“Covid-19 will not ruin the summer, because we are vaccinated”, said the president of the scientific council, Jean-François Delfraissy, Thursday, June 30 on RTL. Professionals of the show will, undoubtedly, not of this opinion. While the hundred and twenty thousand new daily cases of Covid-19 mark the arrival of a seventh wave, for the past few days, concert halls and theaters have canceled or postponed some of their programming. Such measures had not taken place since January.
The heady notes of Satisfaction did not rock the Johan Cruyff Arena, in Amsterdam, Monday, June 13. The Rolling Stones, then on a European tour for their sixty-year career, had to cancel the concert after 78-year-old Mick Jagger tested positive. In a video posted to Twitter, the singer apologized to his fans and promised to arrange a date “as soon as possible”. The group could not occur either, in Bern in Switzerland, this time without postponement of date.
The concern rises
It was then the turn of the heavy metal band Metallica to announce the cancellation of its concert at the Out In The Green festival, Wednesday June 29, in Frauenfeld in Switzerland, after one of its members tested positive. “We intended to reschedule a show in Switzerland as soon as possible, but (…) it became clear that nothing will be possible for the rest of the year or for next year”, said the Californian formation on social networks. Ditto for the British Wet Leg, which were to occur, Thursday, June 30, at the Eurockéennes de Belfort, finally canceled for two days due to bad weather.
Concern is rising in the industry. “Several factors have led to successive cancellations at festivals this summer: logistical problems, weather conditions and artists who tested positivenotes Olivier Darbois, president of Prodiss, the national union for musical and variety shows. The problem is that it is practically impossible to postpone performances by artists in festivals which are organized over only three days. The restart of the sector promises to be very complicated. » As for concerts, the union estimates that 80% of shows canceled in 2021-2022 are postponed to 2023. “The season itself being busy, this can create many traffic jams”believes Olivier Darbois.
Theaters not spared
You have 43.93% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.