Artistes hail the virtual concerts ... but still missing the road
Published:Monday | July 27, 2020 | 12:00 AMShereita Grizzle/Staff Reporter
Although event promoters have been given the green light to start hosting small gatherings again, it may not be until 2021 before that privilege is extended to organisers of larger events such as Reggae Sumfest. For now, online may be the only space these large events get to materialise. It is with this reality in mind that industry movers have come to the conclusion that virtual concerts are a necessary adjustment and could become a staple on the entertainment scene, at least until the end of 2020.
Speaking at the historic virtual staging of Reggae Sumfest which ended on Saturday night, artistes expressed that although they are anxious to get back on the road to physically connect with their fans once more, for now, online concerts will suffice. “As artistes, we feed off the energy of the people when we go to shows, and of course we miss that. But, seeing that this virus is still very much affecting the world, we have to find creative ways to keep the entertainment industry active. Virtual concerts like this one give us that opportunity,” said Tarrus Riley. “Online concerts like these are definitely a convenient and pleasant adjustment. Only time will tell how long we will need to continue doing this, but people need music, and I think this is a very creative way to deliver that. It’s a way for us as artistes to keep in contact with our fans and a way for brands such as Sumfest to keep growing from strength to strength. People will always remember and support events that gave them an awesome free concert to make their COVID days better.”
Internationally renowned artiste, Maxi Priest, explained that having been halted by bans on large social gatherings as a result of COVID-19, he is happy the online realm exists as an alternative venue to host large events such as Reggae Sumfest. “Reggae Sumfest is a show that many people across the globe look forward to each year. This year, unfortunately, we weren’t able to gather in person but instead of sitting at home wondering what’s next, the organisers have shown how committed they are to the music by putting together this online production. Because of this live stream, many people from across the world would have gathered, just like they would have at the physical concert,” he said. “I think this was an awesome idea because this is the world that we’re living in now and we have to be able to make changes and adapt to the situation that we’re in. This is a crazy situation that is new to all of us. Never in our lives have we seen anything like this that has knocked out every fuse of the world and put everybody in kind of a baffling situation. It’s a new world for entertainment and we have to be able to adjust to these kinds of live performances.”
KEEPING VIRTUAL PACE
Josef Bogdanovich, CEO of Downsound Entertainment, who are organisers of Sumfest, told The Gleaner in a post-show interview that with the world going virtual, it was imperative that he and his team played their part in ensuring Jamaica kept pace with the rest of the globe. “This is the way to go for large events now. We can’t physically gather like we used to but that doesn’t mean the show stops,” he said. “We thought a lot about COVID and what it brought to all of us with all the introspection and figuring out how we’re all going to live in this new world with the new normal. It gave us the opportunity to come up with a production that has a lot of beauty in it, a lot of precision, and a production that’s up there with the rest of the world. We did this in three weeks, and I think this shows that Jamaica is ready to compete with the rest of the world no matter what.”