As Omicron cases rise in Missouri, students discuss how to continue the normalcy that has been re-established over the past year, specifically going to concerts, has been once again disrupted due to safety concerns.

Over 2020 and the majority of 2021, most concerts had either been postponed or canceled due to Coronavirus cases, but concerts started occurring again around the Fall of 2021 as more people got vaccinated. 

The Weeknd announced his tour dates in late 2020; however, the dates were then postponed to start in January of 2022. In October 2021, The Weeknd posted on Instagram that all of the dates would be moved to the summer of 2022 due to the “constraints of arenas”. Current tickets have been refunded and all ticket holders will have early access once the new tour dates have been announced. 

“I’m looking forward to the new tour dates being announced, but I’m nervous because there is no guarantee that he is still going to come to St. Louis. I think that with the cases and the way that things are going it’s going to be a while before everything is completely back to normal,” said senior Nicole Jones.

There are many factors that affect the safety of the performer as well as the fans. One of the biggest things that people are looking at now is how to stay safe in an indoor venue. 

“I think that one reason why The Weeknd canceled his shows is that most of the venues were inside and outdoor venues are so much safer. If more artists went on tour and went to bigger, outdoor venues then it would be less likely to get postponed or canceled,” said Jones. 

Some students have been going to concerts safely since they started again and have even developed criteria for the shows that they feel comfortable going to. 

“I recently saw Harry Styles, Grouplove, The Driver Era, and Coin. Every concert I went to either required proof of vaccinations or a negative Covid test from the past 72 hours in order to get in. Everybody also was required to wear their mask the entire time, so while I knew it was risky I felt safe,” said senior Olivia Epstein.

For some students, being able to go to concerts again after so long is a big deal and means a lot for the progress that has been made since early 2020. However, spending money on concert tickets at this time is a risk because there is no telling if cases are going to get better or worse. 

“I have a bunch of concerts coming up. I’m seeing Louis Tomlinson, Wallows, 5 Seconds of Summer, Hippocampus, Glass Animals, Conan Gray, and Cavetown. I’m worried about these getting canceled because of Covid, especially because  I have had the tickets for years [for some of these] and some of them are out of town. I think that as long as artists keep requiring health checks and masks and everybody is getting their boosters, it should be okay,” said Epstein.

Even with health checks and mask requirements, continuing to have a sold-out show during an outbreak would not be good for the safety of the fans or the artist. Some artists are waiting as long as they can before canceling or postponing a show to see how many tickets are sold and what the current statistics look like in the area where they are going to perform.

“I am seeing Greta Van Fleet in Peoria, Illinois in March. I’m nervous about that because I already planned everything down to where I’m staying, and if it got canceled that would be really disappointing. I also have tickets to see Louis Tomlinson on Feb. 5, so since it hasn’t been canceled yet I don’t think it will be,” said senior Kaitlyn Williams. 

It is important for everybody to recognize that no matter how many safety precautions are taken, concerts are still a big risk and the best thing to do is be selective with exposure. 

“You can usually tell online what venues require masks and which don’t. I personally would not go to a concert without a mask requirement. I also don’t really like the idea of going to smaller venues or sold-out shows because I feel safer if I don’t have a bunch of people hovering around me and breathing on me,” said Williams.