Corona Won’t Stop the Music
On Friday, March 13, I received an email from a representative at Girlie Action Media, Marketing & Management. The New York public relations firm was postponing the March 27 José James concert that I was going to cover due to health concerns related to the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Days later, Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the prohibition of mass gatherings in the city. “Social distancing” has silenced live music in the District and throughout the country, but Corona won’t stop the music.
I don’t know if a DJ can save our lives, but DJ D-Nice is doing his part to lift our spirits as isolation begins to take its toll. The former member of pioneer ‘80s hip hop group BDP, and now famed DJ took to Instagram to live-stream his ingenious Homeschoolin’: Social Distancing Dance Party. As it turns out, good music is truly a unifying force. Over 100,000 people tuned in for the 8-hour classic R&B and hip hop set.
It’s easy to be skeptical about a virtual dance party. It sounds almost as bad as a “silent disco,” where people gather to dance to music on wireless headphones. WRONG! Within minutes of stepping into #ClubQuarantine, you get a sense of connection and community that has been missing since we began “social distancing.” It was incredible to toss aside my worries and share a moment of musical exhilaration with a large group of like-minded strangers.
Self-imposed quarantine may be necessary to contain the spread of Coronavirus, but I already see it fraying the edges of my sanity. As we approach the second full week of stranger danger, I can’t help but long for a nameless crowd at a sold-out 9:30 Club concert or a night at Sotto listening to DJ Miss H.E.R. spin. Until those days return, I’m thankful for DJ D-Nice, the WHO-Global Citizen “Together At Home” concert series, and the countless artists taking to IG to bless us with a live music fix.
Corona won’t stop the music!