It’s hard to believe that it’s been a year since our business has been shuttered and the goalpost for reopening the concert and event industry keeps moving away from us and the virus keeps scoring points as it runs over and around our defense. It certainly feels as though Tom Brady is quarterbacking for the Covid-19 team while our line against the virus (no disrespect to Mr. Brady) seems just as penalty ridden as it was for the hapless Kansas City Chiefs. The game was a little hard to watch, but mostly because the 30,000 people in attendance were a major distraction. The 30,000 cutouts were a nice touch, but putting 30,000 live bodies in the stands ironically appears like an offside call against our team, thereby enabling the virus to score a first down and giving it the ability to turn three points into seven.
It’s understandable that the NFL would want to make the Super Bowl as exciting as possible and 30,000 cheering fans certainly adds more life to the game than 60,000 cutouts — even when some of the cutouts are well known personalities. Granted, 7,500 of the attendees were hospital workers who had been vaccinated against the disease, but, regardless of the precautions taken to keep risk at a minimum, it seems pretty difficult to completely manage the movements and actions of the 22,000 sentient beings there to cheer on their favorite team. Not to imply that the NFL and event producers were negligent, but once the game ended and the fans left the stadium, neither the NFL or the producers were responsible for the reveler’s actions. As witnessed in videos of the after-parties, rowdy fans were seen disregarding mask and social distancing regulations while celebrating the Buccaneers’ hometown victory.
As it is, I’m thrilled that a live music event took place, and while there were more than a thousand people working on the production, it was only a fraction of the labor usually employed for the Super Bowl halftime event. This year, rather than having hundreds of stagehands set up and strike a stage on the field, the stage was in the stands as to streamline the production and to avoid any more contact than required between the stagehands. In a good year, the halftime show is a logistical challenge for a plethora of reasons; in a year defined by a worldwide pandemic, the challenge to mount a live show of this extent is magnified greatly, requiring compliance not only to OSHA guidelines, but those of the CDC as well. Regardless of how one might have received the actual show, and with all things considered, Roc Nation and Dave Meyers of Diversified Production Services should receive much-deserved kudos for making it go off as planned.
The Return of Some Events
Anyway, after a year of relative inactivity, it’s nice to see the return of live events, albeit only two events, but big events. One was the inauguration of a president and the other one being the national football holiday. While the former was a rather sobering event that adhered to CDC guidelines, the latter somewhat less so, due to the celebratory fervor of a hometown win. Other than the lights, audio and pyrotechnics, a common theme is that both events showcased old men proving that age is just a number. Either way, after a year of quarantine, it was nice to see production teams to get out of the house and do what they do, despite any extra hardships.
In speaking with friends concerning the hardships of the lost year, the big take away for touring musicians, techs and crew members appears to be in regard to financial concerns, lack of focus, anxiety, depression and navigating some newly discovered unknown territories with longtime live-in partners. The initial promise of the pandemic being resolved in a few months turned into six months, which then extended to nine months and now here we are, one year later, being told to look ahead to the autumn of 2021 before the industry can return to any semblance of normalcy.
Partnering
Being home with loved ones has always been a great respite from road life or working those 16-hour days, but those who rely on road gigs and long days are made from a strange cast. They tend to have a wanderlust as well as a penchant for pushing their limits of endurance. They enjoy the daily adrenaline rush that comes from putting on a show and striking it in a timely fashion so they can get to the next town to do it again the following day. What we do is not only a job, but a lifestyle as well. Being a road warrior is not for the faint of heart, and those who choose to do the job year in and year out also understand the lifestyle that accompanies the profession.
Sitting at home for a year during the pandemic is not only a loss of a job and income, but it is also the loss of a lifestyle for both the road travelers and, should they have one, their live-in partner. I say “If they should have one” because this lifestyle is not always conducive to having an empathetic partner who can handle long stretches of being alone. If there is a loving partner waiting at home, there is usually an understanding that makes the relationship work. When circumstances change, so does the relationship.
Compounded by job loss and financial worries, this close proximity can also be a source of anxiety for couples that aren’t used to seeing each other on a daily basis. Roles and expectations change and relations become strained as the new reality is negotiated and played out on an emotional gridiron.
Be Strong
While we didn’t sign up to be out of work, full-time homebodies and staying strong with ourselves and our partners is a challenge, now is not the time to give up. It’s true that we’re down and the virus has had us on the defensive for most of the game, but it seems that our offense is waking up. It’s the end of the third quarter, but the vaccine has given a new life to the game. It feels as though we are inside the virus’ 40-yard line with a first and 10; now is not the time to punt.
