Vaccinations against COVID officially began in the UK on Tuesday (12/8), and the US likely won't be far behind; President Elect Joe Biden has vowed to distribute 100 million doses during his first 100 days in office. More people being inoculated is promising news for the live music industry, which, after being the first to close down, will be among the last to reopen from coronavirus lockdown. Live Nation president Joe Berchtold was optimistic about prospects for 2021 in a recent appearance on CNBC's Squawk Alley, as Live for Live Music reports. He said that he expects major concerts, amphitheater shows included, to be back by Summer 2021, with no socially distancing necessary.
"We feel very good right now," Berchtold said. "At this point, given the vaccine news, we start to see with much greater clarity what the path to return to live is, and certainly a lot of confidence about that return to live. At this point, on a global basis, we’re already starting to see in Asia some shows coming back, New Zealand operating at full capacity, other Asian markets that have made more progress are getting back more quickly."