Giving music lovers a taste of the concert experience at home
Renowned Sri Lankan musician Rukshan Perera premiered one of his most popular recent concerts “Ruskhan Perera Live in Concert VI” on YouTube on Sunday, 1 November, giving Sri Lankan music lovers the chance to enjoy themselves from the comfort of their own homes during the quarantine curfew that is taking effect across much of the country.
Taking Rukshan Perera Live in Concert VI online
Speaking with The Morning Brunch following the premier of Rukshan Perera Live in Concert VI, Perera shared that the decision to stream the concert online was one that came about very quickly in light of the ever-evolving pandemic.
“From a Sri Lankan standpoint, we are under curfew right now,” Perera shared. “I thought this was a good time to be able to watch a concert online since we cannot get out. There was a DVD made of this particular concert anyway that people are able to buy, and others have seen some songs here and there on YouTube. They haven’t been able to watch the entire concert, and especially for Sri Lankans living abroad, I thought it would be a good thing to put on YouTube.” 
Rukshan Perera Live in Concert VI was originally staged in 2016 and was the sixth concert in the Rukshan Perera Live in Concert series, a series of 10 original concerts with each concert held to raise funds for a deserved charity in Sri Lanka. Rukshan Perera Live in Concert VI was held in 2016 in aid of the Sunera Foundation, with the first song in the concert being dedicated to the differently abled children of the Sunera Foundation.
Rukshan Perera Live in Concert VI features songs focused on important Sri Lankan social values and awareness, bringing in different forms of music including acapella, jazz scatting, orchestral arrangements, etc. The concert features Perera playing solos on the guitar, the piano, the djembe, and the harmonica.
Perera shared that the response to the premiere of Rukshan Perera Live in Concert VI has been very positive, with over 1,300 views and counting as well as lots of warm responses from fans who have reached out both personally and on public platforms as well.
Dealing with the pandemic
Perera spoke about the pandemic and the way it has impacted our lives, explaining that many of his plans for 2020 had to be adjusted.
Apart from the 10th in the Rukshan Perera Live in Concert series (which was the final concert of the series), Perera was to be part of a concert with popular Sri Lankan band Marians and members of the 1970s band Super Golden Chimes, the group with which Perera started his musical career. This concert, Marians with Legends, had been performed before in 2018 to great success and was to take place again in April 2019, but sadly, was postponed in the aftermath of the 2019 Easter attacks to 2020, and due to the pandemic, was again postponed to 2021.
Old plans did give way to new plans though, Perera shared, explaining that despite not being able to do scheduled concerts because of the pandemic, he was still able to do a concert to raise funds for medical professionals and the Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH).
Looking to the future
Perera shared that streaming concerts are likely to play an important role in music, and not just in the short term. “Streaming concerts have become the norm now,” Perera said, adding: “Instead of being seen only by a limited number of people, streamed concerts can be seen all over the world. I think it will become a way of life. Live concerts will always be there because the fans really want to see it live, but it will be very limited.”
The future is uncertain for many industries and especially the music and entertainment industry. Perera shared that musicians are struggling right now, not just in Sri Lanka, but globally. “Most likely for all of us, everything will come to sort a sort of normal – not the normal that was, but a new normal – after a vaccine is developed. That’s the time we’ll be able to really go forward and resume things. Until a vaccine is developed, I don’t think things will happen at all. Tourism has been jeopardised, hotels are suffering, musicians are suffering; not knowing what tomorrow is going to bring and how they can actually go forward and make a living being a musician. We can only rely on a vaccine now.”
