Live Nation will require that all artists, crew members, and attendees to their shows and festivals have proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test starting Oct. 4.
This is a major change to their previously announced COVID-19 policy just last week, which was going to allow artists to decide their own policies regarding protocols for their own shows.
“Vaccines are going to be your ticket back to shows, and as of October 4th we will be following the model we developed for Lollapalooza and requiring this for artists, fans, and employees at Live Nation venues and festivals everywhere possible in the US,” Live Nation president and CEO Michael Rapino said in a statement.
Lollapalooza was the first major music festival held since the pandemic. It was estimated that 400,000 people attended the festival the first weekend of August in Chicago. Only about 200 positive COVID cases have been linked to the festival, which is being seen as a success by Live Nation and the city’s public health department.
Earlier this week, the other biggest touring company in the country, AEG Live, announced that they were also requiring either proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID test for their own shows.
Vaccines have been the center focus of controversy as the United States continues to see COVID-19 cases on the rise with the new Delta variant affecting even younger people in very harsh ways. As of now, only 50% of adults in the US are fully vaccinated per the CDC. The country still has a long way to go.
(Photo: C3 Presents)
