TempleLive in Fort Smith, Arkansas has announced that Bishop Gunn frontman Travis McCready will perform at the venue on May 15. The concert is likely to be the first live concert performed to an audience in the U.S. since the spread of the novel coronavirus decimated the touring industry as large gatherings across the country were banned.
The venue’s 1,100-person maximum capacity has been reduced to 229 seats, separated into what Ticketmaster is calling “fan pods,” which are rows of 2-12 tickets sold in groups at least six feet apart, with the intention of isolating separate groups of people. All attendees are required to have their temperature taken upon entry and wear face masks, which will be sold at the event. A 10-person limit will be enforced in each bathroom.
The concert does not appear to adhere to Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson’s directive that limits audience sizes at venues to 50 people. The directive is intended to be implemented on May 18, three days after McCready’s scheduled performance in Fort Smith. Pitchfork has reached out to representatives at TempleLive.
Neighboring state Missouri became the first state in the U.S. to reopen live events amid the coronavirus pandemic on Monday (May 4), though the mayors of Missouri’s major cities St. Louis, Springfield, and Kansas City declared that the cities’ stay home orders will remain intact.
Read Pitchfork’s “Updated List of Tours and Festivals Canceled or Postponed Due to COVID-19.”