With Covid-19 canceling large events all over the country there is one question on every musicians mind: When will it be safe to play live shows again? I know personally I have found myself in a deep depression without being able to play or even just attend concerts. With some venues starting to open and small social distance concerts making a return I decided it was time to do some research of my own. Is it truly possible to safely attend concerts right now? A friend of mine in the Asheville Music Scene posted a facebook event for an outside social distanced concert. Today (Thursday July 16th) I will be attending my first live concert since the initial lockdown, and I want to share my experience with you all.
I was nervous to go out in a public area since I have been pretty isolated for months now, but as I walked up to One World West and saw everyone wearing masks and staying far away from each other at tables set 6 feet apart, I was put at ease. I actually got in trouble by a staff member because I was standing in the way of the bar line and everyone is required to be in a designated area to ensure social distancing unless they are in line ordering drinks.
Jamie, my friend who was playing guitar, asked me if I wanted to sit in. I of course rushed home to grab my bass jumping at the opportunity to play music with other people again. I felt safe up on stage in my own little bubble separated by distance from the crowd. I had forgotten what it feels like to perform for a live audience, and I honestly can’t remember the last time I felt this happy.
On set breaks, people would come up to me and try to start conversations. Holding a conversation with a mask on is hard, but it was worth it to interact with people again. As the night progressed (and the people drank more) I watched as social distancing standards started to drop. People were less careful with wearing masks when talking to strangers. A man tried to shake my hand, and I struggled to find the right words to avoid that interaction.
I don’t know if it is safe yet to be attending and playing concerts. Buncombe county alone has 992 confirmed cases and 40 Covid related deaths as of this writing. The state of North Carolina is at a total of 93,426 lab confirmed cases. (NCDHHS) I am a firm believer in doing whatever it takes to stop the spread and avoid unnecessary loss. It was easy for me to forget today in the middle of all the excitement that we are still facing the challenges of a Global Pandemic, and that is terrifying.
Will we return to large concerts again soon? Travis Rieder, the assistant director of education initiatives and research scholar at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, told USA Today that a shortage of tests and the lack of a vaccine simply make things too risky. Concerts are adapting by putting social distance measures in place or moving online, but Rieder doesn’t believe we will be attending concerts again like normal until there is a vaccine.
