Dave Grohl with Foo Fighters. Live @ Madison Square Garden , NYC (Photo: Paul Bachmann)
Foo Fighters gig-goers needed proof of vaccination, while Download attendees were required to pass a COVID lateral flow test.
New York and the UK hosted some big events during the weekend as live music continued to take steps towards a return.
Madison Square Garden welcomed 15,000 fans as Dave Grohl and co. brought out Dave Chapelle for a cover of Radiohead’s Creep during a typically greatest hits-filled set – it took place yesterday evening (June 20th) as the Download Pilot was wrapping up its final day after a weekend with 10,000 fans at Donington Park and performances from the likes of Frank Carter and Enter Shikari.
Melvin Benn, who as director of Festival Republic has been perhaps the most prominent voice for the UK’s live music response to the pandemic, has told the PA that the event’s success proves some kind of normality can be achieved this summer.
“What is extraordinary about it is the level of compliance around the testing and requirements we have is absolutely extraordinary,” he said.
“In a way that you would expect when you are in the middle or towards the tail end of a pandemic, that level of compliance is extraordinary.”