In the Masked Crowd: My Experiences in the Post-Pandemic Music Scene

With a rise in vaccination levels over the past 6 months, many live music venues—those that could financially survive through the pandemic—have opened their doors for the first time in over a year of vacancy.  Starting in June, I began regularly attending concerts, both to fill the empty space I felt inside myself from going so long without live music, and also simply to support independent music venues in their reopening.  All of the shows I have been to, thankfully, have required attendees to show proof of vaccination and proper masking.  Whereas I expected months of collective stress over a virus to condition people to remain hesitant to interact with one another, I have found just the opposite.  Concert attendees are looking for connection to each other and to the music more than ever.  

The first concert I saw in the aftermath of the pandemic was at The Smell, my all time favorite independent music venue in Los Angeles.  In my opinion, The Smell has one of the best COVID management policies—tickets must be bought in advance online to manage capacity while ensuring people do not come all the way out to get turned down at the door.  Attendees are also required to show proof of vaccination and wear a mask properly during their entire time inside the venue.  I ended up going to The Smell just about every weekend of June and July, but this first concert stands out in my mind for a few reasons.  The first is that it was The Smell’s first show since reopening after the pandemic.  One of my favorite punk bands, Kuromi, was closing the show.  The audience was at capacity, but still felt comfortably spaced out.  Yet, the decreased density of the crowd by no means detracted from the energy of the event.  Audience members danced with more enthusiasm than I had seen at a show in a long time, even pre-pandemic.  There was a strong air of excitement and community brought on by the shared joy of simply being together listening to live music again.  

Back in Chicago, I found myself at a J. Cole concert at the United Center.  Truth be told, I have never been a fan of stadium shows.  I much prefer the smaller and more intimate atmosphere of independent venues.  However, this concert genuinely ranks in my top five shows of all time for the same reason as the prior show—the pure joy and excitement of the audience was tangible, even in spite of the size of the venue.  Truly, it felt like a more personal and close-up show than it was in reality, simply because of the atmosphere of the event.  

Most recently, I found myself at Thalia Hall in Chicago to see Luna Li and Japanese Breakfast.  I have no other way to describe this concert except joyous.  From the artists’ fantastical outfits to the showmanship of the performers, it was truly a night to remember.  One thing that struck me about this concert in particular, was how engaged and interactive the performers were with the audience, and particularly the gratitude expressed for attendance.  A lot of the time, I think we make the assumption that artists almost narcissistically know those who attend their events love their music.  Yet, it is one thing to listen to an artist’s music on streaming services and another to actually financially support their career and craft by buying tickets, in addition to contributing time and energy to attending a live event.  Luna Li and Japanese Breakfast both made me as an audience member feel so welcome, valued, and safe in a way that I rarely have before.  The connection between the performers and the audience permeated throughout the entire space and literally kept a smile on my face for the whole duration of the show.  

My experiences in the reopened music scene have reconfirmed my love for live music and the community it creates.  After a year of barely leaving my apartment, only regularly interacting with one single person, and being stripped of one of my most treasured escapes, I wanted nothing more than to be in a crowd of people soaking up live music.  I am incredibly grateful to the artists I have seen who have put on the phenomenal shows aforementioned, to independent venues who fought to stay open and all those who supported them, and all my fellow responsible vaccinated and masked concert-goers who have allowed such events to safely take place.  It feels like a part of me has returned to its rightful place.