to the music, the Moontower boys exhibited their impeccable stage presence and transported us to a crowded venue full of people enjoying music.
One outstanding factor of Moontower is their mutual appreciation for their fans and the safe space they have created with their supporters. There was an extra level of interaction formed between songs when all the viewers would be momentarily unmuted and clapping and cheering erupted from fans tuning in. At every live show the Moontower boys stay until they meet every single person who waits to talk to them, so nothing less would be expected even in a virtual setting. The band stuck around on the Zoom call after their set ended for a meet and greet with any fans wanting to have a chat with them.
The dedication to produce an experience as close to a live show as possible in spite of current circumstances is to be commended and Moontower and their team accomplished just that. Until venues open up and tours start up again, make sure to keep an eye out for Moontower because you won’t want to miss a show!
joan
Let’s admit that we would all love to transport ourselves to past decades at any given moment just to experience the amount of color, feel, and unmatched funk. More specifically, music is an outlet for artists to create beats and synths for listeners to bop and fully immerse themselves in. A band by the name of “joan” from Arkansas consists of the duo, Alan Thomas and Steven Rutherford. They consistently have released songs that give listeners this exact feeling of past decade nostalgia. Their most popular single “love somebody like you” invites listeners to single-handingly cry and dance at the same time.
This duo is on the rise for dream pop music as they have previously toured with Jeremy Zucker, COIN, flor, just to mention a few. This ultimately led them to their very first headline tour that luckily concluded the first week of March 2020. The band completely sold out their two shows in Los Angeles at the Morrocan Lounge, in which we attended. We got a glimpse into what they were working on as they performed a couple of unreleased songs that night, such as “try again” and “cover girl”.
On August 6th, 2020, the band dropped their long awaited EP titled cloudy. The singles released just before this were “love u better”, “magnetic”, “want u back”, and “brokenhearted” which immediately attracted more and more fans. Nearing the release of the EP, they advertised the concept of a virtual show over Youtube. The set encapsulated almost everything dreamy and nostalgic that the band has been building up to. The production of the livestream felt movie-like with the use of multiple angles and soft lighting. It felt as if we were at one of their sets again as we danced and belted every lyric, but this time it was to the laptop screen. Down to the attire, the boys matched in all white outfits giving off the epitome of an early 90’s boyband. Lastly, the room they performed in was adorned with metallic streamers that captured the heavenly vibe of their new work.
As fans since 2018, we’re continuously amazed and will continue to support a band like joan. Their music makes us feel sentimental in such a blissful way. Their romantic and lulling discography feels like magic!
Gracie Abrams
You’ve heard of house shows, but have you ever been to a concert in the bedroom of an artist you like? Singer-songwriter, Gracie Abrams, dropped her EP titled minor, this past July. She celebrated the release with a virtual live tour from her bedroom. The “Minor Bedroom Shows” originally consisted of six dates for different cities (with international dates added later on in the summer). This tour gave fans of Abrams an intimate experience of her music.
We attended the first night of the tour for the LA show along with over 120 other viewers. Considering Abrams’ rising popularity and growing following, it was surprising to hear that this was her first live “show”. Although not the debut into music that she would have expected, there is something charming about Gracie performing her music in the same room that her songs were written.
Abrams’ hauntingly beautiful voice was just as powerful live as on the studio versions of her songs. She began with the title track “minor” and closed off the set with her sad bop “21”. Between songs Gracie would reply to the fans in the chat and show us the livestream setup in her room. Abrams brought the same sincerity from her songs and lyrics to her performance creating a space that was personal and distinct from other virtual shows. It felt like being at a sleepover with your best friends and one of your friends pulls out the keyboard and shows everyone their latest breakup songs.
Gracie Abrams’ honesty and emotional lyricism shine on minor. We were lucky to be able to attend her first performance and hear her music come to life. We look forward to seeing how Gracie continues to grow as an artist.