Social distancing is being practiced due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. Many people have stopped their outdoor activities and spend most of their time at home. Singers also feel sad that solo concerts and world tours are canceled. As boring daily lives were limited to home activities, various cultures emerged to replace outdoor activities. One of them is the 'Together at Home Concert’, which is a new cultural trend that features guest streaming. People can enjoy cultural life and leisure at home. Also, people can enjoy singers' performances at home without having to visit movie theaters or concert halls. It is a good opportunity for artists to play their songs and performances virtually. A concert can be held in a house or a room through SNS and TV programs.

With the popularity of Together at Home Concerts through SNS, many online audiences are watching video performances. A variety of music and song posts can be found through Instagram's hashtags of ‘#stay at home’ and ‘#Together at Home Concert’. Dua Lipa, pianist Lee Shin-kyu, and Henry gave impressive musical performances on Instagram live. Many SNS users can easily watch a good quality stage performance through virtual concerts. People can also watch performances by famous singers on YouTube. The musical masters give touching performances in their homes as opposed to a concert hall. The Deutsche Grammophon, the world famous classical music label, has arranged a free special concert online. 10 world-class pianists performed in the special concert. They posted videos taken on their smartphones, which were watched online by more than 200,000 people worldwide. Through social media and online platforms many artists are participating in the COVID-19 Prevention Campaign. Pianist Danil Trifonov played the piano wearing a mask and encouraged people to overcome the situation.

▲Together at Home Poster (source: Google).

COVID-19 also affects the broadcasting and performing industry. Even though some broadcasts require an audience or fans, now broadcasts are being recorded without guests. Performances can be a way to comfort viewers. Many fans were disappointed by the sudden cancellation of their favorite celebrity performances. So the Korean TV program ‘How Do You Play?’ planned to run a special feature. There was a special broadcast to cheer up viewers who were restricted from their daily lives. The special broadcast was called ‘Concert at Home’, which played performances by famous singers such as Zico, Lee Seung-hwan, and Song Ga-in. The audience seats were filled with cheering stick lights. It would be a unique experience for viewers because they can watch performances that would usually be difficult to get tickets for from their home. Viewers can enjoy various genres of performances from trot to hip-hop and musicals. The special performances were aired as the 34th and 35th episodes of March.

▲The Korean TV Program ‘How Do You Play’ (source Google).

As the weather gets warmer, there are some people who want to go out. However, COVID-19 hasn’t been eradicated yet, so people should still be careful. Many people may feel bored by the long term social distancing but activities such as Together at Home Concert can bring entertainment to a boring daily life. The various projects by performers and performance staff will be needed to keep people entertained. A day will come when people can go out comfortably and enjoy their free time in a way they never did before.

By Bae Yun-bin, reporter  binibbo99@naver.com

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