Concerts and covid: are venues guaranteeing the safety of concert-goers?

Talking about the necessary precautions for live music

Abigail Cavizo / Assistant Social Media Manager / The USD Vista

Since the world shut down in March 2020, many have been dreaming, praying, and hoping for a taste of normalcy. For singer-songwriters, a quarantine could be seen as a dream come true, having all the time in the world to write and perfect their practice. 

For other artists, they may have missed the rush of performing live on stage. For fans, the natural adrenaline boost of being surrounded by sweaty bodies as vibrations thrum through the air felt like a world away. 

For a lot of USD students, Pitbull, a.k.a Mr. Worldwide, was their return to normalcy in the world of music. On Sept. 19, 2021, Pitbull made an appearance at the “North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre,” in which many college students all throughout San Diego attended in order to relish in live music after a torturously long hiatus. 

From yelling “Timber” to feeling the heat of “International Love,” it felt as if Pitbull had some unknown power over the entire lawn as almost everyone screamed lyric after lyric. Through his music, everyone was reminded of the community that concerts and live music always promote.

While Pitbull put on an astonishing show, it is important to remember that COVID-19 is still prevalent. It brings into question what the concert venues, especially the ones that directly affect the San Diego community, are doing to keep their music-junkies safe. 

In comparison to the “Life is Beautiful’’ festival and the “iHeartRadio” festival, which happened the same weekend as the Pitbull concert in Chula Vista, it appears as though San Diego County isn’t doing much. 

The Pitbull concert required no form of health check-ins nor the need to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test. Both of the aforementioned festivals happened in Las Vegas, Nevada, and although it is only a neighboring state, their COVID-19 concert precautions seem much safer. 

In an email sent a week before the music festival, “iHeartRadio” concert-goers were informed that “all ticket holders must provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test (within 72 hours) to enter.” 

To do this, the event organizers partnered with “CLEAR” – an app that allows an individual to easily scan their vaccination cards or negative test results – to create an easy to access health card for the venue. 

The email included a step-by-step on how the app works, a list of events it can be used at, and how much time the process would take (less than an hour). 

“Life Is Beautiful” also sent a similar email, making the same decision to partner with “CLEAR.” Since it is a one-time entry, it was easy for participants of both events to upload their health cards and show it at both venues.

The future of concerts is mostly a “play-it-by-ear” type of function because of the pandemic. However, due to vaccines and other precautionary measures, it is still possible to enjoy concerts while being safe and cautious. 

“Ticketmaster,” an app to find and sell tickets, is a good resource to use to find out if there are certain requirements to attend an event at a specific venue. If there are, the show is flagged with a “health check” showing what is required to enter the venue and enjoy the show. 

Looking into the precautions other concerts are taking, it is interesting to see the varying requirements in just California alone. 

The Los Angeles show at the Youtube Theater for former-One Direction member, Louis Tomlinson, has a health check. Even a show as close to San Diego as El Cajon for Josh Turner, a gospel music performer, had a required health check. 

This show took place not even a week apart from Pitbull’s and was less than a 25 minute drive away; however, there doesn’t seem to be one set “COVID protocol” for live shows. Instead, the precautionary measures seem to be entirely up to the venue. 

Pitbull is only the first of many performers that USD students will have the opportunity of enjoying. If it’s anything like the lawn at Pitbull, it could practically be labeled a USD event considering how many students attended. 

While it is good to get out and appreciate live music, it is crucial to keep safety at the forefront of the mind, so that everyone in the USD community can have the “Time Of Our Lives.”