In March of 2020, the live music industry shut its doors. My birthday tickets to see The 1975 at Madison Square Garden were refunded, leaving me with a yearning for the unparalleled experience of live music. From screaming out lyrics and feeling every sound resonate in your chest to the collective excitement of a mass gathering, concerts provide unmatchable comfort to music enthusiasts. Shows were the place we could celebrate our fanhood with the resolute release of “being with our people”.
Now, post-vaccine rollout and amid delta variant concerns, the reopening of the live music industry has left me with a whole host of emotions. I was quick to book my tickets to Governor’s Ball, aching for a festival scene and the opportunity to catch a great lineup- Phoebe Bridgers, Bleachers, Asap Rocky. In the face of an uncertain present and future, the appeal of live music quickly swayed me. It wasn’t until the festival quickly approached that I began to feel some hesitancy.
When’s the last time I’ve been around this many people? Let alone, people without masks? Despite my faith in the vaccine, I knew that breakout cases were already affecting my school community. The silent uptick in exposure notices has left many of us in an in-between state. How should we proceed smartly in a world that is now by large, opened its doors for the vaccinated?
While I wish I could say Governor’s Ball was whole-heartedly a blast, there was an anxiety that permeated the entire event. Not only was it a mostly maskless gathering, but crowds came out in record numbers. According to Business Insider, roughly fifty-thousand people were in attendance. That’s a number that feels suffocating when you’ve spent the past eighteen months constantly being told to avoid mass gatherings.
That claustrophobia seemed to disappear amongst the audience as the adrenaline of seeing our favorite artists returned with full force. It was ironically cathartic, dancing out the stress of these turbulent times while thinking, there’s no way someone doesn’t get Covid from this.
So, how can we balance the FOMO of watching our classmates and coworkers pile into venues while we deal with our reasonable hesitancy? My advice is to follow science and to understand the responsibility that now comes with having fun. According to the Cleveland Clinic, one person infected with the delta variant is capable of spreading the virus to eight people. Although many concerts have vaccination and testing requirements for admission, it’s important to recognize that vaccinated individuals can still carry the virus. Considering this, masking up is the best way to protect yourself and others. If you chose not to wear a mask, get tested before potentially exposing your loved ones and school community.
Most importantly, be respectful of your own boundaries. There’s no rush to attend a concert, especially if you or your close contacts are high risk. Your comfort at an event is far more important than the act of being there. If the pandemic has proved anything, it’s proved our appetite for live music will never die. The stages and fanatic screams will be here when you’re ready.
Sources:
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/is-it-safe-to-go-to-concerts-during-covid/
https://www.businessinsider.com/nyc-music-festival-live-music-industry-governors-ball-concert-2021-9