Quarantine is a lonely time for every music lover. Gigs are canceled, festivals postponed, but luckily we have technologies to ease our sufferings.
On Friday, 3 April 2020, SHIRAZ LANE played their first live-stream gig at a virtual concert venue, SemiLive. To be honest, it was a totally new experience for me as well. I always thought that a live stream show can’t, by any means, be compared to the real thing. Boy, was I mistaken! So, at 19:55 I was lighting up candles and getting myself some cold cider from the fridge.
The stream started at 20:00 sharp. The first thing I saw was an amazing venue! The gig organizers Storia SemiLive definitely put a lot of effort into preparing visual effects, light, sounds, and the stage itself. The venue was decorated with some glowing poles that were giving additional light and bringing a bit of a cosmic vibe. For some reason, I was expecting the band to sit on a sofa in their pajamas and play an acoustic set, but what I saw looked like a high-quality music video and sounded like a full-fledged live gig.
The party started with the song “Keep it Alive” from the new SHIRAZ LANE EP, “Vibration I,” that just came out in January. This uplifting and energetic song was perfect for warming-up the audience. The live-stream gig was no exception. I had immediately forgotten that I was actually at home, sitting on my bed instead of dancing by the stage. There was a moment when I almost started clapping. The next was the well-known “Momma’s Boy” followed by “Carnival Days,” “Mental Slavery,” and my personal favorite, “Tidal Wave.” That song is such an energy-booster! Staying true to the good tradition, SHIRAZ LANE vocalist Hannes Kett was jumping around, giving his positive energy to everyone in the audience. It was impossible to stand still during this band’s gig, even watching a live-stream!
As mentioned before, the sound was perfect. The viewer really got the feeling that you were at a live gig. The whole band – Hannes, Jani, Ana, Miki, and Joel – were, as always, super-positive and full of energy. You can tell from looking at SHIRAZ LANE that they enjoy what they are doing and this concert, like all the others, is very special and personal. They were talking to the virtual crowd and making jokes just like they usually do during the live gigs, although this time they also were reading some messages from the SemiLive chat. A lot of fans wrote words of support to the band or send song requests.
The next song in the setlist was “House of Cards” from the band’s debut album, “For Crying Out Loud.” A good surprise for me and, I think, for all the other listeners, was “Paljan Jaloin.” This beautiful and a bit melancholic tune was written when SHIRAZ LANE took part in a Finnish TV program “Mullan Alta.” Then we switched over to a more encouraging mood with “Reincarnation.” After that, the band took a short break, during which Hannes said very touching and heartfelt words about the importance of staying united, hopeful, and positive during these hard times of pandemic. His words made us think of something global and much more important than our routine occasions. Hannes reminded us all once again that we are here to take care of each other!
Then the band introduced a “song for those who lost someone” and it was, of course, “You Will Remain,” which also came out just a few months ago. For many fans, it was the first chance to hear it live! SHIRAZ LANE continued following a lyrical path with “Do You” and later with the rock ‘n’ roll version of the love song from the 90s, “To The Moon & Back.”
Unfortunately, we didn’t see drummer Ana’s legendary drum-solo in full length, probably due to the limited streaming time, but we got to enjoy the mind-blowing energy and rhythm of “Harder To Breathe.” Time flew very fast and here was the moment to say goodbye.
The band wrapped up their first live-stream show with “Story to Tell” and wished everyone to keep on smiling right here and right now, no matter what!
Written by Victoria Korpun
Setlist
- Keep It Alive
- Momma’s Boy
- Carnival Days
- Mental Slavery
- Tidal Wave
- House Of Cards
- Paljan Jaloin
- Reincarnation
- You Will Remain
- Do You
- To The Moon & Back
- Harder To Breathe
- Story To Tell
