Will There be Concerts in 2021?
Empty Concert Venue Photo by Anna Chan
Who will be the one willing to take the chance to perform a concert or go on tour in 2021? Let us hope that the music industry gets back on track. With the vaccine in play for the United states and the Covid-19 virus getting under control in most US states, we can only assume that our concerts will also come back during the summer.
Some say that concerts will not return this summer and will reoccur in 2022. It would depend on the control of the Covid-19 virus and a state-by-state decision based on numbers and if they are completely open or not. Ultimately, the CDC gives guidance for rules on safety and each state will mandate their own decisions on how they interpreted those rules based on their inner state numbers of effected people. The bands will then consider venues at each state based on those rules and regulations to see if it would be worth it to perform there.
People attending a concert at the Palau Sant Jordi, the first massive concert since the begging of the coronavirus outbreak in Barcelona, Spain, March 27, 2021 Photo by: Albert Gea
According to Mr. Schmitt, faculty member at Moeller High School, a concert loving connoisseur having been to 60-70 concerts in his life says that, “Hopefully they come back soon, my guess would be fall 2021 or maybe early 2022. Some place might ask that attendants wear mask. This might lead to better attendance at outdoor concerts first before indoor concerts in the winter.” With Mr. Schmitt having been to so many concerts, I wondered what he would be doing this year with Covid-19 being around, Mr. Schmitt said, “Of course, I will be attending some again soon! No specific plans for any shows, but I plan to keep my average of 3-5 shows per year.”
Concerts, live performances, and tours are the highlights of people’s summer. “All signs point to 2021 getting back to the summer concert season we all know and love,” Bob Ruox, Live Nation’s president of U.S. concerts, tells Rolling Stone in a statement Thursday. “With vaccines being available to everyone in May, we’re confident events can return to regular capacity soon after.”
Most artists want full capacity shows to make the money that they want. Booking events and moving from state to state will depend on the individual state rules. Getting a solid performer or group will depend on the venue and if the state is open.
Starting in June of 2021 Riverbend Music Center has many outdoor concerts scheduled. Starting in May, Bogarts has concerts scheduled as well. This looks good for Ohio and will be an optimistic hope for neighboring states. As of April 8th, 2021, according to Governor Mike DeWine, there is not a capacity limit on outdoor events, but masks and social distancing is still required. You also must be in groups of 10 or less. The only capacity limit is 25% for indoor events.
There is a second option to those that do not want to take the risks of going to a concert and don’t want to miss out on their favorite artists performance, it is called virtual streaming. Virtual streaming of concerts is now happening across the world. It has been our only way to see live performances and our favorite performers due to Covid-19. I would assume that live streaming would still occur in many locked down states and for those states not opened with full capacity to handle live concerts. Mr. Corder, teacher at Moeller High School, stated he has been streaming live concert films. He also states, “Venues certainly matter, but the performance is the most important.”
Those that may disagree with Mr. Corder and say that the live performance is the ultimate experience, are hoping that live concerts return to the nation’s menu of normal activities.