, promoters, artists and fans alike were expecting the concert business to return this summer, get back to normal by 2022 and thrive on pent-up demand. Instead, uncertainty is back: COVID-19 cases are rising, vaccines don’t provide perfect protection, and parents of children under 12 may be worried about catching the virus at a show and spreading the delta variant at home.
Messina’s suggested solution: Require fans, artists and crew members who enter concert venues to show they’ve been vaccinated. “If we don’t do something about this slowdown in the business,” he says, “we’re no longer going to have a business.” But that’s easier said than done, since there’s still plenty of pushback against vaccine and mask mandates, which have been highly politicized. Requiring vaccines is now banned by executive order or legislation in 20 states.
Still, hundreds of U.S. venues have already enacted such mandates and thousands more are on the way. In August, promotion giants Live Nation and AEG Presents said they wouldto show proof of vaccination to attend shows at venues they own, as well as at concerts and festivals they produce.
Part of the problem is that no one wants to play the heavy -- especially to fans who have already purchased tickets. “It’s even more difficult when the concert was announced without a vaccine requirement and we’re trying to implement them after the fact,” says Red Light Management founder. “There has to be a cultural moment when most people in the business overwhelmingly support this idea.
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