SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A pair of local singers are trying to help people cope with social distancing by hosting live happy hour concerts on Facebook.
Don LeMaster and Corey Hable host shows a couple of times a week, singing for nearly three hours.
"It's just as fun for us as it is for the people watching," says LeMaster. "We love doing it, and it's helping us in our home. It's helping us escape as well."
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LeMaster started the shows before the stay-at-home orders went in place in San Diego. He had to miss a gig because he had a cold. So he decided to sing online that night.
Now that he and Hable are out of work, they've kept it going. So far, they've done seven shows.
The concerts have become extremely popular, garnering thousands of views. A show LeMaster and Hable did on St. Patrick's Day got nearly 10,000 views on Facebook.
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"People are watching us all over the world," says Hable. "We've had people join from Spain. We had South Korea. We had some in the Philippines, and Stockholm last night. So it's crazy."
It's also therapeutic. LeMaster and Hable say they try not to mention coronavirus at all during the show, because they want it to be an escape from the realities of the outside world.
"What we're doing is a whole different thing," says LeMaster. "We're taking people out of it and into something that is much more positive."
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"It's escaping the stuff that's going on outside, and instead embracing what we do have, which is music and positivity and fun," adds Hable.
It's part of a larger trend that is seeing entertainers all over the world host shows from their living rooms. They're using social media to reach the audience and give people something to do while sitting at home.
LeMaster and Hable have their next show on Wednesday night, April 1. They plan to do a Yacht Rock theme for this concert. And while they do accept donations through PayPal and Venmo, they say it's not about the money. It's about the connection to each other and the music.
"People's response has been great," says Hable. "They've been showing us support and love, saying thank you so much for doing this. We need this positivity. We need this sort of happiness going on in these crazy times."
