Future of festivals...

[eFestivals]

7 hours ago, dentalplan said:

A significant takeaway from it is that he estimates his own decision on Hellfest going ahead to be made in January, because of the time of going into production being around six months for his festival. He outlines that this is similar for the major touring artists, and I would suspect that it's a similar timeframe for all major festivals. Seems fairly obvious when you think about it but I guess a lot of us were expecting March/April for a decision and by that time it could be only the later events pondering the state of play.

I'm sure festivals would like to know if they can definitely go ahead as early as possible, but I'm also sure plenty will make the final decision as late as possible if things are looking hopeful.

It's all about the vaccine, I think - and hopefully there'll be good news on that by early next year at latest.

[Chapple12345]

12 minutes ago, eFestivals said:

I'm sure festivals would like to know if they can definitely go ahead as early as possible, but I'm also sure plenty will make the final decision as late as possible if things are looking hopeful.

It's all about the vaccine, I think - and hopefully there'll be good news on that by early next year at latest.

And by the sounds of it they're saying it will only be given to those most at risk so without needing to vaccinate the whole population and achieving herd immunity earlier on I think they'll give it their best shot - if not I think festivals have bad a year to prepare alternative plans should they not be able to go ahead normally e.g. pods, so I think some will have a cascade of plans to fall back on in the event they can't run as normal

[Paul ™]

52 minutes ago, eFestivals said:

I'm sure festivals would like to know if they can definitely go ahead as early as possible, but I'm also sure plenty will make the final decision as late as possible if things are looking hopeful.

It's all about the vaccine, I think - and hopefully there'll be good news on that by early next year at latest.

Bearded Theory have said they will make a call by the end of this year if they can operate next year. 

[eFestivals]

Just now, Paul ™ said:

Bearded Theory have said they will make a call by the end of this year if they can operate next year. 

as an early one, it'll need to make the call sooner than most.

But I still don't see that sort of thing as something festivals won't deviate from. In December things might look good for the spring (so they won't cancel then), but nearer to spring perhaps things won't look so good after all (so they might cancel after all).

It's all about evaluating the risk of getting it wrong.

[Crazyfool01]

wasn't sure where to put this obviously stolen from elsewhere but I think it will hit a chord with many .....

I want to go to a concert. A really loud concert. I want some oblivious tall dude to block my view. I want to stand in line at the bar 6 people deep. I want to pay £6 for a beer after I wait 25 minutes for 2 girls to decide which fruity drink to order. I want to wait in a bathroom line with some random drunk dude telling me how this is the best show he’s ever seen. I want to run into someone between sets that I haven’t seen in 10 years and make small talk. I want to push through a crowd to get to the merch table to buy a t-shirt only to find out they’re out of my size after 20 minutes in line. After a bathroom break or a booze run I want to walk back and not be able to find my friends for 2 songs. I want to sing at the top of my lungs every word to every song played. I want to make friends with the strangers standing next to me. I want an insane encore. I want to leave with my ears ringing and a smile on my face.

Fuck do i miss live music, I need to go to a concert.

[Homer]

25 minutes ago, crazyfool1 said:

wasn't sure where to put this obviously stolen from elsewhere but I think it will hit a chord with many .....

I want to go to a concert. A really loud concert. I want some oblivious tall dude to block my view. I want to stand in line at the bar 6 people deep. I want to pay £6 for a beer after I wait 25 minutes for 2 girls to decide which fruity drink to order. I want to wait in a bathroom line with some random drunk dude telling me how this is the best show he’s ever seen. I want to run into someone between sets that I haven’t seen in 10 years and make small talk. I want to push through a crowd to get to the merch table to buy a t-shirt only to find out they’re out of my size after 20 minutes in line. After a bathroom break or a booze run I want to walk back and not be able to find my friends for 2 songs. I want to sing at the top of my lungs every word to every song played. I want to make friends with the strangers standing next to me. I want an insane encore. I want to leave with my ears ringing and a smile on my face.

Fuck do i miss live music, I need to go to a concert.

Tried to go the Blues Kitchen on Sat but got turned away as too busy. Then tried a pub and they were full. Then we got a bus back home again. This idea that hospitality is dying not holding much water for us.

[Homer]

Here's the press release about how The O2 is going to operate if anyone is interested.

 

THE 02 ARENA ANNOUNCES A RETURN TO LIVE AS SQUEEZE TAKE CENTRE STAGE 

The O2 arena has announced it will host its first live music event for more than eight months, with British band Squeeze set to play to socially distanced fans on Saturday 5^th December 2020. The arena event is a major step forward in getting the live event industry back up and running after all venues were closed in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The socially distanced event will see the venue’s capacity reduced from 20,000 to 4700, with tickets being sold in groups of twos, threes and fours only and a seating configuration which is in line with the UK government’s one metre plus guidelines. Seats will remain empty between each group and one-way routes have been installed throughout the arena and concourse.

To ensure the customer experience is contactless, all ticketing will use AXS Mobile ID via The O2 venue app, which also enables pre-ordering of food and drink as well as merchandise to reduce queuing with fast collection lanes.

Visitors will only be allowed to bring a single clear bag into the arena and the wearing of face coverings will be mandatory, except when eating and drinking within the seats. The show will end by 10pm to allow fans to leave the site safely at a distance. 

The O2 has purchased electrostatic foggers to deliver a charged anti-bacterial spray across the venue that will envelope all surfaces, providing protection for up to 30 days, with a heightened cleaning regime before, during and after the event.

Steve Sayer, The O2 GM and VP said: “We have been working incredibly hard to bring back events at The O2 and put measures in place to ensure our fans will have a safe and COVID-19 secure experience. At the moment, we’re only able to host under a quarter of our capacity in the arena, so this is not a long term solution for us or other venues and we continue to press the government for targeted support and guidance to get the live events industry and its supply chain back on its feet.”

“The O2 was designed to give artists and fans the best live music in the world and we look forward to doing that again with Squeeze. As The O2 returns to live, it’s really fitting that a band from the local area are the ones to reopen our doors to the public once again. The whole team are excited to see them on our stage for the first time.”

Squeeze, who hail from South East London and have performed at The O2’s smaller venue, indigo at The O2 multiple times, were keen to be part of The O2’s re-opening.

Glenn Tilbrook said “I am so thrilled to be playing The O2 with Squeeze and to be able to chalk up another first for us on this hallowed ground, previously the site of a gasworks, whose social club featured a double bill of Chris Difford and myself with Bucks Fizz’s Cheryl Baker. That was a long time ago. We are putting a lot of time and energy into this show to make it one not to forget. See you there! Love, Glenn.”

Steve Homer, AEG Presents CEO added: “We are excited to be promoting a live music show again after what seems like an eternity!  Squeeze, hailing originally from Greenwich, are a perfect artist to kick things back off again at The O2 and we are delighted they are supporting such an important step of getting back to live music.”

[gizmoman]

36 minutes ago, Homer said:

Here's the press release about how The O2 is going to operate if anyone is interested.

 

THE 02 ARENA ANNOUNCES A RETURN TO LIVE AS SQUEEZE TAKE CENTRE STAGE 

The O2 arena has announced it will host its first live music event for more than eight months, with British band Squeeze set to play to socially distanced fans on Saturday 5^th December 2020. The arena event is a major step forward in getting the live event industry back up and running after all venues were closed in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The socially distanced event will see the venue’s capacity reduced from 20,000 to 4700, with tickets being sold in groups of twos, threes and fours only and a seating configuration which is in line with the UK government’s one metre plus guidelines. Seats will remain empty between each group and one-way routes have been installed throughout the arena and concourse.

To ensure the customer experience is contactless, all ticketing will use AXS Mobile ID via The O2 venue app, which also enables pre-ordering of food and drink as well as merchandise to reduce queuing with fast collection lanes.

Visitors will only be allowed to bring a single clear bag into the arena and the wearing of face coverings will be mandatory, except when eating and drinking within the seats. The show will end by 10pm to allow fans to leave the site safely at a distance. 

The O2 has purchased electrostatic foggers to deliver a charged anti-bacterial spray across the venue that will envelope all surfaces, providing protection for up to 30 days, with a heightened cleaning regime before, during and after the event.

Steve Sayer, The O2 GM and VP said: “We have been working incredibly hard to bring back events at The O2 and put measures in place to ensure our fans will have a safe and COVID-19 secure experience. At the moment, we’re only able to host under a quarter of our capacity in the arena, so this is not a long term solution for us or other venues and we continue to press the government for targeted support and guidance to get the live events industry and its supply chain back on its feet.”

“The O2 was designed to give artists and fans the best live music in the world and we look forward to doing that again with Squeeze. As The O2 returns to live, it’s really fitting that a band from the local area are the ones to reopen our doors to the public once again. The whole team are excited to see them on our stage for the first time.”

Squeeze, who hail from South East London and have performed at The O2’s smaller venue, indigo at The O2 multiple times, were keen to be part of The O2’s re-opening.

Glenn Tilbrook said “I am so thrilled to be playing The O2 with Squeeze and to be able to chalk up another first for us on this hallowed ground, previously the site of a gasworks, whose social club featured a double bill of Chris Difford and myself with Bucks Fizz’s Cheryl Baker. That was a long time ago. We are putting a lot of time and energy into this show to make it one not to forget. See you there! Love, Glenn.”

Steve Homer, AEG Presents CEO added: “We are excited to be promoting a live music show again after what seems like an eternity!  Squeeze, hailing originally from Greenwich, are a perfect artist to kick things back off again at The O2 and we are delighted they are supporting such an important step of getting back to live music.”

"To ensure the customer experience is contactless, all ticketing will use AXS Mobile ID via The O2 venue app, which also enables pre-ordering of food and drink as well as merchandise to reduce queuing with fast collection lanes. "

So no smart phone - no gig, Squeeze have an older audience and there will be a fair few who can't (or won't) do this, they may not be too bothered about losing some punters as it will sell out anyway but this is not good for fans. They scan regular tickets the same way as the phone so the "contactless" reason is bogus.

[philipsteak]

3 hours ago, Homer said:

Tried to go the Blues Kitchen on Sat but got turned away as too busy. Then tried a pub and they were full. Then we got a bus back home again. This idea that hospitality is dying not holding much water for us.

Well as an organisation we stand to lose 10s of millions this year, we're still running at less than half occupancy and a shit ton of my colleagues have been made redundant or are in consultation so things aren't going great. And we are about to enter our quiet season

[Homer]

10 minutes ago, philipsteak said:

Well as an organisation we stand to lose 10s of millions this year, we're still running at less than half occupancy and a shit ton of my colleagues have been made redundant or are in consultation so things aren't going great. And we are about to enter our quiet season

Fair point, apologise for flippancy. My jobs relies on hospitality and events too though TBF. You work in hotels though right?

[philipsteak]

10 minutes ago, Homer said:

Fair point, apologise for flippancy. My jobs relies on hospitality and events too though TBF. You work in hotels though right?

Youth hostel, but with a usually busy cafe and bar too

[dentalplan]

4 hours ago, gizmoman said:

"To ensure the customer experience is contactless, all ticketing will use AXS Mobile ID via The O2 venue app, which also enables pre-ordering of food and drink as well as merchandise to reduce queuing with fast collection lanes. "

So no smart phone - no gig, Squeeze have an older audience and there will be a fair few who can't (or won't) do this, they may not be too bothered about losing some punters as it will sell out anyway but this is not good for fans. They scan regular tickets the same way as the phone so the "contactless" reason is bogus.

Paperless has been great for fans - it's reducing touting and remove the extortionate delivery fees, not to mention it's better for the environment. The % of any live concert (a luxury, let's not forget) crowds without a smartphone or means to get one is very small. The people without smartphones will just have to miss out, as they are clearly okay with doing as the practical world becomes more geared to those with portable devices.

[gizmoman]

13 minutes ago, dentalplan said:

Paperless has been great for fans - it's reducing touting and remove the extortionate delivery fees, not to mention it's better for the environment. The % of any live concert (a luxury, let's not forget) crowds without a smartphone or means to get one is very small. The people without smartphones will just have to miss out, as they are clearly okay with doing as the practical world becomes more geared to those with portable devices.

Well AXS is linked with Stubhub so the touting is still there they just make sure they get their cut, I've no problem with people CHOOSING to use their phone, but this is being forced on them, as it is in many walks of life. It marginalises the older less tech savvy.

As for the environment it's true it saves printing and the use of a bit of paper but what about the cost of providing the infrastructure to support all this? What is the carbon cost of a 5G tower and the electricity to run it?

[dentalplan]

35 minutes ago, gizmoman said:

Well AXS is linked with Stubhub so the touting is still there they just make sure they get their cut, I've no problem with people CHOOSING to use their phone, but this is being forced on them, as it is in many walks of life. It marginalises the older less tech savvy.

As for the environment it's true it saves printing and the use of a bit of paper but what about the cost of providing the infrastructure to support all this? What is the carbon cost of a 5G tower and the electricity to run it?

You do realise this isn't like saying that people have to schedule their doctor's appointments using a smartphone app - it's going to a probably rather expensive concert at the O2 Arena.

Also, on the second point, people use phones for all sorts of things other than tickets, the paper tickets are simply not as useful as phones are for messaging people or taking pictures or visiting efestivals dot co dot uk.

Edited October 5, 2020 by dentalplan

[mcshed]

12 hours ago, gizmoman said:

Squeeze have an older audience and there will be a fair few who can't (or won't) do this,

Really? My mum is 71 but actually one of the youngest amongst her social circle with plenty in their 90s they all love WhatsApping each other pics of their Grandkids, etc. 

Those without smartphones are more likely to be paranoid like you than old. 

[zahidf]

O2 kentish town forum is also doing comedy gigs socially distanced with Ricky Gervais and Eddie Izzard, and Hammesmith Apollo is doing a love actually concert series 10-13th December also socially distanced

[rivalschools.price]

Are we to take the fact that American bands like Pearl Jam are booking huge outdoor gigs for July as a positive sign?

Surely they wouldn’t be booking unless they were very optimistic that it would go ahead.

I know that they can just cancel it but that would still come with huge costs that you’d have thought they’d rather avoid.

[Quark]

11 hours ago, dentalplan said:

Paperless has been great for fans - it's reducing touting and remove the extortionate delivery fees, not to mention it's better for the environment. The % of any live concert (a luxury, let's not forget) crowds without a smartphone or means to get one is very small. The people without smartphones will just have to miss out, as they are clearly okay with doing as the practical world becomes more geared to those with portable devices.

I've seen both sides of ticketless.  I got my parents Michael Buble tix at the O2 last year, and while my mum has a smartphone it's just so old that it couldn't run the AXS app.  Fortunately the O2 were very good about doing it manually when they got there, although it did mean I had to lend them my credit card that was used for the purchase so they could validate it.  Bit of a ballache, but they found a way to make it work.

On the flipside I've used my O2 priority to sort out a couple of people gig tix through Ticketmaster, and their process for transferring paperless tickets is godawful.  Took ages to get one set through, and still not managed to get the second set transferred yet.  Pain in the arse.

Ticketless is definitely going to be the way things go, but they need to make sure the mechanisms around it work properly and have some fallback options for the 5% that can't use it.

[funkychick2007]

Parliament discussing today between 2.30pm and 4pm! The impact of the pandemic on the music industry.

https://www.burnhamandhighbridgeweeklynews.co.uk/news/18772654.mps-debate-perilous-state-uk-music-scene-hammered-pandemic/

[Lycra]

On 10/4/2020 at 5:37 PM, tigger123 said:

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/oct/04/music-festivals-plan-for-phased-return-in-2021-after-covid-wipeout

 

This seems quite positive

It's good to see managers & promotors being creative in seeking ways & means to hold festivals, gigs etc but at the end of the day it's all going to come down to the prevailing covid environment and the bottom line (£). I feel desperately sorry for everyone in any aspect of hospitality because without a return to previous normality  job losses are inevitable. It also begs the question whether the previous normal has been lost as the covid experience changes people's behaviour 🤔

[gizmoman]

6 hours ago, mcshed said:

Really? My mum is 71 but actually one of the youngest amongst her social circle with plenty in their 90s they all love WhatsApping each other pics of their Grandkids, etc. 

Those without smartphones are more likely to be paranoid like you than old. 

I'm paranoid AND old!, my mum's 85 and doesn't have a smartphone but she's not likely to be going to the O2, I do however have friends my age who don't have smartphones and it's not because they're paranoid, they just aren't very tech minded and don't see the need for one.

[music fan]

Boris Johnson today saying social distancing could end by October 2021!!! https://metro.co.uk/2020/10/06/boris-johnson-vows-to-end-social-distancing-by-october-next-year-13380048/

Is he for real???  Just the other week he said these restrictions may last 6 months - which is long enough as it is.  But up to another 12 months of social distancing and the damage it is doing to the economy and people's mental health.  You have got to be flipping joking!  It's completely unsustainable!  Plus of course if it does drag on even for about 6 months or so, next year's festival season is going to be a complete and utter write-off again.  

[Chapple12345]

19 minutes ago, music fan said:

Boris Johnson today saying social distancing could end by October 2021!!! https://metro.co.uk/2020/10/06/boris-johnson-vows-to-end-social-distancing-by-october-next-year-13380048/

Is he for real???  Just the other week he said these restrictions may last 6 months - which is long enough as it is.  But up to another 12 months of social distancing and the damage it is doing to the economy and people's mental health.  You have got to be flipping joking!  It's completely unsustainable!  Plus of course if it does drag on even for about 6 months or so, next year's festival season is going to be a complete and utter write-off again.  

I think the title is being a little more misleading, I think he's implying within a year we won't have to social distance so it will come to an end before that point, I think it'll scrapped in the spring when cases will probably lower down again 

[Suprefan]

20 hours ago, gizmoman said:

Well AXS is linked with Stubhub so the touting is still there they just make sure they get their cut, I've no problem with people CHOOSING to use their phone, but this is being forced on them, as it is in many walks of life. It marginalises the older less tech savvy.

As for the environment it's true it saves printing and the use of a bit of paper but what about the cost of providing the infrastructure to support all this? What is the carbon cost of a 5G tower and the electricity to run it?

Actually, Axs has its own marketplace over here in the states. I would assume regulations prevent that marketplace from being present in the uk. 

 

And fuck digital ticketing, I want my damn ticket stub. Call me old fashioned but you should have a keepsake from your gig other than a t shirt or a wristband. Im fortunate that 90% of shows I go to still give me the option and I just have to deal with digital stuff on occasion. AXS can go fuck itself for its arena shows though because they charge $25 for wither will call or mail tickets which shows you their kind of greed. Although I was surprised when ticketmaster phased out their first iteration of paperless tickets. When we had to have our credit cards scanned and such to gain entry. There was a work around that and you could get a physical ticket printed. All you had to do was go to the box office and tell them you lost your card. They ask for the relevant info and boom, all yours. And all venues which were providing that form of paperless tickets had to have an operating box office too. 
 

AXS, TM/LN and See will still charge fees even if there arent physical tickets in play for anything, it just gets put somewhere else. The internet just gives them the avenue to make it seem that theyre working really hard on the ticketing side, when theyre not.

[Diamond Geezer]

So they reckon the elder and vulnerable sections of the community will be given the vaccine when it arrives, so maybe this does give some leeway for those in these categories to attend festivals. On that basis however, i would make it a condition on the website if you are over 50 or with underlying health conditions you have to sign a waiver to say you either get vaccinated before you arrive at the festival, or do not complain afterwards if you get the virus and become ill. I'm sure there will still be types who will do the latter, despite knowingly putting themselves at risk.