With COVID-19 restrictions lifting, live music is finally coming back, but those in the scene have been feeling the consequences..Music and live performance industries have been financially hit hard by COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions. For emerging artists especially, performing live can be the make-or-break to finally get one’s foot in the door..The Calgary Stampede was one of the first mass public events since the pandemic began. It hosted a variety of live music acts, and has so far been deemed successful with no major outbreaks known to have resulted from it..With restrictions in place for a little over a year (March 2020 to July 2021) to varying degrees around the world, musicians and performers are trying to figure out what a post-COVID-19 world will look like for their industry – and grappling to put the pieces of what’s left back together..Jarod, a.k.a. DVille, is an up and coming electronic music artist quickly taking Western Canada by storm. Based in Calgary, DVille has been releasing music and playing live shows since early 2017, and works closely with local promotion company Boodang..Already taking advantage of pandemic restrictions dropping across western Canada, DVille has at least two live performances under the belt already in 2021..“Two nights ago I got to play Palace (Theatre Calgary) again. Last two weeks have been fast-paced!”.DVille said he and other artists found more setbacks than benefits from the pandemic, but gained solace through controlling what he could..“I think the only real benefit was being able to take a step back from the actual performance aspect of live entertainment and really put a lot more energy and focus into practicing our crafts and really honing in our skills of what we get to showcase and perform,” he said..“There’s just been immense challenges. The biggest obstacle has just been the immense shutdown of most venues – almost all venues – for the entire time. So really there being no realms to partake in any activities.”.With the entire world shutting down, all live events initially closed down with it, meaning even the biggest of names weren’t able to tour and perform. This lack of mobility for even established forces in the game seems to have started a stigmatized culture within the music scene of ‘if they can’t perform, what makes you so special?’.“There was quite a big stigma through the industry of anyone that was performing or was finding ways to find a way to present their live music. Just because having the biggest names across all genres and all aspects of the music industry having to take a knee, having to take a seat, having to take a step back,” DVille said..“What sets you apart from the bigs of the bigs? Like if the Rolling Stones can’t jump on stage, why do you think you should have the right to?”.This stigma seems to also point to a potential reason musicians especially have been so hesitant to perform live again since COVID-19..“I really felt that stigma, with other artists judging, really kept a lot of people at home and not performing,” he said..DVille says while the normal crowd is still around, its begun to quickly expand..“It’s been insane! The energy that the crowd brings is just unmatched. The amount and influx of new faces and new energy is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before,” he said..“People aren’t just out to see headliners anymore. Now after COVID, like as soon as the nightclub doors open the dance floor is full and people are just there to be there, which is super sick. I don’t know how long that will last, but it’s quite a different vibe for sure.”.Along with a renewed bustle has come a renewed sense of gratitude..“I feel like that’s because just every artist themselves is more competitive because we’ve all spent so much time working on our craft and getting better. So because we didn’t get the chance to perform, all the music that we would’ve been showcasing we’ve just been stacking up and saving and saving. “.Referring specifically to the Western Canada music scene, DVille says COVID-19 has and will bring large shifts to the music industry with commercialization being more prominent than ever. Smaller independent venues, companies, and artists are fighting to keep their heads above water with the duration of the pandemic forcing many to close up shop..“The only people (who) are left are the big fish in the industry pond. People that were already really well off. So now they’re kind of taking a monopoly over the industry. People in the position to take a benefit from the monopoly are the ones who were already not really struggling,” he said..With big players currently holding court over most of the industry, the pandemic has begun to erode the middle ground positions in the music industry and leave only the have or have-nots in a brand new age..“It is kind of two-faced because taking out that middle section or middle ground of the community, of the industry, did create a little bit of headroom for very grassroots organizations to totally startup. So it is somewhat Renaissance-like, and a rebirth of there being a lot of new – brand new – promotion companies, event companies, events, different things like that,” DVille said..When it comes to artists, the industry seems to be experiencing an influx of plurality. With major artists buckling and new artists emerging online, getting one’s foot in the door of the music industry right now is an interesting experience..“There is an overlapping wave, because I feel like there are so many feet trying to get in the door right now that it is a little overwhelming. Strangely enough there still were a lot of new breakthrough musicians coming out during COVID,” DVille said..When it comes to post-pandemic caution being exercised by patrons attending live shows, DVille hasn’t observed much. “Everybody’s like, ‘COVID who?’ Everybody’s just pretending like nothing ever happened, it’s very weird. The last two weekends at Palace have been quite dream-like, it’s exactly how it was before — it’s quite eerie almost.”.He attributed most of said normalcy to the inherent nature of clubs: “stuffy, indoor, hot, clubby, shoulder-to-shoulder, mosh-pit environments the people that wouldn’t necessarily be super comfortable or would be exercising a little more precaution, they’re just not ready, they straight up would pass,” he said..Although Canadian patrons seem to be observably comfortable post-pandemic, DVille says both he and a handful of others in his circle are actually exercising more caution than they otherwise normally would. “Yeah Charlie (CJ We$ty) is for sure,” he said..“Normally, if I wasn’t on stage I would be down right in the thick of it, down at the front, right in the most condensed bit of the crowd. The last two weekends I’ve spent the overwhelming majority of my time behind the rope, backstage, in VIP, up in the green room all six feet away from people social distancing all night,” he said..Vaccines are set to play an interesting role in the reemergence of any live events, but especially concerts and live music. DVille says it’s like mixing apples and oranges to compare COVID-19 regulation capabilities between large and small venues..“That saying ‘you have to spend money to make money’ because those promotion companies, those event staff, they don’t have the base income to get the whole ball rolling, they can only have the ability to put on subpar events,” he said..“The larger venues are just more able to put on better events right now, and a lot of the small venues have just been closed or don’t have the initial booking fees to bring in big artists; therefore to bring in crowds to spend money.”.Questions surrounding the ethics of barring people from public spaces without immunization have been on the rise lately, with Manitoba’s new vaccine QR code system already drawing controversy. DVille says at the end of the day it should be a company’s choice to implement these rules or not, and patrons who don’t like it have the freedom to make other choices..DVille recognizes not everyone is able to abide by the new immunization rules..“If your health enables you to get the vaccine and you don’t have any precursors that would make you ineligible for the vaccine – yeah! I think you shouldn’t really have a problem with the need to have it to go to an event, but it’s definitely a case by case basis because not everyone is that fortunate,” he said..What’s going on soon for live music:.Alberta and BC are hosting a number of live music events throughout the summer and into the fall, but many of the usuals are choosing to play it cautious and postpone another year to 2022..• Chasing Summer, a weekend music festival taking place in Calgary, has officially announced it will be postponing once again until 2022..“There’s not a ton of Canadian artists across a ton of different EDM genres really touring right now. It’s alright, but I see why it’s going on. And Chasing is just one of those things where there just wouldn’t be enough artists to keep them all booked locally.”.• The ever-popular Shambhala music festival hosted annually in BC also opted to postpone one more year until 2022..• Country music festival Sunfest in Cowichan, BC will be returning in 2022 without a 2021 offering..But Western Canadians can still look forward to their fill of live music coming up..If you’re looking for a more casual scene, Social Beer Haus on Stephen Ave – previously showcased for their Stampede food selections – will be hosting live local musicians every day from 2-5 p.m. and boasts a dance floor inside..Palace Theatre in Calgary boasts a modest docket of live music spaced throughout the summer and really picking up in autumn..Running through August 7, Inglewood in Calgary will be hosting The Melodies and Myths live concert in Mills Park every Saturday from 10:30 a.m. until noon. This concert series aims to showcase local classical music artists including cellists, guitarists, and violinists..If you’re able to wait until autumn, Boodang is hosting SCREAM, a Halloween-themed music bash on October 30 in Edmonton. With names like Alison Wonderland and RL Grime billed as headliners, and tier-one tickets already sold out, Boodang’s first live event since COVID-19 is expected to be big..Jackie Conroy is a reporter for the Western Standard.jconroy@westernstandardonline.com
