LA Mayor says no concerts before 2021

LA Mayor says no concerts before 2021

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norman lebrecht

April 19, 2020

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has told CNN that gatherings for sport and music may not resume before 2021.

He said: ‘It’s difficult to imagine us getting together in the thousands anytime soon, so I think we should be prepared for that this year.

‘until there’s either a vaccine, some sort of pharmaceutical intervention, or herd immunity, the science is the science. And public health officials have made very clear we have miles and miles to walk before we can be back in those environments.’

 

Comments

  • Bill says:

    Hope for the best, expect the worst.

  • Lara Downes says:

    He’s talking about gatherings in the thousands, ie amphitheater/arena concerts. Hoping very much that smaller venues will have options to gather audiences responsibly on a shorter timeline

    • Monsoon says:

      The problem isn’t specifically the size oof the crowd, but how closely people sit together, including the musicians.

      In theory you could keep something like 50 percent of the seats empty so there is six feet between everyone in the audience. But of course, concerts will be massive money losers if 50 percent of the house is empty.

      And as for musicians, I suppose on a large stage a quarter or small chamber ensemble could spread out, but a full orchestra will never work.

      And then there are logistical challenges with moving musicians and people throughout the concert hall, such as having only 1 person in an elevator at a time, a limited number of people in the dressing rooms, etc.

      • David Rohde says:

        No Monsoon, Lara has a point worth considering. (Big fan of yours BTW, Lara.) I don’t think we entirely know yet what the fate is of solo classical recitals in certain kinds of venues, or of chamber music despite the evident problems in arranging both the performers and audience. I’m obviously not talking about the near term in which everything is cancelled. I’m talking about whether there’s going to be a distinction between one type of performance and another.

        One thing I think everyone who reads Slipped Disc needs to realize is the meaning of the word “concerts” in American culture. When used generically like this, it very much means pop concerts in arena or festival-like settings. I’m not suggesting that the mayor would just willy-nilly allow the LA Philharmonic to go forward at Walt Disney Concert Hall – that’s obviously a large event – but the primary meaning of “concerts” is not necessarily what people here may think it is. Obviously a great deal of this story has yet to be written, but I hope this helps.

    • V.Lind says:

      What, three seats apart?

  • Simon Scott says:

    Another nutcase

  • Mustafa Kandan says:

    It would be irresponsible and highly dangerous to host public events for the rest of the year, at least in the USA and Europe. In Australia and New Zealand situation is different, as long as the borders remain closed.

    • Saxon Broken says:

      Not so. In certain parts of Europe perhaps 30 percent (or more) of the population has, or had, the virus. In such an environment, it is possible to end the lockdown since there is little chance of a huge increase in serious cases.

      Obviously, Europe will have to go step-by-step, gradually relaxing the lockdown, and seeing how things go. But the return of concerts in the late summer or autumn is entirely possible.

      Australia and New Zealand can not return to normality since so few people have been infected that ending the lockdown means thousands of people will be infected.

  • William says:

    Please post/quote the whole article. Not just snippets. The mayor said,”difficult to imagine gatherings in the thousands.”https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/04/15/politics/los-angeles-mayor-coronavirus-concerts-cnntv/index.html

  • Fred Funk says:

    Well, isn’t this the city with annual Measles outbreaks?!
    85-89% of the school aged children actually vaccinated.

  • CurlyQ111 says:

    “May not resume” and the title are entirely different statements. Nothing is set yet or cancelled in LA beyond June. Taking it as it comes:

  • Person with an opinion says:

    This is the umpteenth headline that I’ve seen that is misleading about what the mayor said or what is even said in the articles. Yes, the articles makes it clear that he says they “may not” return until 2021. But the headlines always leave out the crucial word “may”. NL is hardly the only one to do this.Even CNN did it when they posted the interview last week. And in huge font to make it stand out. Headlines are meant to be clickbait and nothing right now will get us in the industry to click faster on an article than one that implies more cancellations have happened. When I saw that headline on CNN my heart started racing from anxiety because I thought it was a definitive decree by the mayor, not just a prediction he made in an interview. Things change every day. Every. Single. Day. I truly believe there is no way we can possible know right now what will happen in the fall. There is absolutely the possibility we may not be able to return to the concert halls this fall, but let’s continue to hope for the best and not fear monger.

  • NoMoreConcertsandNoVaccine; says:

    That’s the point. “Imagine!” There’s no imagination in government. Sit home and sulk, people! There is NO guarantee of a vaccine ever! The doctors who talk about a vaccine forget to tell you that they take years and are not guaranteed. No concerts ever again unless there’s creativity.

    • Saxon Broken says:

      There will be concerts. And while it is possible there may never be a vaccine, more-likely-than-not there will be one within a few years. However, sitting and waiting for a vaccine is not a sensible strategy; we will have to start lifting the lockdown well before that.

      In any case, soon enough, there will be enough people who have been infected, and have the antibodies, that for most of us life can return to some degree of normality.

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