Okay. Perhaps a WP question, yes. Go with your gut. You are vaccinated.

I don't blame him, the guy can do whatever he wants. Springsteen did the same thing with his gigs in NY I think. 

Funny, I was wearing a Drive By Truckers shirt the other day and this guy says he is a huge Isbell fan. I told him i have seen the Truckers a bunch of times but I don't think Isbell was with them. They opened for the ABB in the early 2000s.

Back to concerts, I just bought my ticket to see James McMurtry next month. It's at this small place in Chicago. Saw Warren play there two nights actually. Might have seen Hot Tuna there too.

So I am obviously going out.

@lee The Covid numbers down here in the deep south have been skyrocketing.  More new cases and as many deaths as at the same time last year.  Hospital's are full.  It seemed for a few weeks that we were approaching normalcy.  I'm still playin' it safe.

@rusty 

Here in south FL, everything is surging again, mostly unvaxxed getting the Delta variant. I'm hoping it will go back down in a few weeks as most surges have. But I will probably wait another few months before I head back into indoor concert venues. There are lots of outdoor shows here in the mean time if I really want to hear some live music. TTB plays in an indoor show nearby in October and I'm on the fence about it.

I have a brother in Spain who is visiting my parents in WI for the first time in nearly 2 years next month, and I plan on being there too. Surges in Spain have been about 2 months ahead of the US and things have calmed there since their Delta spike in July. Of course, they don't have a puzzling anti-vax movement to contend with. Hoping the same happens in the next month or two, especially as a lot of states head into another Winter.

GO ISBELL.  With the variant surging I don't want to go to ANY show right now which does not require both vaccination and a mask.

@jszfunk A friend was recently on an American Airlines flight from Charlotte to JFK and two men and a woman refused to wear masks and the film Goodfellas would have sounded tame with all the F bombs and cussing. When a flight attendant was shoved real hard the flight was delayed until police could get the people kicking and screaming bloody murder off the plane! 

What is wrong with people like that? Many restaurants have "no shirt, no shoes, no service" policies and for years!!! 

Using such language in front of children is a hanging offence to me! 

And shoving a flight attendant is ASSAULT! And jail time! 

The sooner we stop the spread, the sooner we get back to normal! And normal is rather messed up in recent years. 

Eric Clapton doesn't like masks. Let the mask less go to his upcoming shows. 

As always, I never intend to mix politics with Covid or try (intend) to make Covid a political issue.  

The fact is, that we ALL have to do our part in making the virus go away.  Former President Trump believed (as many did) that the summer time heat would kill the virus off - as it often does with other flu viruses.  Sadly, he (and others) were wrong in this assumption.  We've had two Summers since the virus arrived and it has not weakened.  Instead, it persists and continues to mutate.  Another Republican, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has finally taken to calling out and even shaming obstinate citizens of her state (the one with the most infections) into doing their part in getting vaccinations.  Her goading and prodding has certainly helped - Alabama's vaccination count started to rise following her chastising.  This is all good.  The only thing politics should have in common with a pandemic is the letter P.

I haven't read any scientific theory to support this, but I think the nation - the world is suffering from what I call, "Covid Crazy".  I think the stress from isolation and the fear (sometimes bordering on phobia) of contracting the disease has made all us - some more so that others - irritable, scared ... and just downright crazy.  The childish behavior of certain airline passengers and public gatherings that RobertDee mentions are symptoms.

As RobertDee also says, public establishments have always had the option for standards of dress or behavior.  Historically, we either comply or go elsewhere.  Parents who are hell-bent on their children NOT wearing masks in the classrooms should be given the option of continuing home-schooling via computer.  This gives them an option.

While I intend on keeping my comments as non-political as possible I must say that Florida Governor Ron "DeSatan" is doing his state a huge dis-service in his obstinate stance.  Trying to take salaries from those school officials who (wisely) disagree with his stance on non-masking?  I have a million questions that I would like to put to him, but if I could only ask him one it would be, "how do you think you will be portrayed in History books in 50 - 100 years?"

All this to say that I commend Jason Isbell on his stance and attempt at curbing the virus.  He already has detractors - people demanding refunds and disavowing their fanship (don't let Covid meddle with your music tastes, either!).  To iterate my original point - I think that wishful thinking and Covid cabin fever may have fueled this uptick in new cases.  Neither wishing nor praying are going to make it go away.  It's up to us.  Don't wait for politicians to come to our rescue.

EDIT - credit RobertDee (sorry Jszfunk!)

Good for Isbell and Live Nation. I'm pretty sure in NYC you need to show proof of vax or negative test to go to a show.

I saw TTB this summer, socially distanced outdoor show, it was great. We have tix to Alanis (cancelled from last year) at Great Woods. Our seats are fairly close up front but we plan on hanging out on the lawn, hopefully by ourselves.

We elected not to get tix for TTB at the Orpheum this year (we have been every year, usually both Friday and Saturday night). It sucks, totally not happy about it, but it will be crowded etc. There will be other tours and it's not worth it to get sick. I'm vaccinated but my wife has some immune issues and as much as I love music and going to shows it's just not worth it. 

Posted by: @robertdee

@jszfunk A friend was recently on an American Airlines flight from Charlotte to JFK and two men and a woman refused to wear masks and the film Goodfellas would have sounded tame with all the F bombs and cussing. When a flight attendant was shoved real hard the flight was delayed until police could get the people kicking and screaming bloody murder off the plane! 

What is wrong with people like that? Many restaurants have "no shirt, no shoes, no service" policies and for years!!! 

Using such language in front of children is a hanging offence to me! 

And shoving a flight attendant is ASSAULT! And jail time! 

The sooner we stop the spread, the sooner we get back to normal! And normal is rather messed up in recent years. 

Eric Clapton doesn't like masks. Let the mask less go to his upcoming shows. 

Thats awful, but does not surprise me. People are nuts! Gonna stay away from the politics.

I work in the medical field and I have noticed an uptick on the Covid cases over the last month coming through our ER. Whether its the assumed variant or not,its definitely rising.

https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/dead-company-will-require-vaccination-negative-test-on-upcoming-tour/

DEAD & COMPANY Will Require Vaccination, Negative Test On Upcoming Tour

DEAD & COMPANY — Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, John Mayer and Bob Weir, with Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti — has joined a growing list of acts that will require full vaccination or proof of a negative COVID test to attend their upcoming tour dates.

"Requiring vaccinations & testing is one of the best ways to protect the health and safety of our band, crew, and fans," a press release states. "There are no exceptions to these policies."

Ticket holders must provide proof of full vaccination or negative COVID-19 diagnostic test within 48 hours prior to entry, except where prohibited by law.

Fans who have already purchased GA Pit tickets will all be required to show proof of their completed COVID-19 vaccination to receive a wristband to access the GA Pit area. If a GA Pit ticket holder does not have proper documentation, they will be relocated to an alternate "non-pit" seating area. Negative testing is not an available option for pit entry.

Children under the age of 12 may attend the concert if they provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 48 hours of the show. No Pit access for children under 12 or anyone without proof of vaccination.

DEAD & COMPANY's tour will kick off August 16 in Raleigh, North Carolina, and run through Halloween, with a three-night stand at the iconic Hollywood Bowl on October 29, October 30 and 31. The 31-date tour also includes a night in New York at Citi Field (August 20), two nights in Boston (September 2 and September 3), two nights at Wrigley Field in Chicago (September 17 and September 18), and two nights in Denver (October 22 and October 23), among others.

DEAD & COMPANY was formed in 2015 when the GRATEFUL DEAD's Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann and Bob Weir joined forces with artist and musician John Mayer, ALLMAN BROTHERS' bassist Oteil Burbridge, and FARE THEE WELL and RATDOG keyboardist Jeff Chimenti. The result was one of the most successful touring bands of the decade. Since its formation, the band has completed six tours, playing to 3.4 million fans, and has become a record-breaking stadium act. Having toured consistently since its 2015 debut, the band has grossed $255.5 million and sold 2.8 million tickets across 149 reported shows.

DEAD & COMPANY has headlined iconic stadiums across the country including Folsom Field, Autzen Stadium, Citi Field, Fenway Park and Dodger Stadium. Additionally, the band broke Wrigley Field's all-time concert attendance record.

In between tours, DEAD & COMPANY hosts its annual "Playing In The Sand" all-inclusive Caribbean concert vacation in Mexico and features three nights of DEAD & COMPANY playing on an intimate beach. Due to overwhelming fan demand, a second weekend was added to 2022's Playing in the Sand. Both weekends have sold out.

@jszfunk

I'm glad that so many bands and artists are at least asking folks to mask or vax.  I know it's their lifeblood - playing music is their job and profession.  They've got bills like everyone else.  Sports franchises and musical acts especially should understand the risks involved in bringing thousands of people together.  I hope that this is enough.  I hope that they are sincere in their gesture (which is really all it is) and not just creating a caveat to absolve them from lawsuits or guilt should attendees contract the virus.

God, I wish ... PRAY, even - that this thing goes away very soon.

Posted by: @robertdee

 

The sooner we stop the spread, the sooner we get back to normal! And normal is rather messed up in recent years. 

 

I hate to bear bad news but this is now 'normal'.  It's just whether we will have personal liberty to access our own levels of acceptable risk.  Covid is NEVER going away.  Ever heard the saying about "finding the cure to the common cold"?  C-19 is now the common cold along with yearly colds and flu.  

My personal disappointment is only tempered by the fact to quote DA "I've had my fun..." and seen about every live act that I wished, and there not many live artists I'm interested in seeing anymore.  Jason is great, but I'll pass. Take care all  

@buckeye 

Not exactly. COVID can absolutely go away over time, just as other pandemics burned out. People have already been going back to concerts and sporting events thanks in large part to vaccines. The sooner people get immunized (or stay home, if they choose not to), the sooner it's in our rear view mirror. Remember, you have the "liberty" to leave your house without a shirt on, that doesn't mean 711 has to let you in. Choices have consequences. But concerts and festivals shall return.

@porkchopbob 

Appreciate your civil reply bob, although we disagree.  As is often the case, people often desire the same outcome but have different ideas on how to get there.    

If you wish to see how the pandemic will likely proceed in the US, you can read about the Israel's current issues despite a near 70% vaccination rate.  Be well

@buckeye Hey, we're just all trying to get out of this, right? But none of us can see the future for certain.

Actually, Israel is evidence that the vaccines are working. Cases in Israel are up at the moment (which relied primarily on the Pfizer vaccine), however, symptoms and hospitalizations are down. So even though case numbers might be increasing, the dangers are less. The vaccines don't prevent transmission, rather it mitigates the symptoms. The vaccines are effective, even against the Delta variant, which is what is surging there (boosters are being rolled out for the elderly and infirm). Here's a good article that whittles away at anti-vaxxers using Israel as evidence: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/07/19/vaccine-skeptics-zero-israel-again-some-reason/

Israel is averaging about 120 weekly hospital admissions, which is down from a peak of nearly 2,000 in January. So while cases are less than one-tenth of what they were then, hospitalizations are about one-sixteenth. And admissions to the intensive care unit are about one-twentieth, according to data collected by the University of Oxford.

The “percent of cases that turn critically ill is now 1.6%, compared to 4% at a similar stage in the 3rd wave when there were no vaccines,” tweeted Eran Segal, a computational biologist at the Weizmann Institute of Science and government adviser.

The same thing happened in Spain in July and cases have since trended downward there. Every region is going to have waves at different times due to time of exposure and response. COVID isn't just going to disappear suddenly, but over time it can be controlled like plagues that have come and gone. Even though we can't see the future, we can look to the past for hope (and to science for help).

Posted by: @porkchopbob

 But none of us can see the future for certain.

 

Amen! Nobody knows. All the numbers/stats can be flashed around for however you look at it, but reality will map this out and we just have to wait and see.

Working the ER this morning, good number of people coming in with symptoms that are being tested. Like I mentioned earlier, I have personally seen a trend upward in positive cases in the last month. Our hospital is full of people. Alot are. You have your non covid patients,and then if you add them on top. It can book up pretty quick. I know around her in some cases and out West in some rural areas they have been moving patients across state lines and then some to find a bed.

https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/mammoth-wvh-cancels-tour-dates-with-guns-n-roses-after-member-of-touring-personnel-tests-positive-for-covid-19/

MAMMOTH WVH Cancels Tour Dates With GUNS N' ROSES After 'Member Of Touring Personnel' Tests Positive For COVID-19

MAMMOTH WVH has canceled two shows as the opening act for GUNS N' ROSES after a member of the Wolfgang Van Halen-fronted band's "touring personnel" tested positive for COVID-19.

Wolfgang shared the news of the cancelation in a statement on his social media earlier tonight. He wrote: "MAMMOTH WVH will not be performing tonight in Missoula, MT or Monday night in Commerce City, CO out of an abundance of caution due to a member of our touring personnel testing positive for COVID-19. All band members and other crew have tested negative at this time. We apologize to those fans we won't be seeing over the next couple of shows. Thanks to everyone for their support and we can't wait to be back when it is 100% safe for everyone to do so."

During its current U.S. tour, which kicked off in late July, MAMMOTH WVH is playing a mixture of stadium shows with GUNS N' ROSES and headlining club gigs.

In a recent interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, Wolfgang spoke about what it was like to tour the U.S. during the pandemic.

"I'm a super-germaphobic sort of guy," he said. "We've got a whole bubble of people on here. We're all being safe, we're all being tested. We're all vaccinated. We're all wearing our masks every opportunity we can. We're just kind of staying in the bubble and being as safe as possible.

"I'm a singer and I don't want a respiratory illness," he explained. "I don't care if it doesn't kill you or if it's not that bad. I just don't want a respiratory illness, because it will ruin my job."

MAMMOTH WVH's tour as the support act for GUNS N' ROSES is scheduled to conclude in early October with a two-night run at the Hard Rock Live Arena in Hollywood, Florida.

MAMMOTH WVH's touring lineup features Wolfgang on guitar and lead vocals, Frank Sidoris (SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS) on guitar, Jon Jourdan on guitar and vocals, Garrett Whitlock (TREMONTI) on drums, and Ronnie Ficarro on bass.

MAMMOTH WVH's self-titled debut album was released on June 11 via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records.

Of course there is the possibility that Covid will be around for ever.  There are probably still very slight traces and pockets of Polio and the actual Plague in the world, but you'd have to seek pretty damned hard to find them.  To make a statement like this ("new normal" - "not going away") is nothing more than surrendering a fight that you'd have a damned good (really, really damned good) shot at winning by a million points - IF - and only IF you're willing to accept YOUR role in fighting.  This is a very smug and complacent attitude towards a disease that can only be defeated by people.  If you simply will not (or cannot - for whatever real reason) vaccinate, mask or even just isolate yourself from society (get yourself a lot of books, CDs, etc.  maybe one of those Roku boxes so you can watch endless television) - then accept that YOU are a MAJOR part of the larger problem.

Lastly - and I've said this a zillion times - DO NOT look to POLITICIANS (Governors) to save you from Covid!  Most really only care about their own ego and agendas.  You don't need to look any further than the states of Georgia, Louisiana and (especially) Florida to figure this out.

Posted by: @jszfunk

Posted by: @porkchopbob

 But none of us can see the future for certain.

 

Amen! Nobody knows. All the numbers/stats can be flashed around for however you look at it, but reality will map this out and we just have to wait and see.

Working the ER this morning, good number of people coming in with symptoms that are being tested. Like I mentioned earlier, I have personally seen a trend upward in positive cases in the last month. Our hospital is full of people. Alot are. You have your non covid patients,and then if you add them on top. It can book up pretty quick. I know around her in some cases and out West in some rural areas they have been moving patients across state lines and then some to find a bed.

Numbers are on the increase.  From a family member, I can confirm that that roughly 50% of positive tests at their facility is in vaccinated people.

Posted by: @rusty

Of course there is the possibility that Covid will be around for ever.  There are probably still very slight traces and pockets of Polio and the actual Plague in the world, but you'd have to seek pretty damned hard to find them.  To make a statement like this ("new normal" - "not going away") is nothing more than surrendering a fight that you'd have a damned good (really, really damned good) shot at winning by a million points - IF - and only IF you're willing to accept YOUR role in fighting.  This is a very smug and complacent attitude towards a disease that can only be defeated by people.  If you simply will not (or cannot - for whatever real reason) vaccinate, mask or even just isolate yourself from society (get yourself a lot of books, CDs, etc.  maybe one of those Roku boxes so you can watch endless television) - then accept that YOU are a MAJOR part of the larger problem.

Lastly - and I've said this a zillion times - DO NOT look to POLITICIANS (Governors) to save you from Covid!  Most really only care about their own ego and agendas.  You don't need to look any further than the states of Georgia, Louisiana and (especially) Florida to figure this out.

I agree with you Rusty on your second point, but please don't confuse this virus with polio or smallpox. This is a 'different animal'.  I appreciate your positive outlook but you are simply ignorant on the nature of viruses.  This is a virus that will mutate and be with us FOREVER.  Same reason we have season flu/colds despite vaccines; the common cold IS a corona virus.  The viruses change but eventually become less deadly as the population gains natural immunity through exposure and will only be a major concern for the elder or immunocompromised...just like the flu.  

Take care and enjoy the show if you go.

@buckeye Viruses need hosts to perpetuate.  Human hosts.  Minimizing socializing, vaccinating, masking - all techniques that can deny any virus the opportunity to replicate.  18 months ago (+/-) there were but a small handful of Covid/Corona Virus cases in the United States.  Thanks to the "leadership" we did very little to stop the spread.  We had a two-week "shutdown" that drew little but selfish bitching from most.  Imagine if we'd made this a four-week shutdown?  Then, the press cut way back on reporting and keeping us informed.  Instead, they started touting that viable vaccinations were available.  In no time at all sports franchises, rock bands, and other businesses flung their doors open hoping to make up for lost time and money.  This was the epitome of wishful thinking.  Instead of making great strides with vaccinations - we've taken giant leaps backwards.  Where I live (Glynn County, GA) our local governments will actually shut down beginning on Monday.  We had been making meaningful progress.  There are just too many individuals who seem to expect for others to do the work and who are not willing to take any self-responsibility.  Until this becomes EVERYBODY's problem - we are f**ked.  

Sorry for being so emphatic.  NOT!  

@rusty 

Okay Rusty.  Sorry to upset you.  Take care

Posted by: @buckeye

Numbers are on the increase.  From a family member, I can confirm that that roughly 50% of positive tests at their facility is in vaccinated people.

That stat only tells half the story, it's actually a good sign. As I mentioned, a positive test doesn't mean the person is suffering symptoms. Lots of ball players have tested positive and get quarantined, not because they are ill but so they don't continue to spread the virus. My parents were chatting with an 80 year-old man who tested positive days later, however, he was vaccinated and suffered only minor symptoms (my parents are vaccinated and tested negative).

So if more vaccinated people are testing positive it indicates vaccines are working and more people are getting vaccinated. The people who are suffering symptoms in ICUs are increasingly un-vaccinated.

Again, we don't know for certain what COVID will look like down the road. SARS was a corona virus too and it hasn't caused any concerts to get canceled recently.

We all would like to go back to 2019 - full concerts, restaurants, etc, but, like the song says, that was then, this is now.

The mechanism of the vaccine is to prevent serious illness and death. It's doing that. The ICU in Texas, FLA, etc are filled with unvaccinated people who are sick. In our hospital in NH, we are seeing Covid come back - young unvaccinated people. We have a couple in their early 30s, the guy is on high flow O2, the mother was 30 weeks pregnant, they had to do an emergency C section on her to save the kid. Before the vaccine we had a number of otherwise young healthy people get sick, some died. What the stats don't show is proportion of people left with permanent disability from lung scarring or other organ damage, and I have seen that too in otherwise healthy people. 

The vaccinated people who are getting infection by and large aren't getting sick. The death rate in vaccinated people is < 0.001%.

If I get Covid and have a mild illness, I can live with that. If we wait for natural herd immunity to take over, like suggested above, thousands more people will die who don't need to, many of them young. 

I'm glad Isbell, Dead and Co, etc are taking a stand. I hope more do. 

No shirt, no shoes, no service. You can't smoke indoors. You have to be > 21 to buy liquor. You need a license to drive a car. Now, you have to prove you are not infected to go to a concert. Public health. It's your right not to go to a show if you don't want to comply.

I've been to a baseball game this summer, two concerts, been to Florida and been on 3 airplanes since June.  I am vaccinated, didn't have to show a vaccination card for any of that - which is the way I think it should be.  Last week I had a sore throat for a few days and felt like a cold, I'm better now.  My wife is also vaccinated and immune compromised, she felt like crap for about a week.  She is mostly better now, still lingering cold symptoms, but she always has things linger when she gets stuff.  Was it break-through covid?  Don't know. 

I don't support segregation of different types of people and don't support showing my vaccination card to gain entry to places, which I have not had to do and would not want to do if I had to.  There will be unvaccinated and there will be vaccinated.  There will be covid.  These are things that aren't going to change no matter how much we want them to. 

I was Jeeping in Colorado today and found a mountain biker who had blown two inner tubes and was walking with his bike, and would've been walking for hours and hours, in the middle of nowhere Gunnison County.  I gave him a ride.  My bad, I should've asked if he was vaccinated.

Not talking segregation, we’re talking about large numbers of people crowded indoors

do what you want in tour own house, car whatever. Go to a full capacity event or not. 
efforts to keep people safe should be encouraged 

Something we've known for quite a while:  A vaccinated person -even though showing no signs of symptoms -CAN carry the virus - especially to those who HAVE NOT been vaccinated.  This could (and currently certainly does) include young children - many, "too young" to receive the vaccination.  Those now filling up my local hospital include the largest numbers of teenagers and children to date.  

Occasionally, I post about a life-long friend of mine who refuses to vaccinate.  His refusal is based purely and strictly upon his personal politics.  He'd rather freakin' die from Covid than to see Joe Biden receive any credit whatsoever on achieving a satisfactory number on Covid vaccinations.  He ignores the fact that all of his Republican heroes - as well as most Democrat politicians pretty much knocked women and children out of their ways en route to the vaccination life boats.  Same guy tries to bait me into an argument for shaming him - recently by calling to tell me that he attended a family reunion complete with very young children that he picked up and hugged and loved on.  I'm done lecturing him - and I'm about to stop doing so on this site.

Some like to remind me that I am vaccinated.  I acknowledge this.  I try to point out that I am interested in more than my own personal health concerns.  That I (like them) would like to see us get back to normal socialization -preferably while I'm still young enough to enjoy it.  I'm really only trying to be a team player.

I also remind folks like my friend that this current variant is mainly hitting the unvaccinated - which includes large numbers of people with similar politics as his (hard core GOP voters).  I suggest that if he and his ilk want to unseat the current administration they'll need to be alive to vote in the next election.

If you are unvaccinated and intend on remaining so, you really should keep in mind that when you enter an event with thousands of others that you just might be bringing virus into that group - or taking it away with you.  You are a WILLING spreader of Covid.  To paraphrase comedian Denis Leary, "masks and vaccinations are for sissies!  It takes a real man to face intubation!"

Yeah, I'm done here.

Peace.

"R"

@nebish

Trying to keep your employees and musicians safe and healthy so they can continue to keep working isn't comparable to lending a hand to a lone person in distress.