By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
About a week ago, before the coronavirus had been declared a pandemic, Luke James Shaffer had a gig a night for a week.
He admits, he was exhausted, and considering maybe getting out of one or two. He didn’t. Shaffer played on.
Now he’s glad he did. Like the rest of musicians he’s stuck at home. “For the foreseeable no one’s playing any gigs.” Listeners are homebound as well.
So tonight (March 19) at 8 Shaffer will play a 40-minute concert on Facebook Live.
It’s part of the worldwide #TogetherAtHome project launched by Chris Martin of Coldplay.
Shaffer will be alone with his computer playing his guitar and singing, mostly covers. Listeners will be able to comment, react with emojis, request a song, and tip using PayPal or Venmo.
Shaffer said in part it grows out of boredom. “It’s kind of interesting to see if people are interested in seeing it. … Maybe I’m staying at home to be safe, but it’s also I’m doing this with you, just a together thing, to spread a little happiness while you’re stuck at home.”
Shaffer actually tried the format out informally on Tuesday. He didn’t announce it, just started playing.
Throughout the informal 40-minute show he had 20-35 viewers. He caught people as they surfed through Facebook trying to fill their time.
Shaffer, who ordinarily would have been playing a show, was at home, drinking a glass of wine, just as viewers probably were on the night of St. Patrick’s Day.
Though the traffic “wasn’t super crazy,” it was enough to encourage to do a more formal event, and announce it.
Besides, his mother, Deb Shaffer, of Bowling Green, told him to let her know next time he was live.
About five years ago there were websites dedicated to hosting these kind of live virtual shows, but when Facebook and Instagram started allow live feeds, those were no longer needed.
“For this show I kind of interact with the people,” Shaffer said. “I’ll do originals if requested,” but he expects he’ll mostly do covers. “I won’t do the whole song, just the verse and chorus and then talk to people. If you do an entire song people lose interest fast, especially this online crowd. Everything needs to be loud and fast. If I’m getting four requests in a row of different songs, it’s a lot easier to play portions, so I get in more requests.”
Playing a whole four-minute song would eat up too much of the 40-minute concert.
“It’s more of a hang out jam session, but you’re the only one jamming.”
Whether live or virtual, there’s an interaction between the performer and the listener.
“You don’t know what a song means to someone,” Shaffer said. “It may be a song that takes them back to childhood or their new favorite song.”
That’s what makes playing live so satisfying. That feeling, he said, is what led him to pursue a musical career.
Shaffer, who now lives in Virginia in the Washington DC metro area, got his start in Pemberville where he grew up attending Eastwood schools and Bowling Green where he hung out with friends and attended church.
He started performing full-time in BG and Perrysburg about a decade ago. He also was on “American Idol,” placing in the top 50 in seasons 9 and 10.
Seven years ago, he and his then girlfriend, now wife, Samantha Shaffer, moved south where she got a job and he had more opportunities to play music.
The first year was slow going before he could line up regular gigs. Now he plays bars, parties, weddings, and corporate events.
While that’s all dried up, he’s not trolling for sympathy. All his musician friends are in the same boat, and his wife is still working.
Still anything that messes with that network of connections can be a problem. Shows into May have been canceled.
He understands the need to self-quarantine. Though he feels fine, he knows people can be carrying the virus and not show symptoms and can pass that along to others, including people crowded in a bar enjoying his music.
So for now he’s at home grateful for the income from that recent stretch of gigs. “Next time that happens,” he said, “I won’t be complaining, I’ll be thanking the Lord.”
