If you're a music fan who is really missing the buzz of gigs right now, unfortunately the forecast is looking pretty grim.
Last week, the government issued a ban on mass gatherings of over 5000 people until at least September.
That meant that the Irish summer festival season was pretty much wiped off the calendar for 2020.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_R9t53HEC3/
With that in mind, we thought we'd run a poll to see a) whether people would happily attend a gig with a capacity of less than 5000 people this summer and b) when people would feel comfortable about attending a gig in the future.
More than half of those polled (51%) said that they would not attend a gig this summer, even if the capacity was reduced. 32% said they would happily attend a gig, while 17% said they would consider it - but only if it was outdoors.
Meanwhile, the outlook for what lies ahead seems a little less promising and must prove particularly worrying for promoters and bands who are eager to pick up where they left off.
god I miss gigs so much :( I just want to feel my feet peel off of a sticky dance floor one more time 😭
— JACK SAUNDERS (@jackxsaunders) April 10, 2020
Although numerous events have been rescheduled to later this year, our poll results suggest that a majority of people (44%) would not feel comfortable about going to a gig until a vaccine for Covid-19 is discovered - whenever that may be.
25% say that they would feel comfortable once the government ban is lifted, while 18% said they would happily go to a gig tomorrow, if they could. 13% did not specify a timeframe.
Of course, this poll is far from scientific and is only a small sample of a few hundred entertainment.ie users. Even so, if it's indicative of the general mood regarding live events, we might be waiting a bit longer than expected to see our favourite bands and artists playing live again - at least touring bands and artists. If punters aren't willing to show up, it doesn't make financial sense to put on a gig.
However, it means that whenever things do get back to 'normal', that first gig will be all the more special.