One Year, And 150 Years, Later: Taking History’s Short And Long Views

Patrick Pleul / Zentralbild / ZB – One Year Later

On March 12, 2020, one year ago, in an effort to control the spread of the novel coronavirus, the live industry effectively shut down after a coalition of major agencies and promoters announced they were suspending all shows.

On the exact same day, not insignificantly, a group of independent venue owners met to chart a course of action in the face of great adversity.

“I went to bed on March 12 with about 40 shows that weekend and when I woke up they were all gone,” James “Disco Donnie” Estopinal, Jr., Founder/CEO of Disco Donnie Presents told Pollstar as a part of this issue’s special survey (see Industry Survey).

Lance “K.C.” Jackson of Roadies of Color recalls of that period, “[I remember] the realization that I too would be impacted sooner than later, but having no real sense at that time how profound that impact would be.”

Yes, there has been innovation, and yes, people have shown incredible resilience during these trying times, but the damage wrought has been nothing short of catastrophic.

The loss of life must be the first note in any retrospective on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19. According to the WHO, nearly 2.6 million people have died of COVID-19 around the world as of March 12, 2021. According to the CDC 524,695 had died of COVID-19 in the U.S. as of March 9, and more than 28,937,762 had contracted the disease in total.

Those in this industry who tragically passed from COVID, include too many: John Prine, Toots Hibbert, Adam Schlesinger, Charley Pride, Manu Dibango, Joe Diffie, Phil Spector, Tommy DeVito, Bruce Williamson, Trini Lopez, Chris Trousdale, Troy Sneed, Fred The Godson, Ellis Marsalis Jr., Lee Konitz, Matthew Seligman, Wallace Roney, John “Bucky” Pizzarelli, Alan Merrill, and Hal Willner, sadly among others.

In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought unparalleled economic damage. Large and small companies were forced to implement cost-reductions that included layoffs, furloughs and pay reductions. Some businesses shuttered and some have left the business entirely, perhaps never to return.

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Global Boxoffice reports to Pollstar in 2020 totaled roughly less than one quarter of the grosses and ticket sales of 2019. The total amount grossed tumbled 77% percent from $7.4 billion in 2019 to $1.7 billion in 2020, almost all of which was reported in Q1, before the pandemic. To look more at how dramatic the dropoff in Boxoffice was, see the Boxoffice Insider.

In addition to the economic struggles brought on by the pandemic, an incredible toll was taken on peoples’ mental health. MusiCares conducted a “Wellness in Music” survey during the pandemic and unveiled the results on Feb. 11. Among its findings were that 51% of respondents had low to very low levels of confidence they could afford basic living expenses during the shutdown and 62% said they experienced moderately high to very high levels of financial stress on a daily basis. On top of this, 26% of respondents reported experiencing moderate to severe depression.

The pandemic has seen the emergence of many heroes (and villains) but few have done more to advocate for those in dire need than Michael Strickland, Founder/CEO of Bandit Lites. When asked what are the larger lessons he would take away from this year in our survey of the live industry, his answer was: “Your perception is your reality. In my thousands of conversations I hear from people with eternal hope and those in sheer desperation, and everything in between. A lack of work deprives us not only of money, but also of purpose. When we as people lose our sense of purpose, the daily journey becomes more difficult. Keeping people in the best possible frame of mind became job one for me.

“We all now realize that as a unified industry, we need an organization, a lobby and a PAC to represent us in the future. That is something we must start on this year. We must be unified as one, not as separate segments working against one another.”

Indeed, on March 12, the same day so many tours were suspended, a town hall meeting took place among 75 independent venues and promoters, loosely affiliated through Independent Venue Week, which would be the genesis of the National Independent Venue Association (see interview with Rev. Moose of NIVA and Marauder).

Organizations like NIVA and NITO in December gathered bipartisan support for the historical $15 billion Save Our Stages Act, the largest arts grant ever issued by the federal government.

And the industry has risen to support members of its community in manifold ways. Live Nation’s Crew Nation, which had already raised $15 million in relief for 15,000 crew members by August; MusiCares, which has distributed more than $22 million to more than 25,000 industry workers or Maria Brunner, who has successfully pivoted her Musically Fed initiative from a way to distribute leftover catering to partnering with organizations around the country to distribute food to those in the industry most in need.

– Royal Albert Hall

Interestingly, a large section of this double issue is dedicated to the 150th celebration of the Royal Albert Hall, with chronicles this majestic building’s enduring importance. The Royal Albert has seen two world wars, economic ups and downs, too many technologies — radio, television, the internet – to count that were to “replace it,” as well as the global pandemic of 1918. Instead, it stands as a beacon of communal celebration hosting everyone from Wagner, the Beatles and Cream to Mariah Carey, Public Enemy, and Nelson Mandela. Not only is it a still standing as a monument to so much history and culture, but it is sure to fulfill that roel in the decades, and hopefully centuries, to come.

With so many false-starts and let downs after spurts of optimism in the past year, everyone is looking to 2021 with guarded optimism. The emergency authorization of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in late February has provided a beacon of hope, as the pharmaceutical giant is promising 20 million doses of the vaccine in March and 100 million in the first half of 2021. Venues across the country are already stepping up to become distribution centers for the vaccine.

As populations get vaccinated COVID numbers seem to be decreasing across the board, and many in the live industry are optimistic that outdoor shows will be back in the summer and indoor shows in the fall as capacity restrictions and COVID protocols are becoming standardized.

Smaller tours are launching, bigger ones are set for Fall along with festivals and global travel. And there’s one thing we know for sure: When shows do come back, there will be millions ready to soak up the sounds and sights of live concerts once more.

In the words of Trey Wilson, manager for Blackberry Smoke: “For the artists and fans, it will truly be special to see those lights, and hear the crowds roar, and witness those connections happen again on big stages.”

That’s how it’s been for at least the last 150 years, and that’s how it will be for the next.