PONDERING THE FUTURE OF PROG GIGS
After coming out of the other side of Covid shielding there are many annoying and frustrating issues facing the music industry going forward, one being the state or non-state of live music. When an edition of Prog drops on the hallway carpet once a month the first pages
I turn to are live reviews and publicised upcoming gigs.
The year started pretty well, with shows from The Aristocrats, And
You Will Know Us By the Trail of the Dead, Alex Henry Foster and The Long Shadows, Rosalie Cunningham and Son Of Man (I travelled by train to
Cardiff for this one wearing a face covering!). We all know what’s happened since then! The big question that impacts the whole industry is: what happens now for live music?
Until lockdown hit I’d already planned out a schedule for spring/summer and purchased tickets, as a result, the following gigs were postponed: Stray,
The Groundhogs, Ozric Tentacles, Yes, Van der Graaf Generator, Robin Trower, Nick Mason’s Saucerful Of Secrets, A New Day Festival, and HRH X – I know some of these gigs have been rescheduled for October and beyond but I see real problems ahead with venues and whether they can be made Covid-19 safe. I have my doubts about this happening anytime this side of 2020. I also fear for the survival of many of the smaller venues and how will they cope?
You can see from just my list the impact it had on the bands, road crews, venues, publicity, etc. I suspect I’m not alone and many Prog readers will have experienced something similar. Would it be possible for Prog to provide an article with your reading of the situation and thoughts on how you see the future of live music?
Nicholas Edwards, Manchester