The live music scene has always been vibrant in the state. It has been one of the standout features for any visitor in the state. The bands play various genres of music and can be found in restaurants and bars that dot the landscape. The virus and the subsequent lockdown devastated the entertainment industry. Bands were left high and dry and struggled to survive. The more astute ones had shows online and earned some money. The rest were reduced to living off their savings. Many bands broke up as members had to take hard decisions with regards to their future. Some were forced to leave the industry and work in small businesses that were operating in a restricted manner. It was a very tough time. Now with some restrictions having been eased, entertainment has commenced in certain locations. And yes plans are afoot to take it to another level. Live music was usually available on weekends and on certain days of the week. Now however plans are afoot to make live music a constant in certain locations in the state.
Colin D Cruz, bassist and one who knows what is happening in the state said there was no doubt Goa was a global entertainment hub. He said “Nowhere else in the world will you find this many live music venues featuring local as well as visiting artistes from all over the world. A global melting pot for sure. While the rest of the world is toying with the idea of restarting live music, Goa has venues featuring live music all seven nights of the week. Step into any of these places and you’ll wonder ‘what pandemic?”. He went on to say that a recently launched five star property in Candolim where he was now playing was looking at extending its live music shows. There were outlets in Anjuna which had started a year ago featuring live shows. He said there were more outlets being planned in the state where live music would be a feature of the evening over several days in a week.
Anuj P who owns an outlet where live music is a feature said the government had put in place enough sops for the general public’s safety. And there was no doubt that bands needed money. He said “People need to be mentally healthy to survive. Sitting at home for days on end has resulted in people suffering from depression. You cannot lock people up forever. We have to be responsible, events have to happen. Goan families depend on it. Many bands struggled and many went their ways and started something new. Trying to get them back will take more time and create even more problems. I strongly believe these huge events that attract huge crowds add no culture to our society”. He said it would make a lot of sense to have several acoustic events all over the place and this would add to the mental health of the state. He said “We have musical maestros and legends living here who know nothing but to sing and we will lose culture if they are not taken care of.”
Ivan Pinto who runs another where live music is performed said the state was synonymous with live music ever since the hippy era. People he said were always performing people and people were always listening and that was part of the draw of Goa, not only in India but also the entire western civilization. He said this was due to the fact that the freedom and understanding of music was far more in Goa than anywhere else. Ivan said “Covid has been the worst thing to have ever hit the hospitality industry or mankind in general. We had smallpox, aids, polio and we have always gotten through and this time is no different. Humanity has reached an advanced stage in evolution. We are opening up though there is a need to take a lot of precaution to ensure we don’t overcrowd our places or have people stand around without tables. Entertainment goes hand in hand with the F&B industry. Having entertainment is very important to how people perceive the place. In terms of live entertainment we have one day a week but we have plans to have more. We used to have 6 days a week and we are still unsure with regards to lockdowns. We would like to have more bands playing for us for sure and have events.”
For musicians, it has been a very tough time. Xavier Peres, a pianist, said the show had to go on and everyone would have to take precautions. At the moment he had a gig on Saturday and sometimes on Sunday. He was flying over to Ahmedabad with a singer, performing that night and fly back the next morning. He hoped the number of gigs would increase to make life more fun.
Another seasoned musician, Clifford Siqueira, a drummer, said several musicians from Delhi and Mumbai came over and settled in Goa. Now there were a lot of musicians with the number of venues promoting live venues not at a number to ensure they all got gigs regularly. He however said he was getting calls for gigs over the weekend. He pointed out that several venues, especially in the south, were still closed. Though plans were afoot to increase the number of days of live shows, right now many of them were still doing it just one day in a week. He hoped the situation would improve soon.
Caroline Fernandes, a musician from the south who plays the Saxophone said she had a few more inquiries but found it difficult to find regular gigs. She said “I live in the south and all the restaurants want the same stuff like Hotel California!!! I think there are probably more opportunities in the north, though. I have friends who say that restaurants will pay any amount for a duo but won’t pay for a whole band. I think it definitely depends on where in Goa you are”.
The general sentiment was one of cautious optimism with expectations of more outlets expected to open in the months ahead. One can only wish them all the very best.
