Missouri Gov. Mike Parson made national news for all the wrong reasons when the state became the first in the nation to allow concerts and live events to resume this week.
Inexplicably, the governor’s “Show Me Strong” economic recovery plan included a woefully premature green light for socially distanced concerts. What, exactly, a distanced concert looks like is still unclear and why anyone would attend a live event during a pandemic remains an unanswered question.
Fortunately, most concert organizers and venue operators so far are exercising better judgment than the governor.
Most venues in Kansas City remain close for the foreseeable future. And most artists and promoters have announced plans to delay or cancel shows for the remainder of the year.
“From an industry standpoint, we appreciate what the governor was trying to convey,” said Shani Tate, vice president of sales and marketing for Kansas City’s Sprint Center. “But it doesn’t apply to us. We don’t have the clearance to have folks together at this time.”
In Kansas City, venues such as the Sprint Center, The Truman, Riot Room and the Uptown Theater are abiding by the city’s stay-at-home order, which expires May 15.
None of the sites is scheduled to reopen this month. Some won’t host shows until at least July. Others will wait until the fall.
Venues in St. Louis and Springlfied were also operating under extended stay-at-home orders.
The numbers tell us Missouri is not quite ready to fully reopen.
On Monday, the state reported its single-highest one-day total of new COVID-19 cases. As of Tuesday, 8,916 people in Missouri had tested positive for the coronavirus, and 377 had died, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
Parson has made no secret of the fact that he’s in a hurry to reopen the state, data be darned. And he apparently has little use for CDC recommendations for containing the spread of the coronavirus — Parson “chose not to” wear a mask when he toured businesses in southwest Missouri this week.
For now, we can only hope that local venues will stay the course and make prudent decisions to protect the health and safety of Missourians.
The Sprint Center has postponed or rescheduled 25 events since mid-March. The Truman concert venue has had nearly 35 shows and events affected by the outbreak.
The Truman’s Live Stream from the Quarantine concert series has been a hit. The shows support industry workers with local ties and The Truman’s part-time staff.
The livestreams will continue until the venue is reopened, said Brianna Lowden, manager of The Truman.
The state’s recovery plan doesn’t limit social gatherings at concerts or live shows, but organizers must enforce social distancing guidelines and space out seating according to those requirements.
