The show came about in the context of the “Because Music Matters” project, which is a joint effort between Rockhal and the Health Inspectorate. Their goal is to evaluate if and how concerts can be held in the age of the pandemic.
A long awaited moment, not only for the crowd, but also for Tonnar. After more than a year of not performing in front of a physically-present live audience, the singer was happy to be back on stage: “Of course we are all very nervous. Although we did not reach the capacity limit, we still got 600 people to gather for the show. And that is after all one of the biggest events since March last year. Getting the crowd excited in spite of restrictions is our challenge.”
Audience members were required to take a rapid test before the concert and wear a mask throughout the show. Furthermore, people have been asked to take a PCR test one week following the live event. To ensure a low infection risk, audience members were also assigned specific seats. Eating and drinking were not allowed.
“Because Music Matters” was first launched in February with a series of five live shows, during which a maximum of 100 people were allowed to be present.
Etienne Ehmann from the health inspectorate commented: “The organising principle was exactly the same, people being tested before and after the show. At one event, we had a number of people testing negative before the concert, but positive six days following the event. However, tracing showed that they contracted the virus elsewhere, which is important to highlight.”
Although still vastly different from pre-pandemic conditions, the project is still paving a way towards a return of live shows. Rockhal CEO Oliver Toth noted: “In contrast to the February shows, people were allowed to get up from their seats and dance, which makes the concert feel much more natural.”
The next live show at Rockhal is scheduled to take place at the beginning of June.
