In light of the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) the world has been flipped on its head. Nothing really seems the same anymore. School has switched to online. Stores are slammed. People must stand six feet apart. There are to be gatherings no bigger than 10. It all seems quite bizarre. With the restrictions on large groups, it feels we cannot do anything we used to do to pass time. We can’t catch a movie with our friends, or go to a concert we’ve been looking forward to for months (I personally experienced this heartbreak the day of a concert and a month before another one) or get a bite to eat with them.

The music industry in an attempt to make up for the missed concerts and bring a little joy to the world has taken to using facebook live, instagram live and other streaming services to bring a little music to our lives. Many have coined these live concerts Couch Concerts. 

Here are my Top 5 Couch Concerts to tune into during this quarantine:

Randall King- While most artists set up in their living room with a black backdrop for their couch concert, King felt his concert would be best from the bed of his pickup. It was quite amusing watching and listening to his crew try to figure out this whole facebook live thing. King did a great job making his fans feel like they were really seeing him in concert. Multiple times he’d ask the audience what they thought before forgetting we couldn’t actually answer him unless it was in the comments. This coch concert was a wonderful mix of old, new and songs that inspired him. To learn more about what songs inspired King head over to his facebook and tune into his segment The Songs That Built Me.

Ashley McBryde- McBryde broke out earlier this year with her song Girl Going Nowhere. She is asking for people to donate to MusicCares to support those struggling through these hard times. I am such a big fan of McBryde because she has so much raw talent. Personally I don’t think she sounds like every other female artist on the radio waves. McBryde sticks to her roots and has a 80’s and 90’s feel to her music; none of the pop sound that country music has been assaulted with lately. It has been truly amazing watching McBryde grow in popularity without any help from the radio. Listening to her talk about some of her best memories from her childhood that shaped her into the musician she is today such as the first time she stood on the Grand Ole Opry stage at the age of 12.

Cody Johnson- At the beginning, Johnson had some sound issues where it would crackle and go quiet. That was quickly figured out though. Now I have seen Johnson in concert and let me tell you it is a high energy show. This couch concert holds the same energy as a live in person concert. It was interesting listening to him talk about where he is as an artist today and how he got there. Johnson also talks about who has inspired him and helped him as both a performer and a person. He does a wonderful job of interacting with his fans throughout the whole show.

Aaron Watson- This couch concert series is the cutest one yet. Watson is a big family man and loves to include his kids as much as possible. In the first one he had one of his daughters answer questions and taking down song requests. Honestly it was adorable. Like everyone else it is evident that Watson has no idea what he is doing on these Facebook lives. One thing he’s doing different from others is that he is making personalized videos for fans. If you are going to tune into Watson’s couch concerts be ready to brave his long winded and scatter brained introduction. The only issue I came across was the video was a little pixelated

Gabby Barrett- Gabby Barret broke out earlier this year with her song I Hope. She and her husband brought their couch concert to fans from the comfort of their living room. They made the live fun and quirky by just being their goofy selves throughout. You could tell that the Barretts were really into their own music and were passionate about what they have produced. They took this opportunity to further connect to existing fans and reach out to new ones. Barrett may not have been as on top of keeping up with fans’s questions but that just because they were so into performing. Barret also did a really cool thing as well by asking fans to donate to MusicCares

Jon Pardi- Right off the bat the video for this couch concert was pretty pixelated, but that’s pretty much a given when trying to do a live stream from the basement. Pardi took no time to get into playing for his fans. This couch concert may not have been as high energy as some of the others but it was good nonetheless.