As artists across the music landscape continue to cancel tours and planned 2020 performances heading into May, Missouri Governor Mike Parson is giving concert promoters across the state the thumbs up for the return of live music events beginning this week.
According to a report shared by Billboard, the Midwestern state’s plan to reopen the economy includes the approved return of live music beginning Monday (May 4th), although the mayors of cities including St. Louis, Kansas City, and Springfield are refusing to lift the stay-at-home orders in hopes of further halting the growing number of confirmed COVID-19 diagnoses, which currently sits at 1,140,665 cases in the United States as of Sunday according to Reuters.
Related: How The Live Music Landscape Might Evolve Over The Next Few Months Thanks To Coronavirus
The report states that the amended guidelines as part of Missouri’s economic reopening will force any concert venue to moderate concert seating to be spaced out according to social distancing requirements, and any concertgoers brave enough to even attend an event must remain at least six feet apart. A representative from Missouri’s Department of Health and Senior Services told Billboard that concerts or live events do not have to adhere to the same occupancy limitations as retail businesses.
While it may seem like a hasty decision on the part of the Missouri government in hopes of kickstarting the state’s economy, it’s worth pointing out that there are likely no legitimate artists, agents, or concert promoters who would want to partake in such risky mass gatherings for the foreseeable future without the assurance of a coronavirus vaccine.
Meanwhile, concert promoters in parts of Europe have found a loophole in getting artists back to performing in front of fans with recent concerts formatted by way of drive-in-movie style setups.
[H/T Billboard]