A lot of people have tried to achieve something during the collective purgatory of 2020, some more successfully than others (RIP to all the failed sourdoughs). Geelong venue Piano Bar, however, has achieved something truly remarkable during the last few months of shutdowns.
When the closures came into effect in March, Piano Bar (like many arts institutions) pivoted to livestreamed performances. But much unlike other livestreams that have happened on a weekly or semi-regular basis, Piano Bar has been livestreaming performances every darn day since they started. The bar is the Forest Gump of livestreams – one day it started performing and it just didn’t stop, with this Monday, June 29 marking the bar’s 100th (and sadly, final) livestream performance.
A lot has happened during Piano Bar’s century of livestream performances. The digital events have showcased everything from drag to magicians (and naturally lots of piano performances) with 40 different artists joining Piano Bar’s virtual stage via Facebook. The shows have racked up over a million views, a number of birthday shout outs and even a marriage proposal.
Piano Bar director Andy Pobjoy has performed at every single one of the livestreams, after his plans to perform on a cruise ship during this period (no joke – he was scheduled to perform on the Ruby Princess) were cancelled.
The final and 100th Piano Bar livestream performance is happening Monday, June 29. You can tune in via the bar’s Facebook page. Following the livestream finale, Piano Bar will move back to performing to in-house audiences, which you can join by booking online. The bar has released a statement saying "We will still be open the entire month of July with an audience for 40 people," which will be split into two groups of 20 across the venue, as per restrictions. You can also donate to the bar.
Piano Bar has been operating in central Geelong since 2015, as a place you could go to get a drink and request a song to be played on the titular piano. The bar has since expanded to Colac, Ballarat and Bendigo.
Arts Centre Melbourne, however, has had to postpone its reopening.
