A concert in Germany planned with Bryan Adams as one of the main acts has been moved to late autumn, rescheduled from its planned September 4th date. Despite extensive hygiene and safety plans from event and arena organizers, local authorities decided that increased coronavirus cases in the area necessitated the delay.
“The health and safety of our fans, artists and employees is our top priority. Whilst we understand that the situation is constantly evolving, we are still of the opinion that our catalog of measures offers comprehensive protection,” promoter Marek Lieberberg said of the event, which was scheduled for Merkur Spiel-Arena Dusselforf.
He expressed his conviction that live music events would take place at full capacity in the not-too-distant future, “because it is not possible to suppress the desire of fans and artists in the long run! The Düsseldorf model is and remains the right concept for a gradual return to normality. This is what the 150,000 suspended employees of this highly diverse and vital industry in Germany, tens of thousands of artists and millions of music lovers are waiting for.”
Reportedly, more than half of the 12,000 tickets available for the performance have already been sold, with fans expected to be refunded due to the postponement.
Germany has been largely successful in its slowing of the spread of coronavirus cases, knocking its seven day new case average down below 1,000 in early May after seeing numbers peak at a 5,837 average in early April. Numbers have been nudging upwards since early July, however, moving back above 1,000 on August 13th and standing at 1,352 as of August 25, per tracking at worldometers.info.
Adams was set to perform at the September 4 show, joined by acts including Sarah Connor, Rea Garvey, The BossHoss, Michael Mittermeier, and Joris. The 54,000 capacity outdoor stadium was to be outfitted to safely host less than 25 percent of that capacity by organizers.
Photo: Bryan Adams performs in Germany in 2007. Credit – Marco Maas (via Flickr)