Mass Live Concert offers a glimpse of music in the post-pandemic era

Photographer: Angel Garcia / Bloomberg

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While the musicians stroke the first chords on their electric guitars, the singer takes the stage, grabs the microphone and shouts, “All the fools were there at the concert, from the great mind reader from Dublin.”

At his feet, 5,000 electrified fans sing, jump and dance on the indie pop hit. It could be any Saturday night gig in 2019 were it not for the masks, disinfectant scent and tickets to be a Covid-19 negative test.

“Don’t take off your masks, because the success of live music in Europe and the world depends on this concert tonight,” says singer Santi Balmes between songs. Before the music started, giant screens showed videos of doctors encouraging people to follow the rules.

The audience, staff and band – Love of Lesbian – are part of a mass experiment that organizers say is the biggest concert without social distancing from the coronavirus era. Saturday’s event in Barcelona offers a glimpse of what mass gatherings might look like long after the pandemic subsided.

“If we can prove that you can gather 5,000 people with quick tests, we’ll open the door to do a lot more things,” said Gemma Recoder, one of the organizers and the director of the Canet Rock festival. “It’s an important step, not just for live music, but for everything else from conferences to sporting events.”

To get in, you couldn’t just come to Sant Jordi stadium a few minutes before the start and get a ticket at the door. Fans had to download an app on the day of the concert, enter their contact details and set aside a time for a quick Covid test.

People who tested negative were given a code to access the building, while those who tested positive were given a refund. Inside, masks were required and the audience was divided into three areas with about 1,600 people.

The event was organized by the organizers of some of Spain’s largest music festivals, including Sonar, Primavera Sound and Cruilla Barcelona Festival, in collaboration with regional health authorities, doctors and epidemiologists from Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol in the nearby town of Badalona.

It follows a test concert in Barcelona in December with 500 people. Preparations for the second phase took months, Recoder said, and included following advice on health protocols and a renovation of the stadium’s air ventilation equipment.

“The air you breathe inside now has the same quality as the air outside,” said Jordi Herreruela, an organizer and director of Cruilla Barcelona Festival. “Doctors tell us it might be safer to be at the concert than to walk on the street because we’ve created a hygiene bubble that we know everyone is being tested.”

Data from those in attendance has been crossed with data from public health authorities, so if someone tests positive during the two weeks after the concert, the organizers will know.