2021 Will Mark The Return Of The Concert Industry

After many musicians were forced to cancel and reschedule their tours in 2020 due to COVID-19, the music industry took a hard fall.

During a time of uncertainty, many artists had to get creative. Some dropped surprise albums, others hosted live-streamed concerts from their homes or organized drive-in concerts.

Despite those efforts, according to the year-end report by live-entertainment industry trade publication Pollstar, the global live events industry lost more than $2.5 billion in 2020 due to the global pandemic.  

Now, as more people are getting vaccinated against COVID-19, this year is shaping up to be a hopeful one for the concert industry.

Artists like Green Day, Guns N’ Roses, Harry Styles, and Tame Impala have already announced their summer/fall tours and are currently selling tickets. 

However, the questions are rising—will there be limited capacity? Will people be required to wear masks? Will concert goers have to show proof of being fully vaccinated? 

On June 20, the Foo Fighters will perform at Madison Square Garden in New York City. 

The show will be the first full-capacity performance of the year and the first since March 2020. (The venue has been open for sporting events in recent months). 

However, those hoping to attend the show must show proof that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to Madison Square Garden’s FAQ website.

Children under the age of 16 are exempt, but they must provide a recent negative COVID-19 test.

Last month, popular hip-pop music festival Rolling Loud announced the return of the festival in Miami.

The 2021 festival will feature headliners A$AP Rocky, Travis Scott, and Post Malone. They will perform at Hard Rock Stadium from July 23 to 25.

It’s officially sold-out and has no CDC protocols listed. 

However as of May 20, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced they are still recommending that people avoid large events and gatherings. 

I have scored tickets to see Green Day in the summer and Tame Impala in the fall.

While the venues I am going to see have yet to release CDC protocols, it’s important to keep in mind that every venue sets their own rules based on local safety standards. It’s wise to check each venue’s website before attending an event.

According to Ticketmaster, some of the safety precautions venues will require are: wearing a mask during the concert, grouped seating to promote social distancing, temperature checks before entering the venue, having hand sanitizer stations throughout the venue, timed entry by having attendees enter the venue at designated entry times, and contactless entry by having your ticket on the Ticketmaster mobile app. 

In October of 2020, Ticketmaster launched its SmartEvent Solutions that helps venues compute seating arrangements depending on logistics, maximum capacity (with at least six feet between each party), slope angles, riser heights, and other factors. 

The tool will also allow attendees to order concessions and concert merch using their phones and have staff deliver it to their seat. 

It also has a Secure Ticket Transfer feature that allows the event organizers to “facilitate contact tracing if desired” if a fan gets COVID-19 symptoms shortly after leaving a show (and alerts the venue owner of the sickness).

It’s nice to see artists getting back on the road, but it’s sad to see how much has changed.

Concerts will never be the same. I will miss witnessing mosh pits form, artists running across the stage to touch fans hands, pushing a sea of people to get closer to the stage or preventing a crowd surfer from falling.

Moments like those make concerts what they are—a connection between people who love the same music you do. 

All the precautions venues are going to take sound good, but I doubt people will follow social distancing and have a mask on during a concert.

The point of a concert is to uncontrollably be yourself while shouting out lyrics like no one is watching, and accidentally feeling another person’s sweaty elbow next to you.

Ultimately, I look forward to seeing the concert scene progress as we slowly get back to our new normal.