One Year In, Barnegat Teen Continues Streak Of Virtual Concerts

BARNEGAT, NJ — When live shows were suddenly canceled amid the coronavirus pandemic last year, guitarist Shannon Harrington crafted a new way to continue performing.

Harrington, 17, of Barnegat uploaded a Facebook video of her playing guitar and singing a handful of songs, among them “Goin’ Back” by Carole King and John Prine’s “Paradise,” on April 17, 2020.

Recording those videos became a weekly ritual, with Harrington performing songs from her living room for a virtual audience every Friday evening.

A steady audience began to assemble over the past year, flooding the 15-minute livestream with song requests for Harrington to play. For many viewers, the concerts provided a way to connect and relax amid the isolation of the pandemic, she said.

Harrington celebrated the one-year anniversary of her weekly concerts — named “Friday Nites at Shannon's House" — with an hour-long performance on Friday, April 16. After hitting the 52-week milestone, Harrington will continue her streak of virtual concerts for the time being.

“I didn’t miss a single Friday night, which I’m really proud of,” Harrington told Patch. “What motivated me was the community. The concerts provided some sort of relief and I didn’t want to let them down.”

The weekly concerts also provided Harrington, a junior at Barnegat High School, with a sense of routine when both her school and performance schedules were upended by the pandemic.

She was a regular performer at Lefty’s Tavern and Delights Artisans Café in Barnegat, in addition to other venues throughout Long Beach Island. She looks forward to playing live shows again when performances can resume safely.

“It’s fantastic being able to interact with people doing something I miss,” she said. “I can see a live comment or a live request, and it fills a hole in what I miss in doing these live performances.”

A few of her videos have garnered over 1,000 views with more people tuning into the livestream each week. Her weekly set list features popular songs and original works, occasionally adding a mandolin or harmonica into the mix.

“People like classics — Beatles songs, classic rock songs,” she said. “Some of the people who saw the very first videos I put out are still with me. They still tune in every Friday.”

Peter Hender, 75, of Barnegat tunes in regularly with his wife to watch Harrington’s performances.

“I saw Shannon’s concerts as a nice diversion from the bleak times we were/are living through and a nice change of pace from Netflix,” Hender told Patch in an email. “What impressed me is that she continued to perform week after week. I believe most people would have done it for a few weeks, then quit.”

Hender was drawn to Harrington’s stage presence and her song selection, adding that he has requested many Beatles songs for her to play throughout the year.

This isn’t Harrington’s first time in the spotlight. She won the New Jersey Shout Down Drugs Contest for her original song, "Gonna Be Drug Free” in 2020. Harrington was one of 13 finalists from six different counties.

Harrington and her sister Brigid also use music to give back to the community. The sister duo founded Broadway ArtsReach in 2017, an arts education and advocacy program to bring music to schools and underserved communities. Their organization also partners with Todd Rundgren's Spirit of Harmony Foundation, which provides musical instruments to underprivileged kids.

Any tips that Harrington receives while playing live are donated to the Spirit of Harmony Foundation.

“I remember Christmas morning when I first got my guitar and remember how excited I was," Harrington said. "The fact that because I received that musical instrument, I can now help other kids receive that same feeling around the country is amazing to me."

Harrington's weekly Friday night concerts can be viewed on her Facebook page and website.

“Anyone who wants to request a song can pop it in the comments, which is super cool. It makes it feel like things are back to normal a bit,” she said.

Harrington's one-year anniversary performance can be viewed below:

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