Feelings of hope and normalcy radiated amongst the crowd

By: Sara Belas

If you told me a year ago that I’d soon be able to stand in a crowd, losing my voice as I yell along to a band I wouldn’t have believed you. In the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic, the resurgence of “old life” felt so far out of reach. But on Oct. 8, 2021, the Ontario government lifted capacity restrictions for large venues such as concerts, and I began feeling hopeful for the first time in a while.

With vaccinations, life is slowly going back to “normal”, even if there are some new changes. Masks and physical distancing still largely remain in place, and concert venues are no exception. I attended my first “post-pandemic” show at a local bar in Toronto. Small, upcoming bands from all over the city performed, and I was one of the first to arrive to take photos for some bands.

A Weekend At Ramona’s playing their first Toronto show at Tail of the Junction. (Sara Belas/CanCulture)

It was a frigid, crisp October night and the small pub was stone-cold since all the doors and windows were open, allowing fresh air to circulate for the night. Everyone around me wore masks, a second thought for most now. Slowly the tiny tavern began to fill with more people, body heat warming the room enough to start feeling your hands and feet again.

“I noticed that crowds are just significantly more energetic — you can tell it's been a really long time,” said Chris Munro, lead-singer for A Weekend at Ramona’s, one of the bands playing at the local Toronto concert.

One by one, each band performed their set, and the crowd began to gather and dance to the music. It felt just the same as the local concerts I attended pre-pandemic. The only difference was this time, each band took breaks between songs to remind the crowd to keep their masks on, something almost everyone around me was already doing. But as the night went on and drinks were served, I began to see masks migrate from peoples’ faces to around their wrists.

Lead singer Zachery Gray from The Zolas felt the same when he opened the show at the Phoenix Theatre in Toronto on Nov. 6. A sea of raised hands went up when Gray asked who was at a concert for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.

“A lot of people really live for live music,” said Gray. “So to not have that for so long — to not have their outlet, they’ve been suffering. I can see a catharsis when they're here, and I definitely felt it tonight.”

Full capacity at The Phoenix Theatre as the crowd watches The Zolas perform. (Sara Belas/CanCulture)

The Zolas’ lead singer, Zachery Gray, performing in the middle of a crowd at The Phoenix Theatre in Toronto. (Sara Belas/CanCulture)

After their initial set, the audience was desperate for more, with the crowd invariably chanting for one more song. The Zolas returned to the stage with both their opening acts joining. The band began playing their hit song “Escape Artist.”

Halfway through the first verse, Gray picked up the microphone stand and jumped off the stage, making his way to the middle of the crowd. The band continued playing, opening acts DWI and Hotel Mira singing along. By the time Gray had made his way to the centre of the venue, the crowd gathered in a circle around him, like a hurricane of broken voices, music and energy.

Gray shared that singing in the middle of the crowd is something he’s done before at his shows, but he only does it when he truly feels a connection with the audience. Since the pandemic, he says that there’s been a more magnetic and intense energy from the crowd when he sings amongst them.

The Zolas’ lead singer on stage in Toronto at the Phoenix Theatre. (Sara Belas/CanCulture)

Every performer I’ve asked is excited and grateful to be back in front of people.

"I look up and see people dancing. I'm like, holy shit. This is legit. I'm not in my room anymore,” A Weekend At Ramona’s bassist Wyatt Garvin recounts.

Although, this enthusiasm isn’t without some reservations. The pandemic shook the whole world to the core with fear, something that may take a while for most to work through.

In the now-empty venue, dim, distant lights illuminated Gray’s face in the shadows as he swayed on the balls of his feet, explaining the complex emotions he felt a week before the tour began.

“I wanted to tell [people] what they wanted to hear, which was, ‘I just can't wait. I'm so excited’—but to be honest, it kind of felt like whatever. The chemical that creates the feeling of excitement just wasn't readily available to me, until we got on stage,” he said.

Hotel Mira’s bassist, Mike Nobel, happily proclaims his appreciation for modern medicine, sharing how the vaccines were what helped ease some of his worries about touring again.

“This never would have happened if there wasn't a vaccine developed,” said Nobel. “Science rules and everything that developed from that — it's why we can be here today and be playing the shows.”

Hotel Mira performing on stage at the Phoenix Theatre in Toronto. (Sara Belas/CanCulture)

But has the pandemic brought a change in the way people wish to experience music?

From my experience, I could feel the magical energy coursing through the audience. Looking out at the sea of people, some wearing masks, some not, all dancing and enjoying their time, I began to remember the depths of the pandemic, when celebrities and bands seemed to be going on Instagram Lives every day.

The pandemic fear is still around, many are still too afraid to engage in large crowds, even if everyone is fully vaccinated. So could digital concerts be the next move?

At The Zolas’ concert, both The Zolas and Hotel Mira livestreamed their performances on their Instagram accounts. Watching bits of their concert in Hamilton a few nights later, my phone could not compete with the real experience I just had.

Fittingly, through the pandemic’s largest trend — a Zoom call — Jeff Wolpert, director and professor of the music technology and digital media program at the University of Toronto began theorizing if virtual concerts could really be the new wave of live shows.

The irony was laid on thick, as my computer started cutting out between sentences as Wolpert talked about the amazing things technology is allowing at concerts through concepts such as holograms, naming ABBA and Michael Jackson as examples. But it’s hard to perfectly replicate the experience of a live concert.

“There's been some [three-dimensional] holographic concerts that have been done and to some extent those might work,” said Wolpert. “But I think the key factor is you gather a great number of people in the space. And that creates its own excitement.”