Poll: How Do You Feel About Vaccine Mandates for Concerts?
Once upon a time, the medical necessity of vaccinations was something we generally didn’t question. Then Jenny McCarthy came along and here we are: in 2021, no topic is more divisive than the COVID-19 vaccine. It seems as though half of the adult population of the United States recognizes vaccination as a way of ending an eighteen-month-long global pandemic and saving scores of lives, while the other half of the adult population of the United States has lost its goddamn mind.
As a result, we’re about to enter the era of vaccine mandates — and not just for employers. Bands like the Foo Fighters already require fans to show proof of vaccination in order to attend shows; by early October, the two biggest event promoters in the country, Live Nation and AEG, will follow suit, and Danny Wimmer Presents is putting the same prerequisite in place for its three big fall festivals (although they’ll also accept a recent negative test result).
Meanwhile, artists such as Madball and Chelsea Grin vocalist Tom Barber have said they outright refuse to play at any shows that require proof of vaccination. Their argument is that vaccine mandates force people to reveal sensitive private medical information, which is such a nonsensical position it’s hard not to see it as anything other than a ploy not alienate conspiracy theorist fans who think the vaccine gives you Verizon Fios and the shingles (or whatever it is they’re saying this week).
And so we ask you, our beloved readers — how do you feel about having to show proof of vaccination to attend shows? Is it a mild inconvenience for the greater good, or inarguable proof that the United States has turned into the Fourth Reich? Cast your vote below!
