It almost felt like old times: the members of DI-RECT appeared on stage and started the first notes of a popular song. The only unusual thing was that the magnificent hall of the National Theatre was almost completely empty.
Although there were actually 20 festival shows booked for DI-RECT, because of the Corona measures, they all vaporised. The alternative is an online variant. Fans could decide for themselves what they thought was worth a ticket.
This initiative attracted a lot of attention from the Dutch media and talk shows. In the end, almost 10,000 tickets were sold, about fifteen times the capacity of the Schouwburg. And well: that wasn’t predicted.
GUTS Tickets
Admission to the online show was provided by GUTS Tickets. The digital ticketing system that was already used for concerts, theatres and comedy shows, also suits these cases. Clearly.
The new ticketing system made it possible to watch the DI-RECT show directly from the digital ticket. On showtime last Saturday evening, more than 8,000 ticket holders watched the Live Show. The fun part voor Di-RECT was, that they could see what was said in the Live Stream chat. So interaction is possible.
The live stream is here to stay
Now that live streaming of concerts is becoming a normal event, it also means that the future is going to look different – even after Corona. Tom Roetgering, CCO of GUTS:
‘We see live streaming as a new reality. Even if the concert halls will soon be full of visitors again, a live stream will have a significant added value. It provides extra income for the artist, and makes it possible to attend a sold out concert, even for fans who are unable to attend due to logistical or personal circumstances. GUTS is proud to think along in this process and to offer a tool that makes this happen’
Second livestream show announced
At the end of the concert the good news was shared that there will soon be a repeat, this time from De Pier in Scheveningen. The tickets for this concert will go on sale on 10 June – today – at 9.00 a.m. via GUTS, on the website DI-RECT.com. Finally: the picture above this article was taken by Nathan Reinds.