Live music is back! After 1.5 years of almost no live events, concerts have returned. It seems that every day there's a handful of new tours announced. Major festivals like Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and Pitchfork are scheduled to happen this summer at full capacity. And it feels wonderful- I truly can't wait to get back in a pit after all of this time. I can't wait to bump up against a bunch of sweaty strangers as we're united by our love for music. I even miss standing in absurdly long lines just to use a disgusting port-a-potty that's been sitting in the hot sun. But is it time to do it all again? Is it safe?
There's no easy answer to that question. At this point in the US, anyone over the age of 12 can get vaccinated with ease. Yet vaccination rates are still less than ideal. The delta variant of COVID is the dominant strain, and it has a higher vaccine breakthrough rate than other variants. Cases are reaching levels they haven't seen since the fall. On the other hand, people can't wait forever. At some point live entertainment has to return. There's hundreds of thousands of people involved in the industry, and they need to get back to work. A large portion of the population has done everything they're supposed to- wearing masks, distancing, getting vaccinated... Is it enough?
Many artists and events are opting to require attendees be vaccinated to attend shows. Foo Fighters, for example, have been requiring proof of vaccination from everyone who goes to their concerts. But even so, they announced today that they had to cancel their upcoming Forum show because someone on the team has tested positive for COVID. Lollapalooza is set to happen in two weeks- but Chicago just started putting COVID restrictions in place again.
While I'm so excited for shows, so excited to get back into the world... It's possible we've jumped into the deep end without knowing how to swim. Live events may disappear again just as soon as they arrived. Only time will tell.
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