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Lisa Van Essen misses what Edmonton’s Downtown used to offer her before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 32-year-old senior development officer with the federal government moved from the Highlands neighbourhood to the city’s Downtown core three years ago, lured not just by the prospect of a shorter commute to the office but also by the chance to live, work and play in the heart of the city.
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Before the pandemic, she would stop by the Nook Cafe for a quick breakfast, go to the gym at the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald, or have drinks after work with her colleagues.
Richmond Lam/Handout
In-person concerts will come back eventually, but their return will not signify the end of the livestreamed online versions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only are virtual concerts here to stay, they will likely thrive in more sophisticated (and expensive) ways.
The schedule of extravagant online New Year’s Eve shows are a harbinger of things to come. Canadian indie-music icons Broken Social Scene, for example, will headline a pre-taped “Big Night In” concert
and event that includes gourmet dinner-kit options for fans of euphoric widescreen rock and elegant repasts.
Participating restaurants include Mercer Tavern in Edmonton, Mallard Cottage in St. John’s, Gare de l’Est in Toronto and many others in every province and territory. Packages range in price from $19.95 (for the show alone) to more than $200.