When people gathered at the St. Augustine Amphitheater in January for JJ Gray and Mofro, or The Yarmouth Drive-In on Cape Cod for Goose last fall, or the Cheshire Fairgrounds in Swanzey, New Hampshire in October for a moe drive-in show, these could have been just any other concerts.
But far from it. After months of pandemic purgatory, they were the first chances for bands to re-emerge from lock down and return to the stage; for stagehands and countless supporting industries to get back to work; and for fans to once again enjoy live music in a “Covid-safe” environment.
Some have called this long strange trip “a long intermission” in the life of live music. It’s coming back cautiously and to a mixed welcome by even the most loyal, FOMO-wracked music lovers eager for a music festival – all the better if some festival camping is thrown in.
“I’d caution against calling ours a festival,” says Paul Levine of Purple Hat Productions. The veteran event producer is hosting “Funky Mardi Gras ‘Mask’erade,” a Covid-conscious, socially distanced golf-cart drive-in with two nights of Dumpstaphunk, Oteil Burbridge and Roosevelt Collier the weekend of Feb. 12 at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida. “It’s more of two days of drive-in concerts.”
Forgive feisty fans and followers mistaking concerts for a fest. They’ve been holding tickets for “postponed” (not “cancelled,” most promoters maintain) for the better part of a year. They’re hankerin’ to get them scanned, whether at a small club, an arena or the festival fairgrounds.
The pandemic wiped out jobs, production companies, merch and food vendors and the spirits of fans globally. The future remains ominous in the US and abroad. Festivals and concerts cancelled or postponed include, most recently, Coachella and Stagecoach.
Ready for a Restart
Now, with rapid testing widely available and vaccines coming for the masses, the industry is ready to restart with venues reconfigured to make the show go on in whatever format possible. Drive-in shows were among the first to return. Amphitheaters have ripped out or cordoned off their shoulder-to-shoulder seats to fashion some distance between guests.
Then, there’s the “pods,” like the 164 six-person viewing areas that will take form at Levine’s two-day run.
Promoters know the demand is there. Levine sold out all the pods for about 750 people in one day. His transformation of the overflow parking field at the 800-acre #SOSMP campground and venue known for likes of Wanee, Bear Creek, Hulaween and Suwannee Rising could help kickstart the industry.
Peers are watching closely to see how the pandemic pioneers fare. After planning an event with all the latest Covid-safe practices in place, Lockn’ Festival producers cancelled last year’s show. Now, they’re hoping vaccinations and time will calm Covid’s spread and give them a chance to stage a series of smaller summer fests and Lockn’ the first weekend of October.
Like the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park, Lockn’ owns their land – and lots of it. So they have options, like to limit the number of attendees at those summer shows to a fraction of Lockn’s 25,000. This will help ensure all can be screened before entry, distanced on the show field, and encamped far and wide from one another.
‘Bullish’ to Restart with Smaller Shows
Nothing’s certain, says Lockn’ producer Chris Moody. He’s doubtful 2021 will be “the comeback year” for major festivals with 50,000 or more attendees. But he’s bullish that reduced capacity shows in a safe environment are possible. As long as science and state officials say so.
“We think right now the most likely events for this summer will be these small, more intimate shows that will allow people to go camping, see some of their favorite artists, and enjoy the camaraderie with friends and family in a safe environment, or what people would consider a safe environment today, which is space.”
The first show Moody will be watching closely is Funky Mardi Gras. Fans are as eager to see live music as Levine is to not become some super spreader event. Masks will be mandatory. And stay in your pod, friend. No intermingling between pods.
The food vendors fans know from past shows will be replaced by meals ordered from and delivered by the Music Hall’s restaurant – or whatever’s in your cooler you’ll be free to shlep to your site. And merch tents? There’ll be just two – a silk screener and Wormtown Trading – with barriers to ensure guests and vendors maintain six feet of distance.
Stray anyplace and the “Safety Squad” will nudge you back.
Placed around the venue will be five-gallon buckets of hand sanitizing wipes. To further encourage distancing, park owners opened the expansive campground and its countless RV sites and primitive spots. Ownership in July 2020 announced they had invested heavily in Covid precautions, including improved sanitizing of the bathhouses.
“They’ve been fine tuning their craft,” Levine says. “That’s still not going to be good enough for everybody. It’s impossible to have zero risk. Some people are going to prefer to wash their hands outside than go into a bathhouse.”
But it’s a start.
One of the larger fests being closely watched will be this July’s FloydFest. After missing their first show in 20 years last summer, promoter Sam Calhoun’s hoping not again. Odyssey 2021’s lineup of Sturgel Simpson, Keller Williams, Goose, and a remaking of the Talking Heads’ Remain In Light album (along with dozens of other acts) is worth working to keep.
Something’s gotta give to make other things work. Calhoun’s team spent years nurturing attendees’ use of reusable stainless steel cups. No more. They’ll replace those with compostable single-use vessels. A backpack sprayer will disinfect surfaces, and an infrared scanner will check attendees for the virus at the entrance.
“Our front gate is going to look a bit more like Star Wars,” he says. “We’re really looking at every single onsite system we have and say, ‘How does this translate to the post-COVID era?’”
At a time when even tomorrow never knows, July is eons away. How are promoters planning for mass events, vaccinations, and – ideally – herd immunity? Moody’s watching Calhoun, and Calhoun’s watching other producers – and what the scientists, doctors and government officials are advising for group events so he can be “right on the cutting edge” of science.
He’ll also encourage attendees to “take care of each other, listen, do the absolute best we can to follow government mandates and see where that gets us.”
Campers Self-Policing For Safety’s Sake
Some past attendees won’t be going for the foreseeable future. Some who do will self-police and limit interactions. For example, many RVers will shun bathhouses and only use their own toilet and shower. And sorry, no one from beyond the core crew is allowed on board, except maybe performing musicians who wander by.
One Funky Mardi Gras attendee sent a short list of rules to her camping crew. Social distancing will be enforced at the campsite (“butt bumps” are the new hugs); no huge communal fires – BYOF (build your own fire); and the crew leaders’ word “is law,” that includes who’s welcome and who’s not. Another requested No Tagging on social media. She doesn’t need flack from those back home or at work who might not understand.
Most of all, respect each other.
“We are still in a pandemic,” the campsite chieftain wrote, “and I think it’s better to set some ground rules for all our safety.”
A woman commenting to a doubter on social media shared how the parks and promoters are trying their best to create safe events. Sure, even with the waivers they’re having people sign, their insurers must be anxious about the very idea of hosting hundreds or thousands of people with microbes lurking.
SOSMP pulled it off last fall with a bluegrass event, limiting admission, policing pods, and enforcing masks. Camping was spread out and socially distanced. By all accounts, it was a success.
“It will be a while before SOSMP has a festival like we are all used to,” the woman wrote, “but they are doing all the right things to get us all back there safely.”
If doubt dogs you – about the effectiveness of masks, distancing and shut-downs, or even this “pandemic” itself – and you wonder why things can’t be the way they were, enough already. Drop the political hot potato and follow the rules. Or stay home.
“The truth of the matter is, if we want things to go back to normal, this is the way it has to be. If people don’t want to follow that, then they’re probably not going to come to a show like ours,” Levine says. “People are coming for their love of music and community. They’re going to do what’s necessary to make this a success so we can keep doing it again.”
Sounds good and very reasonable, hopefully everything will work out successfully. Got to start somehow and somewhere, looking forward to Suwannee Rising this April and Roots Revival in October!🤞🙏😷