I can now officially say that I’ve been to my first virtual concert of 2020. On Friday, Nov. 13, alternative rock band All Time Low streamed the second installment to their “Basement Noise” concert series on their website.
To promote the release of their latest album Wake Up, Sunshine in April, the band decided to stream five virtual shows, one every two weeks from October to December. The first show included a setlist comprised of all the songs on the album, while the next four setlists are curated by each of the band members; lead singer Alex Gaskarth, guitarist Jack Barakat, bassist Zack Merrick, and drummer Rian Dawson.
Each concert is priced at $15, but when the Student Activities Board (SAB) offered a limited number of free tickets, I jumped at the opportunity.
Friday’s concert, called “Zack’s Choice Set List,” was an impeccable performance with a killer range of songs, both old and new. The band kicked off the show with “Everything is Fine,” released as a single in 2018 and a perfect anthem for 2020.
With lyrics like, “Everything is fine and nothing matters, weather’s always nice inside my head, I turn my music up so loud,” it’s a good reminder that although it may seem like the world around us is crumbling in the year of 2020, everything is going to turn out fine.
The 48-minute set continued with remarkable songs like “Dirty Laundry,” “Take Cover,” “Therapy,” and “Guts,” some of my all time favorites from All Time Low. This band is insanely talented at performing live, and each song sounded better than their studio versions.
Throughout the performance, the lead singer Alex spoke to the virtual crowd, saying things like, “put your hands together,” making it feel like you were a part of a real audience. The camera angles made it seem like they were performing at a music award show. They also had a live chat so viewers can talk to other fans, which offered the sense of community you would have with the people around you at an in-person concert.
Assuming concerts won’t be coming back any time soon, I’d like to see more bands follow this virtual format. I found that streaming a paid concert on the artist’s personal website is a better choice than other popular platforms like Instagram Live or YouTube. Overall, virtual concerts are a win-win for everyone; the band and their crew make money during the pandemic, and fans get to watch an exclusive show for a great price. There was a live Q&A interview with the band after the show, and it would be cool if they included a VIP package where fans can join a Zoom meet and greet as well.
The concert was available to re-watch on their website until Monday at 12 a.m., so naturally, I listened to it on repeat all weekend. I wish the replay period lasted longer, but the band wants fans to purchase more tickets for the next shows.
All Time Low was supposed to tour this summer with the pop-rock band 5 Seconds of Summer, but it was postponed to April 2021 due to the pandemic. They will be hitting the Stone Pony Summer Stage in Asbury Park on July 25, 2021, and if the pandemic drastically settles down by then, I’ll buy a ticket.
PHOTOS TAKEN by Melissa Badamo
