J.I.D. at Irving Plaza
photo by P Squared

Live Nation will allow artists to require proof of vaccination or negative COVID test for US shows

As the Delta variant continues to drive COVID cases throughout the country, festivals, venues, and individual artists (all indoor entertainment in NYC included) have begun announcing that they’ll require event attendees to provide proof of vaccination, or a recent negative COVID test, to attend. Variety reports that Live Nation has issued a new best practices document to artist teams for its events signalling its approval of this, signed by CEO Michael Rapino. It reads, in part, “Our teams have worked together to put new processes in place so that artists doing shows with Live Nation in the U.S. can require all attendees and staff to be fully vaccinated or show a negative test result for entry, where permitted by law. We believe this is a great model, and we have already implemented this successfully at many major shows including Lollapalooza.”

The document also says that effective October 4, Live Nation employees will need to be vaccinated in order to enter the company’s events, venues, or offices. Read the document in full at Variety.

At least nine states have enacted laws banning vaccine mandates, which would overrule artist policies, and many others have introduced bills that would do the same.