Zac Brown Band has been one of the most impacted artists in the wake of the coronavirus, having cancelled the entirety of their 2020 tour schedule and laying off 90 percent of their road crew. Now, the group’s frontman and namesake is speaking out on how they are coping with the latest developments and when fans can expect to see them on the road again.
“This is really strange circumstances because normally under pressure entertainment and music always survives,” Zac Brown told CNN on Monday. “People want to feel good. They wanna come out and see music and we wanna be able to be there as a beacon to help remind them that everything is going to be OK during hard times, but this has been crippling because people can’t gather together.”
Brown noted that layoffs to his crew members was particularly difficult, given their long-running employment and relationship with the band.
“You know, keeping everybody safe is priority one,” the Grammy winner said. “It has been really hard. I absolutely adore all the people that work with us and this is the first time that I’ve not been able to provide for them. Not be able to provide them with employment and keep them on. I operate a lot differently than most people. Most people just hire the role for the time they are touring and then [they are] off. But the majority of my people are salary all year.”
As for the group’s now-scrapped Owl Tour and Roar With The Lions Tour, the frontman noted that they are not overly eager to get back to touring out of safety precautions. He claimed that a spring 2021 outing could be likely, but not something that fans can expect in the near future.
The back-to-back tours were scheduled in support of Zac Brown Band’s 2019 release The Owl.