BY GIANNA PEREIRA
The Brit Pack recently took the stage at the Shea Center to play every era of pop music from the Beatles to Amy Winehouse.
But there was no audience in the 922 seats in the auditorium. Instead, the concert was filmed and streamed last night, Saturday, Oct. 17, for what has become the new normal for performing arts at William Paterson and many other universities.
“I don’t think we fear the fact that virtual performances won’t give the same effect, but rather it makes us appreciate the gift of live music that is hard to replace,” the Brit Pack said in a statement. “The downside is that all musicians are struggling to replicate that live energy in the current situation.”
The Brit Pack concert represents the abrupt and challenging shift in virtual programming for the “WP Presents!” series. Tickets for the British invasion band were “pay what you choose,” starting at $10, and the Shea Center said in a statement that the series has been “very popular and well received.” However, sales have been “significantly lower” than in-person events, according to the Shea Center’s director of operations, Al Schaefer.
“Watching a concert or other event on your computer, TV or device is just not the same as attending a live event,” Schaefer said.
Schaefer added that the Shea Center had never before imagined entertaining a remote public.
“Offering these programs gives us an opportunity to reach out to our patrons and let them know we’re still here and that we are trying to serve their needs during the pandemic,” Schaefer said.
Members of the Brit Pack, which features Matt Nakoa on vocals, Mark Johnson on guitar, Bryan Percivall on bass, and Will Haywood Smith on drums, said they had been promoting their performance on social media to help sell tickets.
“We are accepting the fact that things are different at the moment,” the band said.
Original Publication: Pioneer Times