Organisers pull plug on Kelvingrove Bandstand concerts in Glasgow due to uncertainty over social-distancing rules
A series of open-air concerts at Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Bandstand this summer have been called off due to uncertainty over when social-distancing restrictions will be lifted in Scotland.
Primal Scream, Van Morrison, Edwyn Collins, Altered Images, The Jesus and Mary Chain and Rick Astley were all due to perform sold-out shows at the venue this July and August.
However, organisers have postponed the entire Summer
Nights series until next summer, admitting that this year’s shows would not have been able to go ahead with restrictions in place.
Fans had also been hoping to see King Creosote, Suzanne Vega, Richard Hawley, Belinda Carlisle and Rufus Wainwright at the 2500-capacity open-air venue.
The 11 shows which were due to go ahead this year had already been postponed for 12 months due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The latest news about the kelvin grove gigs emerged shortly after the Scottish Govern
ment confirmed that concert venues, theatres and comedy clubs would be able to reopen with social distancing in place from 17 May.
Under the Scottish Government’s latest guidelines for the events industry, outdoor shows for up to 2000 people will be allowed from the end of June. These are expected to have to comply with socialdistancing restrictions.
However, the government has not indicated when socialdistancing measures will be able to be lifted completely – in contrast with England, where a provisional end date of 21 June has been set.
An announcement from promoters Regular Music said :“It is with a heavy heart that, due to physical distancing measures that are still likely to be in place in July, we have taken the decision to postpone this year’s Summer Nights at the Bandstand until 2022.
“The festival has a deserved reputation for being a very special experience for both audience and artists alike.
"For the audience, it is seeing their favourite artists up close, the great atmosphere, mixing with friends and singing along with the crowd.
"For the artists, it’s connecting with the audience in such an intimate setting and feeling the energy from an arena full of excited fans.”