4 minute read
The Show Must Go On
California sees its popular venues reopening since the COVID-19 closures.
by Roger Flanders
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JOEY ABE
Summer is around the corner and the 21st century roaring ‘20s are not working out as everyone hoped.
With COVID-19 forcing everyone to quarantine at home last year, it was not an ideal time for artists, musicians and performers. Concert venues, cinemas and theaters took a dramatic halt because of safety regulations and restrictions.
Thankfully, after a year-long “15 days to flatten the curve” promise, there finally seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel.
As of April 15, California is allowing indoor concerts, theater performances and other private gatherings just in time for summer. Though venues will be returning with new capacity limitations, masking and social distanced requirements, this is a step closer to normalcy.
President Joe Biden announced that vaccines are now available for every American 16 years and older as of April 19. This makes way for a quicker return to normalcy as bands, musicians and artists yearn to make a comeback.
In a Rolling Stone article, Governor Gavin Newsom is quoted, “We can now begin planning for our lives post-pandemic. We will need to remain vigilant, and continue the practices that got us here — wearing masks and getting vaccinated.”
Dates in the summertime have already been set for massive performers such as Justin Bieber at the Staples Center, Backstreet Boys at the Hollywood Bowl and Harry Styles at The Forum.
In an interview by the Los Angeles Times with Philharmonic President and Chief Executive Chad Smith, he declared his excitement to welcome crowds again. “This is the moment we’ve been waiting for… The Bowl is back,” said Smith.
On their website, The Bowl announced that they have been working with the Los Angeles Department of Health and Kaiser Permanente to welcome back guests safely.
Their reopening plan consists of implementing new safety protocols such as contactless ticketing, distance procedures, and cleaning and sanitization schedules. They have made it clear that they will be reviewing and following the up to date public health guidance to ensure a safe return and avoid outbreaks.
California has provided a reopening map allowing citizens to better understand how strict a county must be towards COVID-19 restrictions.
As noted in a K-Television Los Angeles article, colored tiers indicate whether venues must require documented proof of vaccination or negative tests.
The San Diego Padres stadium, Petco Park, requires either a 72 hour negative COVID-19 test or documentation dating 14 days after the second dose of a vaccine.
So far, it seems that all five California Major League Baseball stadiums in Oakland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Anaheim and San Diego have taken precautions.
The current success of the MLB provides a glimpse of hope for the return of indoor concerts, theaters and other locations.
Requiring proof of vaccination or negative testing has not deterred baseball fans from the excitement of live sports returning, and surely more music and art venues will be next to follow in reopening.
The arrival of this positive news also came with a sad announcement. Los Angeles’ iconic Pacific’s Cinerama Dome on Sunset Boulevard will not reopen. The theater, which was declared a historic monument in 1998, suffered tremendously because of the lockdowns and could not recover.
Premiering with the film, “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” for its grand opening in 1963, the landmark has been at the center of Hollywood. The location’s most recent appearance was in Quentin Tarantino’s 1960s set film, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”
In a CNBC piece about the theater’s closure, they quoted Eric Schiffer, chairman of Reputation Management Consultants, “It’s not the end of the ArcLight… I think you’ll see someone step up for these assets.”
The future for the Cinerama Dome is uncertain, but this closure shows the severity that the lockdowns have had on all of us. Though we all hope for reopenings and new beginnings, it is tough to shut the door and leave behind such an influential piece of history.
The welcoming back of concerts and venues is an exciting time. With accessibility for vaccines growing each day, normal life does not seem so far away.
After an entire year of lockdowns, restrictions and shutdowns, it is nice to see that some freedoms will come back into the our lives. As long as our leaders continue to follow the science and dictate down demands to the people, we can move forward back to normality.
Shows and events can be an escape from the harsh reality of today and can allow for a more positive outlook on the future.
Of course, it will be a long time until we are free from safety protocols, but it is promising to see that resources are coming faster than the health experts’ and leaders expected timelines.
