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Coronavirus: music festivals, big gigs, sports events and big gatherings - going ahead and cancelled

Sad times for road crews:

Road crew for some of the biggest bands in music are being forced into homelessness and turning to food banks to survive during the pandemic.

Stagehand, the charity for roadies, has given more than 1,000 grants so far and said 13% of those receiving money had needed support from food banks.



It said about 20% of stage hands have not qualified for any government help during the pandemic, including the £4.5bn freelance fund and £1.5bn arts grants.

Musicians and performers have rallied with personal donations and fundraising, but Andy Lenthall, the general manager of the Production Services Association, which set up the charity, said people were still “slipping through the cracks”.

“One guy we helped this week has been waiting for a food bank voucher because he hasn’t eaten properly for two weeks. In 2019 he was driving a forklift around Hyde Park. Now he’s got to choose between heating or eating.

“It’s embarrassing and upsetting. People are sofa surfing, selling their houses – some of the claims we are getting are from people putting ‘no fixed address’ on their forms. Senior people are cashing in their pensions if they’re over 55.”
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I can relate to this:

“These people have worked for 30 or 40 years and paid taxes, but because they are technically self-employed many have had no support from the government and are now relying on foodbanks.”
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www.theguardian.com

Bands rally to help as jobless roadies turn to food banks

Stage crews laid off as a result of the pandemic are ‘falling through the cracks’ in government aid for the self-employed
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
 
The Leadmill has sold 3,000 of its week long re-opening events from June 21. Hawkwind have announced the Hawkfest will be happening at the end of August. Both fucking mad, if you ask me, though there's no question the leadmill will sell out almost every night I expect.
 
William of Walworth said:
Three!! postponements may well be a record so far, in the Covid-caused delay stakes?? :confused:

(I speculate -- I have no idea whether any other events have been put off like that any more than twice!!)
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Bearded... From May to Sept, then May 21, now Sept 21

I hope there are not psychological issues when the time comes. A couple of month ago I would've given my right arm to go to a gig or festival, now the thought makes me feel a bit anxious. I can't put my finger on it. It's not a fear of getting sick. I guess it's a form of social anxiety that says more about my mental health and I'm a bit concerned with how that's going to be after a few more months
 
There must be more than a few of us still thinking festivals won't be back until next year at the earliest? Vaccinated doesn't mean can't ever get it, especially with new strains about. Why is everyone so excited all of a sudden when our government have hardly got a glowing reputation for reliability.
 
Mogden said:
There must be more than a few of us still thinking festivals won't be back until next year at the earliest? Vaccinated doesn't mean can't ever get it, especially with new strains about. Why is everyone so excited all of a sudden when our government have hardly got a glowing reputation for reliability.
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Vaccines weren't ever supposed to mean that nobody would get it except in the most optimistic of outcomes, but they probably do mean that catching it will only get you as ill as a mild cold, and certainly not hospitalised. I think most people are willing to take that risk in return for getting some kind of normality back.

Obviously this is reliant on the vaccine schedule going as planned and mutations not making them ineffective, but I don't think that a belief in those things are too overly optimistic, and I think it's also reasonable for people to have a bit of hope after the year we've had.
 
Just because I was looking up Bryan Adams on another thread, I found out he's planning a load of summer shows in the UK. Site says there are some planned for April too, but I reckon that's a tad optimistic.

I know, not really cool enough for Urban, but needs must and all that. And honestly, he puts on a good show. Guaranteed everyone will leave singing :D
 
strung out said:
Vaccines weren't ever supposed to mean that nobody would get it except in the most optimistic of outcomes, but they probably do mean that catching it will only get you as ill as a mild cold, and certainly not hospitalised. I think most people are willing to take that risk in return for getting some kind of normality back.

Obviously this is reliant on the vaccine schedule going as planned and mutations not making them ineffective, but I don't think that a belief in those things are too overly optimistic, and I think it's also reasonable for people to have a bit of hope after the year we've had.
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Hope is great, it's getting us through, and I'd like it to be based in truth but I do fear that the average pub going idiot will see vaccines as a complete solution and return to behaviour pre-pandemic and it'll snowball from there.
 
Mogden said:
Hope is great, it's getting us through, and I'd like it to be based in truth but I do fear that the average pub going idiot will see vaccines as a complete solution and return to behaviour pre-pandemic and it'll snowball from there.
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Once everyone is vaccinated why shouldn't people return to pre-pandemic behaviour?
 
Mogden said:
There must be more than a few of us still thinking festivals won't be back until next year at the earliest? Vaccinated doesn't mean can't ever get it, especially with new strains about. Why is everyone so excited all of a sudden when our government have hardly got a glowing reputation for reliability.
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Without insurance it's too big a risk to plan anything in any detail until after restrictions are actually lifted.
Any festival takes 6 months to plan properly. Bigger festivals longer than that.
The only way I could see one happening would be if:
1) It's a small festival, probably <1,000 people, maybe 1000-2000 and runs in September.
2) It's on a dedicated event site and has run for quite a few years
3) They can submit exactly the same site plan as has been used in previous years
4) They have a council that want to work to make it happen and can push through a TEN or other event licence in the space of a month or so
5) Their suppliers from previous have not gone bust and are available to deliver.
6) They have most or all of their tickets sold from their postponed/cancelled 2020 event carried over to 2021

If they can do some work beforehand with suppliers so that they could submit their event plan to the council by the end of June, being confident that it will go through, then they can be getting vendors/traders in place in July/August along with finalising details with suppliers in August once the council have confirmed the event licence, they could run in september. Booking acts would likely be the least of their difficulties.
I think it could be done but the council is the big problem here - they are the ones who could say no and that's a big risk to take.
and previous year's suppliers still being in business... and who is still around to trade etc..

I'm not sure I'd want to do it, but I think it could be done in some very limited circumstances.
 
strung out said:
Once everyone is vaccinated why shouldn't people return to pre-pandemic behaviour?
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Not everyone will be vaccinated (significant numbers of those not out of choice). The varying numbers of vaccinated who develop serious illness, long term complications or die may reach differing conclusions.
 
2hats said:
Not everyone will be vaccinated (significant numbers of those not out of choice). The varying numbers of vaccinated who develop serious illness, long term complications or die may reach differing conclusions.
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So if the mass vaccination of virtually everybody who can be vaccinated (mutations etc. notwithstanding) is not the point at which things can go back to relative normal normality, what is?
 
strung out said:
So if the mass vaccination of virtually everybody who can be vaccinated (mutations etc. notwithstanding) is not the point at which things can go back to relative normal normality, what is?
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It's not just the physical ability to go back to pre-pandemic, it's the mental. I'm not a lover of close contact. In fact I've barely realised I'm not hugging people aside from a want to give best mate Mogden a squeeze. If anyone gets close to me when we're "back to normal" I'm quite likely to shout or make a physical gesture. I don't believe we're going back to how it was. As mr steev said further up the thread, psychologically this may have been quite damaging for some. If the government continues its over promise and under deliver attitude it's going to keep stretching those delicate mental rubber bands to breaking point. You don't swear to gift a new Playstation to a kid for Christmas unless you're bloody sure you can do it, not because you think you might get away with an IOU for it on Christmas morning for some time in the next 6 months.
 
2hats said:
It won't be virtually everybody and it won't be normal. The new 'normal' will be different.
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So no festivals, gigs or late nights out once most people have been vaccinated? The point I was responding to was about people placing too much hope in any of that happening at all this year, to which my response was, if not once every adult has been offered the vaccine, then when?
 
(My post #1,343, previous page) :
William of Walworth said:
Three!! postponements may well be a record so far, in the Covid-caused delay stakes?? :confused:

(I speculate -- I have no idea whether any other events have been put off like that any more than twice!!)
Click to expand...

mr steev said:
Bearded... From May to Sept, then May 21, now Sept 21

I hope there are not psychological issues when the time comes. A couple of month ago I would've given my right arm to go to a gig or festival, now the thought makes me feel a bit anxious. I can't put my finger on it. It's not a fear of getting sick. I guess it's a form of social anxiety that says more about my mental health and I'm a bit concerned with how that's going to be after a few more months
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Yes, I should have mentioned Bearded when I posted that 'triple cancellation' post originally! :oops:

Slightly re-assuring thought here for you though steev : I wonder whether such a really friendly and laid-back festival like Bearded, which is the opposite of a mega-fest or a stupidly corporate event, might offer positivity for you? Especially near the smaller tents/stages?

As it goes, I remain pretty pessimistic that they'll be able to hold BT at all in September, but if (major if!) they're able to, I'm certain that the BT organisers, of all people, will issue very confidence-boosting instructions and details, to make sure people both are safe and feel safe when they come.

And -- pure speculation here -- they might? also reduce the size -- it was already shrunk from about 12,000 to 7,500 in 2019,and they could possibly reduce it further (say to 5,000?).

Mogden said:
There must be more than a few of us still thinking festivals won't be back until next year at the earliest? Vaccinated doesn't mean can't ever get it, especially with new strains about. Why is everyone so excited all of a sudden when our government have hardly got a glowing reputation for reliability.
Click to expand...

As I said above, I still share your pessimism about events of Bearded's size happening this year, but I'm starting to feel slightly (and very cautiously!) a bit more optimistic about smaller mini-events that are scheduled for similarly late in the season.

I 100% agree that this Government are utterly shit, but the NHS are not being shit about vaccination.

As for the possibility of new strains defying vaccines, that's by no means certain to happen, any more than it's certain not to.

In any case, there's still an insane amount of intense research continuing into new vaccines and new variants of vaccines that may?? end up more effective against new strains of the virus.

I suppose that's all best off in one of the actual vaccine threads, but for quite a while now, vaccines and the science around them have been one of the very very few things I'm more optimistic** about with this pandemic.

**(even with 2hats sensible warning above taken into account -- post #1,364).
 
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I've been super careful for a year - basically on lockdown all the way apart from working away from home (at covid friendly workplaces).

When vaccinated I'll feel much safer and able to socialise and I will go to music festivals and have a great time.

They're open air and not mega crowded so I'll feel safe. Its easy to social distance at the kind of festivals I attend. I can't wait!!

I have tickets to two festivals and they are only three weeks apart at end July and mid August. They will probably break me after a year off :D
 
strung out said:
So no festivals, gigs or late nights out once most people have been vaccinated? The point I was responding to was about people placing too much hope in any of that happening at all this year, to which my response was, if not once every adult has been offered the vaccine, then when?
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Next year. Realistically. The government would be much better placed to say that and then review in September and cheer everyone up by saying okay we're in a position to offer this earlier than planned. What happens in June when we're in a bounce back to high R numbers because of new variants and the populous say "Sod the lockdown, we're going to the park and each other's gardens to get pissed".
 
Mogden said:
Next year. Realistically. The government would be much better placed to say that and then review in September and cheer everyone up by saying okay we're in a position to offer this earlier than planned. What happens in June when we're in a bounce back to high R numbers because of new variants and the populous say "Sod the lockdown, we're going to the park and each other's gardens to get pissed".
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I'm not saying that none of those worst case scenario events could happen, but the government and everyone else's position on things restarting is predicated on the fact that everybody should have been offered the vaccine and that those vaccines are effective.

While the general public are pretty pro-lockdown at the moment, the government would be crucified if they said despite everything going well, there wouldn't be any live indoor or outdoor events until next year at the earliest.

I also think that the public (gobshites notwithstanding) would be pretty understanding if a mutation rendered plans for a summer restart of live events untenable.
 
William of Walworth said:
(My post #1,343, previous page) :




Yes, I should have mentioned Bearded when I posted that 'triple cancellation' post originally! :oops:

Slightly re-assuring thought here for you though steev : I wonder whether such a really friendly and laid-back festival like Bearded, which is the opposite of a mega-fest or a stupidly corporate event, might offer positivity for you? Especially near the smaller tents/stages?

As it goes, I remain pretty pessimistic that they'll be able to hold BT at all in September, but if (major if!) they're able to, I'm certain that the BT organisers, of all people, will issue very confidence-boosting instructions and details, to make sure people both are safe and feel safe when they come.

And -- pure speculation here -- they might? also reduce the size -- it was already shrunk from about 12,000 to 7,500 in 2019,and they could possibly reduce it further (say to 5,000?).



As I said above, I still share your pessimism about events of Bearded's size happening this year, but I'm starting to feel slightly (and very cautiously!) a bit more optimistic about smaller mini-events that are scheduled for similarly late in the season.

I 100% agree that this Government are utterly shit, but the NHS are not being shit about vaccination.

As for the possibility of new strains defying vaccines, that's by no means certain to happen, any more than it's certain not to.

In any case, there's still an insane amount of intense research continuing into new vaccines and new variants of vaccines that may?? end up more effective against new strains of the virus.

I suppose that's all best off in one of the actual vaccine threads, but for quite a while now, vaccines and the science around them have been one of the very very few things I'm more optimistic** about with this pandemic.

**(even with 2hats sensible warning above taken into account -- post #1,364).
Click to expand...
I have tickets for three festivals this year - The Tiddly, mid July then BT and SE in September - So two tiny ones and (medium sized?) Bearded. I'll probably add a couple between those as and when they come up. Blyth Power Ashes in August, but I haven't seen anything about that yet.

I prefer the smaller ones, anyway, and I'm expecting Gail's 50th at the Tiddly to happen in July.

My fear for BT and SE in September is that the effect of the schools opening and then half the country going abroad in July and August will be another spike, due to the myriad of new variants they'll all bring back with them, that leads to another lockdown.
 
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