Event venues are hoping for a return to live shows as pandemic guidelines begin to loosen up.
The Rose Music Center sat empty for more than a year as state and CDC guidelines made it difficult to host live shows. However, the CDC released new guidelines on Tuesday loosening the mask mandate for fully vaccinated people outdoors, so those at The Rose are planning a comeback that is just weeks away.
“It’s definitely giving everyone a positive indication that we’re going to see live concerts this year,” said Rosemarie Moehring, the Director of Marketing for MEMI, which manages the Rose Music Center.
>> Have tickets to a concert at The Rose Music Center? The venue has announced a new ticket refund plan
Earlier this week, The Rose Music Center announced their first new show in more than a year. REO Speedwagon is scheduled to hit the state on July 30th.
The venue also has several shows from 2020 that have been rescheduled for this year. Moehring said it’s welcoming news.
“I think everyone shares our same, we’ve missed being together. I’ve been doing this for 24 years and I promise I will never take for granted going to a live concert again,” Moehring said.
The entertainment industry is one that hasn’t had much of a chance to recover from the shut down back in March of 2020 due to restrictions that are still in place for large gatherings and mask mandates.
Moehring said, “All the people who have been out of work, we forget about the bus drivers and the caterers and guitar techs, hundreds and hundreds and thousands of people who have been out of work for the last 13 months.”
There are still questions about what these shows could look like two months from now. Moehring said Rose Music Center has installed safety precautions such as touchless bathroom fixtures and touchless concession stands. However, she said there are still restrictions such as limited capacity and social distancing that would need to be lifted.
“We are optimistic and hopeful that by the time July rolls around, those restrictions will no longer be in place because it wouldn’t make financial sense to do a concert any less than 100 percent capacity. You can’t socially distance. We think when we do get back and people do get back to the Rose Music Center, it’s going to be like it was pre-pandemic,” Moehring said.
She also said in addition to REO Speedwagon, there are more shows on the way along with those rescheduled from 2020. Tickets for REO Speedwagon go on-sale Friday.
Cox Media Group
