Singapore's concert for the dead goes online during pandemic

Crew members monitor the live streaming of a getai show on social media platforms at a studio in Singapore September 5, 2020. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak has prompted Getais, or free concerts that are traditionally staged outdoors for the living and the dead during the Hungry Ghost Festival, to go virtual. Picture taken September 5, 2020. REUTERS/Edgar Su

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - The studio lights dim, the band begins to strum, and it's showtime for a Singapore getai concert - a popular form of entertainment in southeast Asia that features songs, skits and over-the-top costumes to celebrate the dead.

Because of the coronavirus, instead of being watched by a live audience of thousands, the performance is taking place in a studio and broadcast over the internet. The livestream is a lifeline for performers like Febe Huang, who earns her living staging getai with her husband across the region.