ARTS & CILTURE
STRIKE UP THE BAND
THE RETURN OF LIVE MUSIC
By Ella Fasciano
L
ive music is finally returning after being on pause for over a year. However, as artists start filling up theater calendars and the sounds of music start filling the streets, concerts are taking on a new shape. Masks, proof of vaccination, or a negative COVID test are just some of the precautions venues are taking to protect concert-goers as they enjoy bands again. Venues are continuously updating their safety procedures in response to changing COVID guidelines. Michael Cambron, a senior who has worked the door at venues such as ONCE Somerville and The Crystal Ballroom at the Somerville Theatre, saw firsthand how COVID policies have impacted concert experiences. While he was working at ONCE Somerville this summer, the venue started operating fully outdoors. Cambron explained over email that part of his job was to take people’s temperatures and ask about their vaccination status. If vaccinated, patrons were not required to wear masks, while unvaccinated individuals had to mask up. The return to in-person events has not been without challenges. Remembering one difficult interaction, Cambron said, “Some guy refused to let me take his temp[erature], which was required for entry. He tried to cite that since he was on public property, I had no right to perform a medical procedure on him. This was total bullshit of course—ONCE is a private music venue that obviously has the right to set its own rules and regulations about COVID. He let me take his temp[erature] after I made him wait at the gate to the venue for 15 minutes.” The adjustment to live crowds has been on musicians’ minds as well. For senior Ella McDonald, a solo artist, the energy of a live show is something Zoom was never able to capture. They said, “For me, it’s been really, really exciting to just be reminded of what I love about music and performing, and just the experience of performing live shows again. Being able to see the live response of audiences, being able to see the reactions on people’s faces, being able to feel the energy in the room and respond to it and pick what to play next and change my energy throughout a song has been really, really wonderful.” She said that masked audiences were worth the energy of a live crowd: “To be able to do shows outside, even if you’re masked… it’s been such an improvement.” Tufts students can also expect to hear many more concerts back on campus in the coming weeks. Zoe McKeown, a junior
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and the General Manager of WMFO, Tufts’ freeform radio station, talked about planning events later this semester with Tufts bands. Because WMFO is a student organization, she explained that the group must follow Tufts COVID policies. McKeown said over email, “For the time being and in the spring, we will do outdoor events, and when it’s cold we will have concerts inside with masks and reduced capacity. It’s not rocket science. We know how eager people are to see live music, and we want to provide that safely in any way we can.” Alongside WMFO, the Music Department is also figuring out how to plan concerts this semester. Anna Griffis, the Coordinator of Music Public Relations and Box Office at the Granoff Music Center, said over email that the department is planning programs in a whole new way to “ensure safety during performances in Granoff. Obviously, there’s the mask mandate, so all
