Five experimental concerts with restrictions to take place in Luxembourg

Culture
26 Jan 21

Organised by Rockhal in conjunction with its national health inspection authority - the shows will see a limited capacity of 100 fans per night with compulsory masks and strict social distancing enforced.

The latest live music experiment could potentially pave the way for the return of concerts and sporting events, with Rockhal arena hosting a series of test concerts from February 10-14.

Live events have been cancelled across the world as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, with governments around the globe enforcing restrictions to curb the spread of the virus.

The run of five intimate test gigs hosted by the Rockhal arena in Luxembourg next month - planned with stringent health measures - may create a model to bring live events back.

The gigs will also be seated, with fans sitting around a central 360° stage. Attendees will also face Covid-19 tests before the event and seven days later.

Each nightly event, ran under the 'Because Music Matters' banner, will host different types of music - including electro-house and metal.

The move will come just ahead of the Arena Resilience Alliance’s (ARA) second virtual conference, #AGameofTwoHalves: The Return Leg.

The ARA was formed by Olivier Toth - CEO of Rockhal - and Robert Fitzpatrick, CEO of The Odyssey Trust in Northern Ireland, owners of The SSE Arena, Belfast), with the backing of the European Arenas Association (EAA).

"As the advocacy platform for European arenas, the ARA is proud to provide an opportunity for the industry to come together with key EU decision-makers to prepare for a return to live events, whilst working to protect the health and wellbeing of our communities and the sustainability of our industry, which will be central to the economic and societal recovery of countries across Europe," ARA co-founder Robert Fitzpatrick said.

“Together, we can build regional and national frameworks, with international collaboration that will help us get back to business."

The latest trial comes after Primavera Sound recently hosted their own experiment and found no infection rate in a crowd where social distancing was not enforced.

Recent tests held in Germany into the transmission of coronavirus at indoor concerts found that the environment poses a “low-to-very low” risk to gig attendees.