Coachella will require ALL concert-goers and event staff to be vaccinated against COVID as music promoter AEG mandates the shot for all concerts - including Elton John
Coachella will require all concertgoers and event staff to be vaccinated against COVID as music promoter AEG announced it will mandate the shot for all concerts beginning October 1.
Concert runner AEG Presents announced the vaccination mandate in a statement on Thursday, telling future Coachella and Stagecoach music festival attendees they will be required to show proof of vaccination in order to attend the live shows.
AEG said their decision was spurred on by rising COVID numbers.
This policy means Elton John, who is on the road for his ‘Elton John Farewell Yellow Brick Road: The Final Tour’ will be required to take the jab in order to perform
AEG runs the immensely popular Coachella music festival as well as Stage Coach, a country-themed Stagecoach Festival in Indio.
Future Coachella and Stagecoach music festival attendees they will be required to show proof of vaccination in order to attend the live shows
'The decision comes on the heels of the dramatic surge in Covid-19 cases as the Delta variant spreads throughout the United States,' the concert runner said.
The policy will only allow fully vaccinated ticketholders to attend its concerts and festivals, except in any states where such policies are banned.
AEG said leading up to October 1, concertgoers can still use proof of a negative test within 72 hours of the show date for entry.
Shawn Trell, General Counsel for AEG acknowledged that certain state regulations might override their mandate and some artist may not want to get on board with the plan but they are holding firm on their decision in the interest of public safety.
'We know that using our platform to take a strong position on vaccinations can make an impact,' Trell said.' The message we want to send is simple and clear: the only way to be as safe as possible is to require everyone to be vaccinated. And we’re confident that others who haven’t been ready to make this full commitment yet will follow our lead.'
This policy means Elton John, who is on the road for his ‘Elton John Farewell Yellow Brick Road: The Final Tour’ will be required to take the jab in order to perform.
The tour, produced by AEG Presents, was postponed due to the pandemic and is set to resume North American shows in November 2022, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
One of the world's largest musical festivals, Coachella has been held every spring in the Coachella Valley since 1999.
The policy is set to be implemented by October 1 and will only allow fully vaccinated ticketholders to attend its concerts and festivals
AEG said their decision to require proof of vaccination was spurred on by rising COVID cases
AEG runs the immensely popular Coachella music festival as well as Stage Coach, a country-themed Stagecoach Festival in Indio.
Coachella is set to take place on consecutive weekends from April 15 to 17 and April 22 to 24 next year, and has already sold out after being postponed or canceled three times due to the pandemic.
Stagecoach is scheduled for April 29 to May 1, 2022.
While Coachella and Stagecoach have been postponed to 2022, AEG still has other festivals, like the hip-hop-centric Day N Vegas and Delaware’s Firefly, planned for in the coming weeks, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Recently, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival was canceled over Louisiana’s outbreak of the COVID-19 Delta variant.
Chicago’s Lollapalooza proved that strict vaccine policies can be effective at preventing COVID-19 spread at music festivals.
The massive event hosted a crowd of 385,000 people and the Chicago Department of Public Health estimated that the vast majority of concert attendees - about 90 percent - were vaccinated.
Two weeks after the festival only 203 were reported to have tested positive, including 127 people who were vaccinated and 76 who were unvaccinated.
The U.S. recorded 614 virus-related fatalities with a seven-day rolling average of 528, a 100 percent increase from the 264 average reported 21 days earlier.
However, this is half as many deaths as were being recorded during the November 2020 surge before COVID-19 vaccines were made available.
Meanwhile, hospitalizations are also increasing across the country with more than 81,000 patients hospitalized with the virus, according to data from the US Department of Health and Human Services .
Up to one-third of all patients hospitalized in eight states - Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina. Tennessee and Texas - are infected with the virus.
After two years of rescheduling due to COVID, Coachella music festival announced it would return for Spring 2022.
One of the world's largest musical festivals, the event has been held every spring in the Coachella Valley since 1999.
After being pushed back due to the pandemic, the festival announced its long awaited return in June with a simple tweet that read: 'See you in the desert'
Jay Marciano, chairman and CEO of AEG Presents said as a market leader, it was up to AEG to take a 'real stand' on vaccination status as Delta variant cases rise.
'We realize that some people might look at this as a dramatic step, but it's the right one, he said. 'We also are aware that there might be some initial pushback, but I'm confident and hopeful that, at the end of the day, we will be on the right side of history and doing what's best for artists, fans, and live event workers.'