Thailand takes live music festival to Zoom during coronavirus outbreak
Thailand takes live music festival to Zoom during coronavirus outbreak

People in Thailand enjoyed a live music concert via video-meeting platform Zoom on Sunday.

People attend live music concert on Zoom (Photo: Reuters)

Rock fans in Thailand watched their favourite bands play via video-meeting platform Zoom on Sunday as a live music festival went online.

Public gatherings have been banned in Thailand since mid-March to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, but Sunday’s six-hour-long show gave people a chance to see and interact with artists from afar.

“My favourite band hasn’t had a live performance during the lockdown, so being able to see them today will make me happy,” said 21-year old Siriyagorn Aimchomchid as she waited for their performance set to start.

Some music fans gathered in small groups, permitted under the coronavirus restrictions, to watch the event, for which about 3,000 tickets were sold at 499 baht (around Rs 1197) apiece.

Thailand staged a six-hour music festival via the video app Zoom pic.twitter.com/l412Qr7aTn

— Reuters (@Reuters) June 8, 2020

“A virtual music festival allows audiences and artists to interact, and they can sing along and talk to each other,” said Samkwan Tonsompong, managing director of the festival organiser What The Duck Music. “I think this is closer than being at an actual concert.”

But Sirinapa Darathum, a 15-year-old student who was watching with three friends, said the online format did not compare to the excitement of a live gig. Although I’m watching artists close up on the screen, I am still far apart from them because we are in different locations,” she said.

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