Safety experts have warned that mosh pits and crowd-surfing could jeopardise the safety of gig-goers when live shows eventually return.
Concerts and festivals around the world have been cancelled or postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak this year, including Glastonbury’s 50th anniversary edition, Rage Against The Machine’s reunion tour and My Chemical Romance’s first UK dates since getting back together.
Nonprofit organisation Event Safety Alliance (ESA) has published new guidance this week on how to keep fans and venue employees safe when gigs return — but it includes a temporary ban on moshing and crowdsurfing, as Alternative Press reports.
The new guide from the ESA contains a series of suggestions to help venues eventually reopen when the pandemic ends. It was created after ESA members Steven Adelman and Jacob Worek spoke to over 300 promoters, caterers, Ticketmaster employees and workers who run gigs across the US.
The guide also provides advice on how to handle illness among guests, sanitising venues and ensuring the health of employees by staggering gig entry times and making all merchandise purchases contactless.
The guide, which can be accessed here, states: “A few obvious changes will be necessary whenever GA events do reopen. Patrons cannot all stand at the front of the stage like they are accustomed; moshing and crowdsurfing are violations of social distancing per se and must be absolutely prohibited during this pandemic.”
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It comes amid claims that concert promoters Live Nation are preparing to test a series of crowdless gigs and drive-in concerts in an effort to create safe opportunities for live music to return.
Drive-in and socially distanced concerts have already been held in Denmark, Sweden and Germany, with a club in the latter country recently holding a drive-in rave.
A series of experts have predicted that gigs are unlikely to return until 2021.