New Year’s Eve used to be like Diwali for us, rue DJs amid cancellations
In view of the rising Covid-19 cases, several cities have banned New Year celebrations and imposed night curfew, which has led to last-minute cancellations, calling off party packages and tours of DJs
Ringing in the New Year while dancing to the hottest party tracks has been the norm for many on December 31. However, due to the pandemic last year, we saw muted celebrations, and it seems to be continuing into this year as well. In view of the rising Covid-19 cases, several cities have banned New Year celebrations and imposed night curfew, which has led to last-minute cancellations, calling off party packages and tours of DJs — leaving the live music industry in shambles.
DJ AJ feels that organisers as well as guests should have paid more attention instead of being lax about safety protocols. He says, “Just one day ago, I had received cancellation for my New Year’s Eve (NYE) performance in Bengaluru as well as another in the beginning of January. The season had just picked up with back-to-back performances for us since November. I just hope we have enough to sustain.”
For many DJs, this was their time to shine and make the most money. However, they are in a catch-22 situation. DJ Kayu, who plays at a popular party spot in Gurugram says, “We cannot help but obey the new government regulations. The party packages have been cancelled but there’s a-la-carte for guests. We’ll also be playing only light music as per the curfew timings as we don’t want to go too loud and make people dance, resulting in social distancing problems.”
Elaborating on how their plans have gone for a toss, DJ Sumit Sethi rues, “NYE is very important. It’s like Diwali for us. We get booked two to three months in advance. The moment the new restrictions were announced, we received cancellations and everything has gone for a toss.”
DJ Suketu, who played in the Capital last week, believes that people have finally accepted the fact that parties are going to start and end early on NYE. “Most of the club and restaurant owners are going ahead with the celebrations, even though revenue wouldn’t be the same but kuch na hone se toh better hai. There are also restrictions for open air parties, so let’s see what happens with my gig.”
In this scenario, are DJs planning to opt for online gigs? “Virtual gigs may come back but woh baat nahi hoti jo live mein hoti hai,” says Sethi.