Skopje (Republic of North Macedonia) (AFP)
Before sending the decibels for his concert in Skopje, the singer of the rock group Funk Shui did something new: he apologized in advance for the noise.
The reason? They were performing in a building courtyard surrounded by apartments, as part of a city initiative to distract citizens confined by the coronavirus, while helping the struggling artists.
Concert halls, bars and nightclubs have been closed since early March. The musicians ended up with desperately empty agendas, like their wallets, while the fans languished.
But the artistic and cultural institutions of North Macedonia reacted quickly. With the support of the municipality, they launched "Culture at the time of the coronavirus", a program intended to save the artistic life of Skopje.
This is how around 40 outdoor concerts - pop, rock, jazz and even electro - were set up on the roofs, in the parks and playgrounds of Skopje.
The shows, broadcast live on the internet, attracted more than 400,000 fans, according to the municipality.
Virtual tours of the capital's zoo were also organized, as were other artistic initiatives.
It is a way of slightly deceiving people's boredom but also of helping unemployed artists who receive 14,500 denars (235 euros) per performance.
The members of the alt-rock group Funk Shui hung up the masks recently before dropping their riffs.
In the neighborhood, delighted people were dancing on their balconies.
"We appreciate these unique experiences but they have to bring joy to the people around us," said AFP Luka Gorgievski, 26, singer and guitarist of the group.
Other artists have shown ingenuity to make good heart against bad fortune.
A group of high school students organized a virtual festival of films, exhibitions and interviews with artists, as well as concerts.
And Jovan Petreski, stage name DJ Babura Junior, has given live concerts in his living room since the start of confinement.
After inquiring about tolerance for noise from his neighbors, the 27-year-old DJ very popular in North Macedonia installed his equipment on his balcony, projector included.
During a recent show, fans participated in the game of lights by turning off and on theirs to the beat of the music.
"People have accepted my holidays far beyond what I expected," he told AFP. "At first, when I thought I could no longer do my job as an artist, it was not easy. This is how I came up with the idea of these parties to distract people in times of crisis ".
© 2020 AFP