When the COVID-19 outbreak began affecting regular life in 2020 and 2021, it affected numerous sectors worldwide, and one of the most significant impacts was on the live music and concert business. Music festivals and concerts, to a certain extent, have remained very limited for more than a year in many regions, which affected the financial sustainability of artists, crews, venues, and other affiliated industries.
But there is light at the end of the tunnel for concerts and other live music events in the year 2022 and 2023. As more people get vaccinated and the number of coronavirus cases continues to reduce in many countries, measures such as limiting the number of people that can gather and wearing face masks are gradually being lifted. This implies that music lovers can start looking forward to the real prospect of air concert tours coming back shortly.
What Are Air Concert Tours?
Air concert tours pertain to concerts and music festivals that are organized jointly by two or more cities and are accessible by commercial airlines. For instance, a festival occurring in one weekend may feature artists in performing in another state the next weekend, hence, people will buy plane tickets to attend both festivals. The term is coined from the interconnection existing among the host cities through commercial aviation transport networks.
Pre-Pandemic Popularity Multi-location air concerts became more common in the late 2010s as technology advanced and made it possible for artists and concert organizers to arrange for multiple concerts at different locations. The shared lineups and connectivity between host cities were appreciated by die-hard fans who would not mind driving across cities to watch their favorite artists. It also cuts down costs and the effects it has on the environment when compared to organizing two different tours.
Experts in the entertainment industry also forecasted that more multi-market live music concerts would be held in the future before the outbreak of the virus. Since people have been longing to attend live shows, air concert tours can reverse their fortunes when the industry reopens.
Factors Influencing Return Timeline When and how quickly air concert tours might resume depends on a few key factors: When and how quickly air concert tours might resume depends on a few key factors:
Vaccination Rates & Government Restrictions – The vaccination levels are higher in some areas, and the government has relaxed restrictions to admit larger crowds earlier. This means that certain areas and countries can witness large concerts before others.
Comfort Levels of Organizers, Artists & Fans – It might take time for the concert industry to gradually increase capacities even if the government does not limit the numbers. There are still worries regarding the virus's spread, particularly with festival contexts and packed audiences. People and all the stakeholders involved may wait until everybody is immune, and then no one will be afraid to assemble.
State of the Industry & Economy – After months of no revenues due to the pandemic, many favorite locations permanently shut down. People wanted better-paying jobs and artists and crews like directors and lightmen left the industry due to increased unemployment. Using the example of concerts, rebuilding capacity will require time and money, so the crowds in halls may not be as impressive and the grandiosity of the performances may not be what it was before 2020. The funds from corporate sponsorship that festivals depend on were also cut back in the recession, thus delaying the rate of recovery.
When Air Concert Tours Could Reasonably Return
Everyone appears to think alike with regard to the insiders that coming 2022, there will definitely be more noticeable signs of live music shows as vaccines, treatments, and guidelines help to manage the pandemic. But we might not get back to the maximum level of utilization for tentpole events like air concert tours until 2023 or beyond.
The first half of 2022 is expected to be mainly club shows and theater concerts, while the audience numbers will gradually rise in spring and summer. This will assist venues, planners, and patrons to gradually build up their confidence and return to mass events without any fear of being infected.
In case the number of cases is low after the festival circuit of 2022 and there are widespread vaccine booster shots for new strains, air concert tours should be fully backed by 2023. More adventurous ones will probably even try somewhat reduced air tours at the end of the year 2022.
In Which Cities Might We See Early Tours?
It is reasonable to predict that air concert tours will first pop up between major cities with high vaccination rates, established entertainment infrastructure, and experience hosting big events: It is reasonable to predict that air concert tours will first pop up between major cities with high vaccination rates, established entertainment infrastructure, and experience hosting big events:
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New York and Los Angeles
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London & Manchester
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Barcelona & Madrid
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Amsterdam & Paris
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Mexico City and Guadalajara
Domestic partnerships also minimize concerns about differences in international traveling protocols, caps, vaccine certificates, etc., which may affect which cities come together for initial cross-border activations.
However, other player contenders with similar positive tourism records and a relatively faster vaccination rollout, such as Sydney, Stockholm, Dublin, and Toronto, might also host the first air tours. The above list of potential launch hosts is rather extensive, as so many global cities are interconnected via efficient transit links.
Who Might Headline These Tours?
Considering the amount of time it takes recruiting talents, securing venues, obtaining permits, and advertising across various places, the first realizable air concert tours most probably will not include shock final minute inclusions or bands and artists who are touring for their last time. In practice, the first wave of pandemic recovery air tours will be led by pop stars and genres popular among youth, who are less likely to get involved.
So the early lineups are probably going to be full of present-day mainstream pop artists such as Billie Eilish, Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Megan Thee Stallion, BTS, Bad Bunny, Post Malone, etc We would pay money just for the opportunity to hear these artists try to work feelings of gratitude for being back on stage into their show!
However, there is no doubt that 2023 and 2024 will witness all age groups and genres of music coming to the air tour model to compensate for the lost two years of interacting with the fans. In the end, the singer said Concert Tour Return Come will be back with a vengeance in the coming months and years.
