ACL Fest
SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty ImagesRequiring proof of vaccination at concerts is becoming the new normal as the touring industry returns amid another wave of the coronavirus pandemic, but in 20 states across the country there are bans on such mandates, complicating measures to safely keep live music going.
At risk of losing out on major tours in 2021 as a result, venues and promoters in Florida and Texas are now honing in on the wording of the two state's executive orders, which ban vaccine mandates but don't ban venues from requiring fans to show negative COVID-19 test results in order to gain entry to a concert. The loophole is that venue operators can accept proof of vaccination for entry in lieu of a negative COVID-19 test result. This, oddly enough, creates the same restrictions for fans in Texas and Florida that exist in nearly every other state, but gives the governors in both states the political cover they need to claim they aren't backing down.
Tom DeGeorge, owner of Crowbar in Tampa, Florida, is one of the venue owners offering artists and promoters a choice on whether to require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test for attendees. DeGeorge, who sought legal counsel alongside fellow National Independent Venue Association members to unpack the executive order, tells Billboard it was within their rights to ask for a negative test and that patrons could volunteer proof of vaccination instead. A representative from Gov. Ron DeSantis' office has confirmed the loophole's legality to Billboard.
The same loophole has been okayed in Texas, according to Texas promoter and owner of Resound Presents Graham Williams, who characterizes the loophole as "just backwards wording." Indeed, major festivals like Live Nation’s Austin City Limits Music Festival, which is set for October, have already adopted the loophole language for their safety policies.
"Lawyers and the Texas Music Office in the governor's office and all these other people have talked it over, and as far as I know, there’s sort of a general agreement that it is doable as long as there is an option," says Williams. "I felt like as long as you are offering the option, then you’re not requiring vaccinations only." However, by placing that extra hurdle for unvaccinated attendees, promoters are providing "another positive reason to get the vaccine," he adds.
Crowbar's DeGeorge says Florida venues and promoters have warned the governor's office about the ban, explaining that requiring proof of vaccination "is the direction the industry is going, and if we can’t do these things there is a good possibility we’ll lose many of our artists in the fall and winter."
Those businesses are responding to policies being implemented by the artists themselves; in August, several touring musicians began publicly calling for vaccination requirements at their 2021 shows. Harry Styles announced his Love On Tour dates would require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test when he returns to the stage in September. Dead & Company's 2021 tour requires fans to provide the same information, and only fully vaccinated attendees will be allowed in their general admission pit sections. And in late August, indie rock band Spoon moved their September show in Des Moines, Iowa, across I-80 to Omaha, Nebraska, because Iowa bans businesses from requiring proof of vaccination.
Jason Isbell has also called for the same requirements and canceled three performances for not agreeing to the terms, including shows at Brandon Amphitheater in Mississippi, the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion on the Tennessee-Virginia border and a show with Lucinda Williams at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Texas.
"From everything that I’ve heard so far, all the response I’ve gotten from people in the business has been positive because they understand we could go back to not working at all," Isbell told MSNBC on Aug. 9. "A lot of these smaller venues will not be able to reopen if they go through another round of shutdowns."
The two major concert promoters in the U.S., AEG and Live Nation, have also announced vaccine requirements and vaccine proof or proof of a negative COVID test, respectively, to attend concerts fully operated by the companies. Both companies have emphasized that their policies will be in place where permitted by law, but according to Ballotpedia, 20 states across the country have implemented some form of a ban on businesses requiring proof of vaccination (masks can be required by businesses in Florida and Texas). In March, more than 30 music venues in Austin came together to establish their own public health code-of-conduct and safety program following Gov. Greg Abbott's decision to lift the mask mandate for all of Texas.
Technology companies have made it easy for venues to discreetly check customers' health information. Crowbar has implemented the use of touchless access apps including Clear, where the venue can set its parameters for entering a show (e.g. full vaccination or a recent negative test result) and, without divulging any medical information, the app can indicate whether or not the person meets the requirements to enter.
"We were able to find ways to get around things to make sure we were in line with what a lot of other states could do," says DeGeorge. "I want the option to be able to do everything within the law to make our clients and customers happy and keep them as safe as possible."
NEWS
Placebo have kicked off their 30th anniversary tour by dusting off some tracks for the first time in over 20 years, and also playing new single ‘Helen Keller’ live for the first time.
The new dates come as the band are celebrating the 30 years since they dropped their 1996 debut album. To mark the occasion, they have announced a huge UK and European arena tour, where they have vowed to predominantly play material from their first album and their sophomore record ‘Without You I’m Nothing’.
At the opening night at Krakatoa in Mérignac, France, Brian Molko and co. delivered a stacked 19-song set, which began with ‘Pure Morning’, and immediately went into the first rendition of ‘Come Home’ in 20 years.
Another rarity came straight after, with the first live performance of ‘You Don’t Care About Us’ since 2001, as well as ‘Without You I’m Nothing’ and ‘Allergic (To Thoughts Of Mother Earth)’ which were played for the first time since 2018 and 2014 respectively.
‘Drowning by Numbers’, ‘Bruise Pristine’ and ‘My Sweet Prince’ were all introduced into the setlist for the first time since 2001, ‘Brick Shithouse’ was aired out for the first time since 2003, ‘Scared Of Girls’ was played for the first time since 2010, and both ‘Lady Of The Flowers’ and ‘36 Degrees’ were broken out for the first time in nine years.
The rest of the set was made up of ‘Teenage Angst’, ‘Bionic’, ‘I Know’ and ‘Every You Every Me’, and the band wrapped up the performance with two covers: Depeche Mode’s ‘I Feel You’, and Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)’.
It wasn’t until a later show at the Super Bock Arena in Porto, Portugal, that Placebo broke out their new song ‘Helen Keller’ for the first time – playing it 13 songs into the setlist.
Check out more footage from the tour so far below, as well as the setlist from night one.
‘Pure Morning’
‘Come Home’ (First time since 2006)
‘You Don’t Care About Us'(First Time Since 2001)
‘Teenage Angst’
‘Bionic’
‘Without You I’m Nothing” (First Time Since 2018)
‘Allergic (to Thoughts of Mother Earth)” (First Time Since 2014)
‘Drowning by Numbers” (First Time Since 2001)
’36 Degrees” (Alternate Version – First Time Since 2017)
‘I Know’
‘Brick Shithouse’ (First Time Since 2003)
‘Scared of Girls’ (First Time Since 2010)
‘Bruise Pristine” (First Time Since 2001)
‘My Sweet Prince’ (First Time Since 2001)
‘Lady of the Flowers’ (First time since 2017)
‘Nancy Boy’
‘Every You Every Me’
‘I Feel You’ (Depeche Mode cover, live debut)
‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)’ (Kate Bush cover)
Placebo dropped the single ‘Helen Keller’ on September 28, and it sees them reach back to ‘H.K. Farewell’, a hidden instrumental from the era of their self-titled 1996 debut. In the track, they retain the eerie keyboard melody from the original, and push it to new dimensions with a heavier, more anguished feeling.
The title refers to the American author, who was also a disability rights advocate and political activist, who became deafblind as a young child and went on to become an internationally renowned writer and campaigner.
As well as the tour, Placebo also celebrated the 30th anniversary of their debut by releasing a reimagined version of the record. For the LP, Molko and Stefan Olsdal returned to the original master tapes and reworked all 10 songs from the 1996 record – describing it as a “director’s cut” that helped them inject the original songs with three decades more experience.
The ongoing tour will reach the UK and Ireland in late November and early December, where they will play Nottingham, Glasgow, Dublin, Manchester, London and Cardiff. See all the dates here and find any remaining tickets here.
Dates will head to Latin America in 2027, beginning in São Paulo on February 20 and running through Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Colombia before wrapping up with shows in Guadalajara and Monterrey in March.
Placebo dropped their last album of new material in 2022, with ‘Never Let Me Go’. That record was given a four-star review by NME, which described it as “a renaissance rock record with an experimental edge”, adding that it found Placebo “inspired and ready for a new era”.
