[Susan Foreman]

The possible future of live music?

First socially distanced music concert takes place in America | Planet Rock

"The first socially distanced music concert has taken place in America since the start of the coronavirus pandemic lockdown – check out photos below.

Singer of the Mississippi based country-rock band Bishop Gunn, Travis McCready, played the TempleLive venue in Fort Smith, Arkansas on Monday (18th May), but it was far-removed from an ordinary concert experience.

All attendees wore compulsory face masks and took mandatory temperature tests before they entered the venue.

Once inside, concertgoers used one-way aisles to get to their seats which were set out in clusters, dubbed “fan pods”, with large sections of the seating cordoned off with yellow tape emblazoned with the word ‘Caution’.

Travis McCready and his fellow performers also maintained a minimum distance of 12 feet from the audience as an extra precaution.

As photos below show, the toilets inside the venue were specially modified for the evening to enforce social distancing.

A total of 229 people attended the concert at former Masonic Temple, TempleLive, which usually has a capacity of 1,100.

The gig was originally due to take place on Friday 15th May but was postponed until Monday (18th May) after Arkansas officials issued a cease-and-desist order to the promoter last week. It was eventually given the green light to go ahead.

Vice President of TempleLive, Mike Brown, told Arkansas TV station KFSM-TV: "This is about rock and roll, and having a good time, and live music, and being out with your peers, and doing what you do as an American: You get out, you do things.”

He also questioned why concerts don’t get the go ahead when other public gatherings Stateside do: "If you can go to a church and it's a public assembly, there is no difference.

"How is it OK for one group to have a public meeting, and it's not OK for a music venue to have the same opportunity?"

At the start of the show, Mike Brown aptly played Beastie Boys' ‘Fight For Your Right (To Party)’ through the venue’s speakers before support act Lauren Brown came on stage.

Earlier this month, the Event Safety Alliance published a 29-page booklet containing best practices for promoters and venue staff when they finally reopen their venues Stateside.

It's unclear when UK concert venues will reopen their doors."