As the Holiday season approaches, The Alys Stephens Center has provided a unique way for the people of Birmingham to watch the Holiday Soul show presented by Eric Essix through a drive-in concert.
This year more than ever, musicians have had to change the way performance is done. Essix has done four live streaming events just in the past month and is planning more for the next year. The music industry is trying to accommodate for the pandemic with new formats such as virtual performances and drive-in concerts, which is the new format of his upcoming Holiday Soul show.
This holiday event is not held through a traditional live format, and Essix said he misses the “live energy” aspect of the show, but is still excited to bring holiday cheer and excitement to the people in the community.
Essix said some changes from the Coronavirus pandemic may stick around, resulting in permanent changes in the music industry.
“In the future we can expect there to generally be a hybrid of both live and virtual performances for most presenters even when things return to some degree of normalcy,” said Essix, a contemporary jazz performer.
While practicing, Essix said he is constantly thinking of how people will relate to the show on the screen. Despite this, he is still excited to challenge himself with this new format of performance since he has to be conscious about the energy and emotion that is projected to the audience while also playing well.
“My biggest concern with an event like this, is that the energy and the vibe of the music and performance translates to the audience as intended in this format,” Essix said.
However, all of these nerves and challenges are made up for the opportunity to perform to an expanded audience.
“Another exciting thing about the virtual option is that now your audience can expand exponentially as folks from all around the world now have the opportunity to see your shows in real time,” Essix said.
Holiday Soul will take place December 13 at 5 p.m. and can be livestreamed or attended through the drive-in concert. Ticket prices vary depending on whether you attend in-person or virtually.
Visit AlysStevens.org for more information.
