Auckland, New Zealand. Photo Credit: Dan Freeman
Starting next week, leading concert promoter Live Nation will bring socially-distanced concerts and stand-up comedy shows to Auckland, New Zealand.
Dubbed “Together Again,” the performances are set to kick off on Friday, May 29th, in one of Auckland’s most popular live music venues, The Tuning Fork.
Live Nation’s “return events” are the first crowd-based functions that the company has held since indefinitely pausing all upcoming concerts in mid-March. The Together Again productions will serve as something of a test, with far-reaching implications for concert fans in Australia and elsewhere.
Together Again’s planned safety measures and protocols resemble those instituted at Travis McCready’s recent socially distanced concert, which was America’s first such event.
Though The Tuning Fork boasts a 400-guest capacity, only 100 fans will be admitted to each show.
Plus, venue staff, equipped with personal protective equipment, will check ticketholders’ temperatures before they’re allowed to enter the establishment. Finally, the bar will be closed to prevent a line from forming; staff will circulate to take both food and beverage orders.
Addressing the Together Again shows, Live Nation New Zealand chairman Stuart Clumpas said: “Our staff have been working extremely hard to get the doors open again and we aim to deliver not only a great live experience but also one that adheres to all the extra health and safety precautions and measures that line up with the government advice for events at level two.”
In terms of fiscal and operational strains, Live Nation has been hit particularly hard by the novel coronavirus. Last week, we reported that the Beverly Hills-based company has been forced to furlough approximately 2,100 of its team members since April.
However, LYV’s per-share stock price has risen in recent days, due in part to the announcement of these pilot concerts. At the time of this writing, Live Nation’s shares were worth $47.16 apiece.
Medical professionals have diagnosed over 5.04 million COVID-19 cases to date, just 1,500 of which are attributable to New Zealand and its 4.89 million or so residents.