After a parenthesis of months after concluding a European tour, the beloved English rock band The Libertines is again preparing a live concert, but the environment could not be more different. With gang members kidnapped in different countries since the pandemic began, the first time the Libertines will meet again in person they will be on stage in England for their first socially estranged concert.
“Lack of human connection has been difficult, and we wanted to be at the forefront of finding ways to safely turn around to allow people to do what they love,” says Libertines co-leader Carl Barât. “But the method is fucking weird, man; is to reveal how things are now. The fact that we are in a place where people have to sit in their own bubbles to go to shows is mental. Like everyone, at first we didn’t understand how it could work, but if this is the first thing we can do legally, yes, sign us up. ”
Since the pandemic occurred, artists, concert promoters, and venue owners have been experimenting to find a potentially viable substitute for discarded concerts. His efforts have yielded several innovative ideas with different levels of success, although the traditional experience and his finances have been lost. Artists have fled en masse to live virtual broadcasts, and while they can be said to have carved out a niche for themselves in the business long after the pandemic, they’re not a replacement for an in-person show. Promoters and venues of all sizes have embraced self-service shows, which have become increasingly common and made some money, but have not proven to be as profitable as a typical live event.
And now the last experiment: the “first place dedicated to music socially distanced from the world”. Regional promoter SSD Concerts and Newcastle, England Virgin Money Unity Arena revealed its first group of artists last week, announcing shows that begin in August and include bands like The Libertines, Two Door Cinema Club, and Supergrass.
Conceptually, the experience is no different from Live Nation’s recent series of live concerts, which finds fans parking their cars in front of the stage, with their own socially spaced pod spaces for lounging. But UK show goers will park farther away and walk in socially distant queues to their own separate viewing platforms. The “arena”, formally a racecourse, can house 20,000 people, but the place will allow a maximum of 2,500 people to meet safety standards.
“We tried to look for the car option, and we all collectively thought that you just couldn’t get the same atmosphere if there was one car between each group,” says Steve Davis, director of SSD Concerts. “But if the car is not there, suddenly you get more of a concert atmosphere. We tried to get as close to the old concert experience as we knew it. We had to go through many obstacles with the local council, but we made it work. So we were aware of taking the car off the stage and trying to make this new type of music venue that is still COVID friendly. ”
Pete Doherty of the Libertines performing at O2 Academy Brixton in London on December 19, 2019.
Matthew Baker / Getty Images
SSD has been planning the shows since April and seems to have taken into account most of the steps necessary to carry out this type of concert safely. Along with the segmented entrance to the venue, fans can receive pre-ordered food and alcohol to collect upon entering, to avoid lines; port holes at end of deck rows will be cleaned after each use; and attendees will receive lanyards with their specific platform numbers on them to mark their places.
Organizers keep track of how many tickets have been designated for each platform to keep attendees within their own groups, and while Davis acknowledges that it’s difficult to completely prevent people from visiting other platforms, those at risk of being kicked out Of the place. And to limit the number of workers on stage to move the team, only main acts with full bands will be featured, while opening acts will play solo acoustic ensembles. (Individual gang members have their own separate changing rooms.)
Live Nation UK recently canceled its Live From the Drive-In UK live shows due to spikes in cases that have led to localized closings. “The Live From the Drive-In concert series will no longer continue as planned this summer,” the company said in a statement. “We get a lot of support from artists, the live music production contractors, our main sponsor, Utilita, and, of course, you fans. However the The latest developments regarding localized blocks means that it has been impossible for us to continue the series with confidence. ”
When asked about the cancellation of Live Nation, Davis said in an email that SSD “will go ahead with our event.” We are excited to welcome people to the venue. We think this is a different offer than Live Nation shows. “
Dave Bianchi, who manages Libertines and Supergrass, says the SSD proposal stood out among other options both for the planning behind the event and for its unique individual platform setup. His bands won’t make as much money, Davis says artists get up to 25 percent less than their usual starting price, but they will still benefit, and his focus is on the quality of the shows.
“During the closing time, we were presented with several different ideas and solutions, and some were rubbish, some were fine, some were well thought out,” says Bianchi. “In the case of the concerts we are doing in Newcastle, they look very well organized and well thought out. As long as people really make money, money is less of a problem than whether these shows will be good or not. I don’t know because we haven’t seen it yet. I really liked the idea of having separate small stages, but it could still be that the atmosphere is quite strange for both the audience and the artist. But this particular proposal is the best I have ever seen. ”
It remains to be seen if the concept will pay off for the organizers. Davis says he expects the company to make a profit from the concerts, but added that it could take 45 nights to earn what the company can usually do in a week, and that’s with some promoter-friendly deals. Along with the strong talent discount, SSD has also gotten some discounts for other concert expenses like potties and lighting equipment.
“We think it could be profitable, which is obviously one of the main instigators of why we are doing it,” says Davis. “But in terms of the project lens, the scale is really good; It doesn’t cost much more than a three-day festival would cost. It is not over budget compared to a festival. Because it lasts up to 45 nights, we have many opportunities to earn money from it. It is four times the work of normal: the benefit is there, we will only have to work harder to achieve it ”. Still, it’s some revenue in a challenging period, and Davis says the company is poised to expand to more shows this winter, assuming other live shows aren’t available yet.
Two Door Cinema Club singer Alex Trimble performs at the Columbiahalle in Berlin on January 17, 2020.
Frank Hoensch / Redferns
Two Door Cinema Club’s Kevin Baird says it took a bit of research before the band felt comfortable jumping for the show. They needed to make sure that they and their fans were safe, and that the show was substantial enough to feel similar to a more typical concert. “Initially, we had some reservations; The last thing you want to do is give a concert, and the fan experience is so far from being enjoyable that it’s a trick, ”says Baird. “It was important that it be a suitable stage [and] appropriate assigned system where there are people sitting in your car tuning into your radio system. “
Baird believes that acting as a statement that the live music industry, which he claims has been ignored by the UK government, can still function safely and deliver high-quality experiences. The UK approved a $ 2 billion bailout for the arts last week to provide much-needed aid to institutions like museums and concert halls, and while Baird praised the government for earning a bailout for the arts, he said it only happened after that the government “dragged kicking and yelling for people in the arts breaking down their door.”
“We are all standing here to say, ‘Look, we can do this, and we can do it safely,'” says Baird. “This is an important part of people’s lives, not only for artists and people employed by the live industry, but it is important for people who want to go out and see live music. It seems that the priorities have been for certain industries to come back, so we are trying to show the world that we can do this, we can do it safely, and we can do a great show and give people something to enjoy. ”
Like many, Baird is concerned with making sure that cash reaches future artists who need it, and says he doesn’t think these kinds of socially estranged shows can scale financially in the long term.
“It would be very difficult from a long-term perspective to make these kinds of shows financially viable for everyone without spending a huge expense on the customer,” says Baird. “Right now, it’s about trust and fear that fans are wondering if they will be okay if they go to one of these events. All of these things may already put a question in people’s minds about whether they will buy a ticket, and if they make it so expensive that it turns people down, it is not a viable long-term solution.
“It can’t be about pinching a penny, ”he adds. “It is more than that. This is a way of telling the world that we are here, that we are ready to make commitments and that the live sector will work again. ”
