New York City’s Madison Square Garden held a sold-out Foo Fighters concert over the weekend, marking the venue’s first full-capacity show since March of 2020. Live events have slowly been making a comeback over the past couple weeks as Covid restrictions are loosened across the country, and 20,000 fans packed into an indoor arena without social distancing – and very few masks – is certainly an indication that normalcy is starting to return to the industry.
“The Garden is ready to rock. We’ve been waiting for this moment for 15 months and are excited to finally welcome a packed house of roaring, fully-vaccinated Foo Fighters fans to Madison Square Garden,” James Dolan, Executive Chairman and CEO of MSG Entertainment, said in a statement prior to the performance.
The MSG show required proof of vaccination for entry, which is likely to become a common regulation for live events, although the logistics of enforcing such a policy may still need to be worked out for large-scale events. Diligently checking vaccination cards – and taking the extra step of matching them to IDs – takes time and slows down entry to the venue. It also seems to somewhat defeat the purpose of digital ticketing and cashless payment options, which are designed to speed up traffic flow and limit staff interactions throughout the venue.
Realistically, there will be more and more shows moving forward that include unvaccinated fans, but it remains to be seen exactly how that will be handled or what people’s comfort levels will be. For example, some events are relying solely on an honor system when it comes to vaccinations and negative tests. Future procedures will also depend on local guidelines and regulations, which are rapidly changing.
What is abundantly clear, however, is that fans are itching to return to in-person experiences, and the live entertainment industry is about to be busier than ever. The next live show at MSG will be an Eagles concert, currently slated for August. Meanwhile, the Foo Fighters will be playing several more shows throughout the country on their “25th - 26th Anniversary Tour” this summer.