From mandatory pre-show swab tests for the audience to musicians safely distancing from one another on stage, the Back To Live concert at the Sands Theatre, Marina Bay Sands (MBS), last Friday was the most heavily regulated gig I had ever been to.

Besides solid performances by home-grown singers Benjamin Kheng and Sezairi, it also featured guests Narelle, Linying and rapper TheLionCityBoy.

These are not normal times for music fans, of course.

The concert, the first of a two-night show, was part of the Ministry of Health's pre-event testing pilot programme to help kick-start the local entertainment industry battered by Covid-19 restrictions.

The second part of the concert took place last Saturday with singers Charlie Lim, Aisyah Aziz and Keyana.

It was not my first concert since live performances were allowed again in September, but the previous ones were small-scale gigs with very small audiences.

This one at MBS attracted more than 400 people, said the organisers, the biggest audience since March and hence the extra safety measures.

I arrived at MBS 31/2 hours before the 9pm show time to take the swab test. The procedure was smooth - it was painless and the whole process took about five minutes. Half an hour later, I received a negative result from MOH - the necessary requirement to get into the concert.

In the venue, groups of up to five each and single-seat fans were spaced far apart on the three levels of the 2,155-capacity theatre.

Standing and dancing were forbidden, but they clapped and cheered loudly when the performers took to the stage.

Except for the singers, the musicians on stage wore masks, as did the audience.

When Linying appeared on stage for a duet with Sezairi on the latter's new single Raindrops, they stood a few metres apart.

Sezairi put on a slick performance of mostly original funk and R&B tunes, and the velvety vocals that helped him win Singapore Idol back in 2009 had not diminished.

"I know you can't dance, but jiggle your butt in your seat, okay?," he quipped.

Kheng's gospel-tinged pop tunes from his recent debut solo EP, A Sea That Never Stops, sounded much more riveting live compared with the recorded versions.

He had a charismatic stage presence and got the audience to clap along to several songs.

Both Sezairi and Kheng performed for 45 minutes each and there were no encores after they sang their last songs.

In the venue, there were plenty of ushers to guide audience members around and ensure they did not congregate.

When a man attempted to talk to another group, he was quickly intercepted by an usher who reminded him to stay in his seat.

As a hardcore music fan starved of live shows, I did not mind having to put up with the inconvenience - if that is what it takes to enjoy live gigs again and help revive the ailing music industry.

Sure, the extra measures took away some of the visceral joy of seeing musicians performing in the flesh.

Still, the concert seemed like a small step forward for the live music industry to restore its pre-pandemic buzz while keeping fans, artists and everyone involved in the shows safe.