FEATURE:
Don’t Stand So Close to Me
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Social Distancing and Live Music
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WHILST it might be a bit of…
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an exaggeration that live music will take many months to return, there is worrying news from Dr. Zeke Emmanuel. Many people read the news that, perhaps, live music as we knew it will not return until later next year:
“Dr Zeke Emmanuel, director of the Healthcare Transformation Institute at the University of Pennsylvania and host of a new podcast about coronavirus called Making the Call, has claimed that “larger gatherings” including concerts may not return until “fall 2021 at the earliest.”
Emmanuel was speaking as part of a roundtable piece in New York Times Magazine. When asked about restarting the American economy, he said:
“Restarting the economy has to be done in stages, and it does have to start with more physical distancing at a work site that allows people who are at lower risk to come back. Certain kinds of construction, or manufacturing or offices, in which you can maintain six-foot distances are more reasonable to start sooner. Larger gatherings — conferences, concerts, sporting events — when people say they’re going to reschedule this conference or graduation event for October 2020, I have no idea how they think that’s a plausible possibility. I think those things will be the last to return. Realistically we’re talking fall 2021 at the earliest”.
I have seen so many artists promoting gigs and tours for the autumn; they have had to reschedule them from earlier this year. We are all excited to get back out there but, as the Government suggest we will be social distancing for months to come, will it be possible to hold gigs at all?
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At the very least, there is suggestion we will have to social distance until a vaccine is found for the coronavirus. These sorts of measures are hard enough for pubs, cafes and workplaces but, for the music industry, it is near-impossible to implement something so strict. I do worry about all businesses and areas of life right now. Whilst we have to gradually ease back into life, I wonder what form that will take. Will there still be social distancing at supermarkets? Will people buying coffee at cafes have to queue outside? Will it be mandatory for people to wear face masks when using public transport? Nothing is set in stone yet, but one feels it will be a gradual easing back to normal life. Record shops might be able to open and trade relatively normally, and many can run themselves online and keep afloat. For so many musicians, touring is a vital stream of revenue. Sweden has introduced a social distancing scheme where the famous venue, Plan B, is capping the audience to forty people. This allows people to keep a safe distance from one another and enjoy live music. It must be a weird experience, and some have called it irresponsible. It must be unsettling for a band not to see the usual bustling crowds and rapturous response. Maybe small venues could implement something similar in the U.K., but I wonder whether there will be allowed and if it will work.
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Artists could still gig, but they would not earn as much, and it will be difficult keeping people apart during songs. It does seem that, when the lockdown is lifted, we need instructions regarding live gigs. Large gatherings at venues, for example, will probably face bans for a few months more. The risk of infection is higher there; it is the smaller spaces that are struggling more and need some reassurance. I guess there is not a lot one can do to fast-track a semblance of normality: we all need to be patient and wait for things to calm down. There is a real concern that a lot of venues, if they are shut for too long, they will not be able to continue. There is support and funding available, but that is surely going to start to run dry the longer we are in lockdown. The U.K. government have decided that we are all in lockdown until 8th May at least – it may be extended further if there is not a decent enough decline in the number of deaths and new cases of the coronavirus. It will be hard to see how things will go back to how they were soon. I think there will be an adjustment, and I wonder whether our government will allow venues to open until a vaccine is found. If that is the case, it will be devastating for the music scene.
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I think there does need to be some sort of plan in place where venues can be funded and, like Sweden, some socially distanced gigs can go on. It might be a weird feeling, but there can be measured in place where live music can exist, and we can keep people safe. Maybe apps will exist where people can test themselves and see if they have the coronavirus; that can be verified by people at venues, which will mean others will feel safe. I think we are getting used to being socially distanced at the= moment, but there is a keenness for people to get out and experience music in its physical form. Right now, we are seeing a lot of live-streamed gigs and artists performing from home. That can carry on for a while longer, but the lockdown will ease and there will be these questions regarding live music’s future and when we can once more go to gigs. It does seem strange that we are all inside and not able to go and see artists play, so the day we can start to assimilate again and watch artist up-close will be fantastic. We are being responsible and patient right now, but there is a hope that things will start to improve very soon. Live gigs are a cornerstone of the industry and getting back into the normal swing of things is something that…
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EVERYONE is keen to do.