In-person venues use various methods to protect attendees from COVID-19

Guitarist Julian Lage, drummer Dave King and bassist Jorge Roeder perform at The Fillmore on September 26th

When sophomore Meher Bhatnagar arrived at the Shoreline Amphitheater for the Pitbull concert on Sept. 26, she was shocked to find that the staff didn’t comply with the COVID-19 prevention guidelines listed on the venue’s website, such as asking to see proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test.

Even though the California Department of Public Health loosened restrictions on indoor concerts on April 15, most venues still require proof of vaccination. These new restrictions allowed concerts to resume if attendees were both vaccinated and tested negatively. As more people receive full doses of vaccines and are starting to attend concerts and festivals again, concert venues have developed new protocols to ensure the safety of the artist and the attendees. 

TicketMaster, an online ticket sales website, utilizes Health Check to notify ticket buyers of the COVID-19 policies of a specific venue. Most Health Checks include, but are not limited to, proof of full COVID-19 vaccination, proof of a negative COVID-19 diagnostic test result prior to entering the event, a rapid onsite COVID-19 test and participation in a brief health questionnaire.

The Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View that Pitbull performed at on Sept. 26 has a capacity of 22,500 people, and Pitbull nearly managed to sell out the entire venue. Bhatnagar bought the tickets from TicketMaster, and the Health Check mentioned that a negative COVID-19 test and proof of vaccination were required to enter the venue. 

Such requisites were not fulfilled at the actual concert. 

“They never actually checked anything when we got there. They didn’t check it for anyone at all. They just let us walk in if we had our ticket,” Bhatnagar said. 

Not only did the staff not check for negative test results or proof of vaccination, the majority of the crowd was also maskless. 

“It was a pretty big area. Everyone was right next to each other, and nobody had their masks on,” Bhatnagar added. “I’d say 80 percent of the attendees didn’t have masks on.”

The theater and field were both full, which made Bhatnagar uncomfortable taking her mask off. She ended up taking off her mask later on as she felt more comfortable when the groups began to distance themselves.

Unlike the Shoreline Amphitheater, smaller venues have been able to better manage concert restrictions. The Fillmore Venue in San Francisco hosted a concert by guitarist Julian Lage and his band on Sept. 26. While the venue has a capacity of 1,315 people, only about 400 people attended.

The Health Check for this event required attendees to receive a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of the event, or be fully vaccinated (14 days past the final vaccination shot). Mask wearing was encouraged, but not mandated; they were instructed to move from the main area to the bar if they were to take off their masks. Most guests were adults, and vaccination cards were essential to get into the building.

 While a few people still took their masks off in the main performance area, security guards talked to people who had them off for extended periods of time. 

 Even though not all venues utilize Health Check, there are many ways venues have tried to follow COVID-19 guidelines, such as the Mountain Winery’s vaccination requirement, or Kanye West offering the COVID-19 vaccination at his concert. The Shoreline Amphitheater, which is much larger and partially outdoors, had a harder time enforcing rules than Fillmore, which is on the smaller side of concert venues. 

“Even though COVID made it scary to attend, it was a great experience and I can’t wait to see more concerts,” Bhatnagar said.