One year ago, FotoFriday proudly declared that “Live Music Warms the Soul.” That suddenly seems so long ago; dare we say that everything has changed?

Just before that, in November 2018, BreakAway saluted the absolute power of live music. We noted the unprecedented popularity, the thrill of surrounding yourself with fellow fans, and the buzzy but palpable well-being boost as noted by several studies, with factoids including:

• Attending a concert every 2 weeks may increase your life span by 9 years

• Going to live music boosts your mood much more than yoga or walking the dog

• Listening to music increases your dopamine level by 9%

Well, it’s no wonder some of us are feeling our dopamine down by an approximate 9.55%. And there’s no telling when, or how or where, we’ll thrust our fists in the air en masse while screaming memorized lyrics. Are you, too, experiencing lo-do delirium?

(By the way, I took this FOTO of the brilliant chamber-bluegress band, the Punch Brothers, from an prominent overhanging seat with an iPhone that was not silenced and made that phony shutter sound. Man, did I get serious Punchy stinkeye from that entranced, adoring crowd!)

I hate to be Billy Buzzkill, but here it is: I really miss live music. Oh sure, I’m digging the streaming concerts from the golden vaults of Phish, Radiohead, the Grateful Dead, and more. And I’m charmed by the live-streaming shows from Lowcut Connie, Bela Fleck, Willie Nelson’s gang, and so many earnest stars.

But the next-best thing to being there just makes me want to … be there.

Yes, there are bigger things to worry about—and I’m worrying about them too. But I pray for the day that we can resume the diversions and hobbies that help keep us sane, rockin’, and jamming with happy people and that quick dose of dopamine.

Keep the faith.