Live Touring Concerts in 2021?

0
2052

OK, I was hoping that I wouldn’t have to follow up on this topic, but it seems that I have to with the current news going around … I was trying to avoid it, but now it’s come to light as a reality.

With Monster Magnet recently canceling … AGAIN, which was already rescheduled once: MM  were one of the bands that decided to move into next year’s 2021 vision, after their 2020 March/April tour fell apart thanks to Covid. Rather than reschedule again, the band announced yesterday they would just call the whole thing off, putting that ticket money back into fans’ pockets where it belongs.  Not a bad idea as it is the fans that make a band.  The last thing you want is for the fans to get pissed at you.  With these uncertain days of “anything goes” it’s best to be safe.

And so, it has begun: 2021 tours are starting to get canceled.

Six months have passed and our surreal world of uncertainty thrown into our lives still remains as our new normal, and as much as half the population fights against it, it is what it is.  All tours have stopped completely, sports stadiums are empty, NASCAR, the largest spectator sport in the world races with no fans, and here we are watching this all unfold. Meanwhile, for those creative enough, the only press I get from labels, publicists and bands are all about their virtual realities and how they are coping, trying to reinvent themselves by coin phrasing a new tagline called “Quarantine Sessions”.  And of course we are also now starting to see ticket sales to watch it in the comfort of our home.  I mean in my day before pay per view, we would tailgate a football game in the friends backyard for a killer time. Lets check out some creativity from Joe Satriani’s camp with Def Leppard’s Phil Collen playing Joe Satriani’s “Nineteen Eighty” = AMAZING!

To some bands however, this opportunity is taken as an opportune golden time, where new bands are formed, or members replaced or added, or existing bands now having the time to sit still once again to create new music.  Ya know, getting ready for that eventual onslaught of when suddenly the U.S. opens up and every single band wanting to book local and national venues, all at the same time, like the hungry release of lions from their cages that haven’t been fed for months.  Competition will be fierce. But those that held strong behind the scenes while this part of the world’s industry stays shut down, will prevail.

And so, it has begun: 2021 tours are being canceled.

So as of right now, who knows what’s next?  Many are looking forward to the 2021 touring season, and many have bought tickets for many of those already.  How many festivals will follow through in 2021. Will smaller, local venues be able to hold their own if the music industry stay’s shut down longer?  Or will virtual online streams become the next big thing?

In short, Countries with current strong economies have never seen anything like this, and state heads are afraid to predict an outcome for the near future for fear of repercussion. With the pandemic now in the midst of a possible rising second wave, with current cases exceeding those reported when the pandemic first peaked in March. I’m not sure the U.S. is ready to say that next summer’s festivals won’t go on as planned either, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t.  With Europe being the world’s thermometer, and leading the way in opening up once the temps are right, we all watch closely to see what happens.

In short, and as the realist I am, I simply don’t see the U.S. moving forward in such a way as to open up for mass gathering in regard to music events … At least not 2020 and the first few months of 2021.  Who knows what will happen past that, with some experts saying 2021 is out.

Anyone ready for 2022?