Live Music in the Days of COVID-19
After months without live music, Drive-In Shows started up, and we were grateful.
At their best, Drive-In and backyard live performance shows have attendees stay in their cars and maintain physical distancing practices in line with respective provincial and state COVID-19 guidelines. At their worst, they’re a hotbed for possible COVID-19 spread.
I understand that people are tired of staying at home, and I get that they want to see their favourite artists performing live while it’s still nice enough outside to do so. I also recognize that artists are looking for ways to not lose the shirts off their backs this summer. With touring revenue slashed so dramatically, they’re counting on us to continue putting shirts on our backs, buying music, watching live-streams, and safely attending shows they’ve arranged for socially distant crowds. I acknowledge that most people understand that we’re still in the midst of a pandemic and that the guidelines are here to protect us. But let’s not get overconfident.
I consider myself a pretty smart cookie. I think I’m an informed human being who cares about the world and the people in it. So, although restrictions are loosening, which allows for Drive-In shows, I’m not ready to take on any additional risk of infection. Going out still makes me nervous. I stayed inside for months when the quarantine first hit, and it was scary masking up and going outside the first time. It still is. Every single time.
At the time of writing, Canada has had 130,000 cases, with 9,135 deaths, and the US has had 6.13 million cases with 186,000 deaths. The United States reported nearly 1,000 deaths per day over the last week. This isn’t a virus to downplay. It’s not time to throw caution to the wind. In Canada, 115,000 people have recovered, and the US has 3.27 million recovered. Those numbers are people’s lives. It’s a fact that the long term effects are unknown for those who recover from the worst symptoms.
I grasp that there’s a spectrum of humans, with a range of risks, beliefs and understanding. We’ve gone from staying at home to stay at home, but get outside for exercise, groceries and drug store visits, to you can increase your bubble to 10, go back to work and now you can attend a small, controlled gatherings, so long as you follow the rules.
The rules. Therein lies my biggest issue. I’m generally a rule follower. If rules involve safety, I’m 100% a rule follower. With life or death safety, and that’s what we’re dealing with, it’s a no-brainer in my book. Many of my friends and family are rule followers. But, even the most notorious rule breakers in my circle are pro-mask. The group of people in Trinity Bellwoods on the May 24 long weekend were not rule followers. The people crowding the beaches are not rule followers. There seems to be a lot of that going around.
I haven’t shot a show since the last week of March, and I miss live music terribly. There are shows I really wish I could have gone to shoot and to see. I just don’t trust other people to keep me safe. I see you out there without your masks, hugging each other like nothing’s changed. Everything’s changed and pretending it hasn’t doesn’t just make you unsafe, it makes everyone connected to and around you unsafe. Having compassion for the welfare of your fellow person is punk as fuck.
I’m not saying don’t go out. Go to shows, follow the rules, they’re there to protect you and keep you safe. Can you do one more thing to protect yourself and those around you? If so, do it. Stick to your bubbles, people!
Don’t even try to use protests or marches as an argument with me. Protesters taking to the streets to stand up for what they believe in are making the same choices that folks going to concerts are but for very different reasons. It’s not the same. They’re risking their lives yes, but if you look closely, most of them are wearing masks and keeping their distance from each other whenever possible. Remember wide angle lenses make people look closer together than they are. They’re out there trying to change the world. The world really needs help right now and I support them. They’ve talked at length about quarantining after these large gatherings. Quarantining after possible exposure is essential.
School’s starting next week. I can’t even imagine having to make the call to send my kid to school during the COVID-19 pandemic. I’m glad I don’t have that decision to make. It’s not working throughout the world, what makes us think it’s going to be any safer here.
I’ll see you when I feel safe. I’m not sure how long that’ll be. In the meantime, I’m keeping myself entertained with live streams like Live Nation Canada’s Budweiser Stage At Home series, and the OLG Play Stage. It’s not the same, but it helps.
Please stay safe. I miss you.
Writer/Photographer/Editor
Toronto Music Blogger
