Live Nation aiming to resume concerts at "full scale" in 2021 and discuss plans for drive-in, crowdless gigs

Live Nation President Michael Rapino discusses the future of concerts and festivals following their global halt since the coronavirus crisis.

Concert promoter Live Nation has said they are planning to resume concerts at "full scale" in 2021, after the spread of coronavirus stopped live shows across the world.

All major concerts and festivals have been cancelled or postponed since late March due to the pandemic, including Glastonbury on its 50th anniversary year.

Live Nation President and CEO Michael Rapino said they are now looking at ways to resume concerts in a limited and scaled-down capacity over the next six months, with the aim of getting back to “full scale” at the start of 2021.

In a call with investors, Variety quotes Rapino as saying: “Whether it’s in Arkansas or [another] state that is safe, secure and politically fine to proceed in, we’re going to dabble in fan-less concerts with broadcasts and reduced-capacity shows, because we can make the math work."

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He continued: “We think in the fall, if there are no second hotspots, you’ll see markets around the world [reopening] — Europe, specifically, has talked about opening up 5000-plus [gatherings] in September."

In the meantime, Live Nation is testing crowdless gigs and drive-in concerts, something that is already happening on a small scale in Denmark and Germany, with a club in the latter country recently holding a drive-in rave.

Rapino explained: “Over the summer there will be testing happening, whether it’s fan-less concerts, which offer great broadcast opportunities and are really important for our sponsorship business; drive-in concerts, which we’re going to test and roll out and we’re having some success with; or reduced-capacity festival concerts, which could be outdoors in a theatre on a large stadium floor, where there’s enough room to be safe.

“We have all of these plans in place depending on the market and where that local city may sit in their reopening phases.”