Thursday, December 02, 2021
Foo Fighters Cancel Planned Minnesota Show Over COVID Policy
www.ticketnews.com: The Foo Fighters abruptly called off a planned performance in Minnesota after the venue refused to adhere to the band’s requested requirements related to COVID-19 vaccination. The performance, announced Tuesday as part of the group’s Live in North America 2022 tour, was planned for August at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, but was pulled from the presale shortly after being announced.
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4 comments:
I respect this decision a lot. The fact that the Foo Fighters are driven by a responsibility to keep people safe over the need to play a show and make money is really admirable and, frankly, should be the norm. One thing I will say though, is some venues that "require vaccination" are not necessarily that strict about it. When I went to see a Broadway show, an individual person took the time to look at our vaccination card and compare to it to our driver's license. Some venues, you just need to flash it to get in, so it could easily be a fake. I wonder if any venue does a combination of virtual upload when you buy your tickets, while also checking it in person. This feels sort of extra, but when you're admitting thousands of people, it's worth it if it means protecting more and more people.
Good to see musicians in particular taking a stand against lenient covid/safety policies. Caring about their fans enough to require maks, vaccination cards, and such for large live entertainment are very basic asks and I am a little surprised the venue was not willing to enforce the Foo Fighters wishes. I do wish the article had been a little more specific on whos policies were more restrictive because I ended up searching for another article that explicitly stated what the venue's covid policies currently are. Personally, I think it is irresponsible that they allow large concerts where masks and vaccination cards are not required. The Foo Fighters being willing to lose money on those tickets to stick with their morals and safety precautions makes me respect them so much more. Especially with cases rising and Omicron entering the U.S. we have to be cautious and respectful of those around us.
I always liked Foo Fighters beforehand for several reasons, not all of them relating to their music, but I have a lot of respect for them for this decision. You can tell they have a commitment to keeping their fans safe and healthy. Reminds me of when they once stopped their concert because a fan was getting trampled in the front of the audience (and yes, I did recently see this because of the travis scott incident). Still, this decision can't have been made lightly, considering the money that would be lost from it.
I'm also astonished that a major venue like this would have such lax covid restrictions in place. I'm uncertain as to why they would do it - perhaps to appeal to those against vaccination? Unfortunately, in their attempts to attract one crowd they drove away a potential source of profit. I hope that one of the other venues listed in the article will take the band, it would be incredibly profitable to do.
I think that the word of the Foo Fighters’ post is something of interest, mainly how it’s worded. The post (“are unable to play”) makes it seem like something prevented them from playing like a technical difficulty, and not that they would not be playing due to policy. It’s not a bad thing, just interesting wording. Other than that, the fact that a venue does “not mandate masks, proof of vaccination, or negative test results” for events is quite shocking and the fact that there are people willing to play at the stadium for football is equally interesting. Add onto this that it’s a university, of all places, means that who knows what they are doing for their students on campus. While it’s nice to see that musician’s are taking precautions, it’s clear from videos at recent concerts that protocols aren’t being followed, as was seen with vaccine check lines at the most recent BTS concert.
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