The elephant in the room....Covid and these Pearl Jam shows

MKSNYC

I was glad to watch the Tom Jones stream (thank you) but am not ready for a 30,000 strong crowd.  Still nervous in a group of 50 let alone 30k.  Hope to get more comfortable over time and if statistics continue to show high degree of safety for those vaxxed I will get more and more comfortable, but not ready yet.  Would have loved to have been there but comfortable with my personal decision.  If they do reschedule the MSG show, I will be there.

Abe Froman

I’ve been living life for quite sometime now. Went to two shows this month, foo fighters and Wilco. Going to the Stones on Sunday. Not worried one bit.  Wish I could’ve gone to SHN or Ohana just couldn’t pull it off. Respect to those that feel uncomfortable and stay at home but I’ve been done with that shit for a while. Btw, no proof of jab or negative test to enter Foo Figh here in STL and very few masks. I’ve heard nothing about it causing any kind of spread. Glad to hear about all the folks that had a good time at SHN!!

RatherStarved

I’ve been as bubble wrapped as anyone for the better part of 2020 and into 2021.  I was at SHN, 3 other concerts before it - all outdoors - and am going to both Ohanas.  I have no regrets at all, except for missing Ottawa 2016 and Rome 2018.  

This is what all the bubbling was for - stay safe until there’s a vaccine and then gradually get back to life.  I will say that within attending events I’m always selecting vantage points that sacrifice a bit of location in exchange for being in a bit less crowded parts of the audience and I have a KN95 mask for situations where that isn’t possible.  And I’m not up for indoor shows yet.  

I respect everyone’s decision not to attend if they aren’t comfortable.  Covid is here to stay and it’s all about risk management.  

bootlegger10

Vaccinated.  They checked my ID against vax card.  Saw maybe one person with a mask.  No concerns at all about Covid.  Will be dealing with variants for years.   Will be going to Ohana. 

I did start wearing N95 masks more often. 

gobr0309

jerparker20 said:

I went to Guns N Roses last night. Indoor arena. No proof of vax/negative test required. No mask requirement. The majority of the crowd did not appear to be folks that made getting a jab a priority. The only people wearing a face covering were venue staff. Got to admit it was a little strange.

I’ve had COVID and the vax, so I wasn’t very worried about getting the bug. But being in that setting with a bunch of people packed together and screaming for the first time in almost two years, I had the thought that it may not have been the wisest thing. 

Anyways, I had a good time. Will probably do an at home test in a couple of days to make sure.

I went to the GNR show in st paul too in the pit and felt pretty comfortable. Didn't see a single mask in the pit (or anywhere else) but the pit was small and not very crowded and people were generally staying like 2 feet apart from each other and nobody pushing their way up front. I got there 20 minutes late into the show and walked right up to slash's side 4 people back from the rail with space between and never got crowded. Still a little nervous but would do it again

tempo_n_groove

Not too much worrying.  Front gates did their jobs.  Saw a few shirts stating Waxed, Vaxed and ready to party.

RiotZact

tempo_n_groove said:

Saw a few shirts stating Waxed, Vaxed and ready to party.

Ah yes. The ultimate sign of safety.

tempo_n_groove

RiotZact said:

tempo_n_groove said:

Saw a few shirts stating Waxed, Vaxed and ready to party.

Ah yes. The ultimate sign of safety.

Of course.  I felt TOTALLY safe with someone wearing a shirt like that, lol!

OnWis97

I have OCD…which makes everything about Covid more difficult. My greatest fear is being a link in the chain that spreads Covid and kills people. So I have this weird bouncing between fear and the idea that this isn’t going away so I am going to have to live.  I am in Minnesota and have been to a couple of Twins games and one concert at the same ballpark. This was far more stressful because of flying, particularly the idea that I had to fly home afterwards. Probably not the best way to go to a concert. I didn’t handle very well where to stand on the first day and ended up in pretty big crowds, which was stress inducing. I actually purchased a take-home test and tested on Monday evening before flying back and if I’d been positive, I would have had a big mess on my hands but I feel that much sense of responsibility to the world, I guess. My wife thought it was crazy, but she took the test as well and it made me feel better about flying home.

I am glad to hear that a lot of you had IDs checked along with your Covid cards because we had photocopies of our cards and they didn’t check our IDs on either day. I could easily have a photocopy of one of yours and gotten through. I wore my mask part time but didn’t even have it on the entire time I was tightly packed, so it was probably cycling with my anxiety going up and down. Ultimately I enjoyed my time there and enjoyed Pearl Jam and the other people we checked out.  But I am not sure this is the best way for me to go to see concerts. At least at most venues I would not be surrounded by that many people in terms of variety. It would be the same dozen people sitting near me the entire time. It looks like I made it out OK but I still have to deal with the balance of living versus trying to be safe and trying to look out for everybody. My overall enjoyment of the concerts was impacted but not destroyed.

2-feign-reluctance

tempo_n_groove said:

Not too much worrying.  Front gates did their jobs.  Saw a few shirts stating Waxed, Vaxed and ready to party.

lastexitlondon

OnWis97 said:

I have OCD…which makes everything about Covid more difficult. My greatest fear is being a link in the chain that spreads Covid and kills people. So I have this weird bouncing between fear and the idea that this isn’t going away so I am going to have to live.  I am in Minnesota and have been to a couple of Twins games and one concert at the same ballpark. This was far more stressful because of flying, particularly the idea that I had to fly home afterwards. Probably not the best way to go to a concert. I didn’t handle very well where to stand on the first day and ended up in pretty big crowds, which was stress inducing. I actually purchased a take-home test and tested on Monday evening before flying back and if I’d been positive, I would have had a big mess on my hands but I feel that much sense of responsibility to the world, I guess. My wife thought it was crazy, but she took the test as well and it made me feel better about flying home.

I am glad to hear that a lot of you had IDs checked along with your Covid cards because we had photocopies of our cards and they didn’t check our IDs on either day. I could easily have a photocopy of one of yours and gotten through. I wore my mask part time but didn’t even have it on the entire time I was tightly packed, so it was probably cycling with my anxiety going up and down. Ultimately I enjoyed my time there and enjoyed Pearl Jam and the other people we checked out.  But I am not sure this is the best way for me to go to see concerts. At least at most venues I would not be surrounded by that many people in terms of variety. It would be the same dozen people sitting near me the entire time. It looks like I made it out OK but I still have to deal with the balance of living versus trying to be safe and trying to look out for everybody. My overall enjoyment of the concerts was impacted but not destroyed.

Hey man i have ocd . If you ever need a friend.

lexicondevil

I've been feeling pretty free and loose since I've been vaxxed. My neighbor who got J and J  found out his co-worker was positive while he was over at our house partying. We all kinda shit and still kept drinking. He later tested positive and we went through a rollercoaster week waiting to test and get results of our own. We all had the two other vaccines, so that probably was in our favor, but I literally took a sip from his shitty maple pear seltzer. I don't know how I got lucky. This has since made me be a lot more cautious. It is not the same as a little cold when you think of some of the quarantine requirements at jobs when you get Covid. That would have jacked up my sick time and being behind at work let alone my health. I will not attend any show not requiring vax cards. It's just not worth it.

wall232

I've only been doing outdoor activities so was 100% fine with this. We were right next to the back speakers, it was crowded but not shoulder to shoulder. Did see a bunch of people we haven't seen in years, and the instant reaction  is to give them a hug. Probably should've held back on those but it's hard not to. No regrets, and looking forward to Ohana Encore. The flights are another story, I'll be Clorox wiping everything down before taking a seat. Lol 

Loujoe

It's in the air. Wipes dont help that.

Horse2345

lexicondevil said:

I've been feeling pretty free and loose since I've been vaxxed. My neighbor who got J and J  found out his co-worker was positive while he was over at our house partying. We all kinda shit and still kept drinking. He later tested positive and we went through a rollercoaster week waiting to test and get results of our own. We all had the two other vaccines, so that probably was in our favor, but I literally took a sip from his shitty maple pear seltzer. I don't know how I got lucky. This has since made me be a lot more cautious. It is not the same as a little cold when you think of some of the quarantine requirements at jobs when you get Covid. That would have jacked up my sick time and being behind at work let alone my health. I will not attend any show not requiring vax cards. It's just not worth it.

It’s a respiratory virus so nearly impossible to get from shitty seltzer lol

DEGBTI

vaxed and not any more worried about covid than any other virus. That's the beautiful thing about the shot, able to go on with life!

OceansJenny

Loujoe said:

It's in the air. Wipes dont help that.

Yeah I thought we were done sanitizing everything as they determined it not very effective.

WindowPaine

everyone vaccinated/negative yet still afraid?! that seems highly irrational. 

Ledbetterman10

WindowPaine said:

everyone vaccinated/negative yet still afraid?! that seems highly irrational. 

It's sad. This virus is going to control some people's lives for years to come. 

DarthMaeglin

Thanks to everyone for sharing your perspectives, and especially to those who have mentioned doing followup tests after the event. It’s honestly something that hadn’t yet occurred to me for the (hopefully, eventual) Toronto show I still have tickets for, but it’s now something I’m going to plan for, for my peace of mind and those around me (outside of the show). Fully vaccinated (until a booster’s required), so I’m planning on being at the show and will follow all the local measures.