With COVID-19 cases lowering, concerts have become much more popular. People feel comfortable removing their masks and being in close proximity with a large crowd. Considering the emergence of the newest strain of COVID-19 named “XE,” precautions still need to be taken in order to ensure public safety. This new strain is stronger and more contagious than previous strains which makes super-spreader events like concerts, unsafe. 

When attending a concert, you are forced to be shoulder to shoulder with the people around you. With the massive amounts of fans at these concerts, germs are very prevalent. Standing so close to these people, and being unmasked on top of that, ensures that illnesses spread throughout the crowd at a very fast rate. 

Some concerts do in fact have COVID-19 safety procedures, such as requiring masks or showing proof of vaccination. However, once the concert starts, many people disregard these procedures entirely. Caution is thrown to the wind and people take off their masks, cough openly, and generally forget about COVID-19 safety. People are getting used to not wearing masks anymore, so they may be openly putting others at risk.

On average, concert attendance ranges anywhere from 500–15,000 people. These numbers constitute those of a super-spreader event, which can be extremely dangerous. At these events, COVID-19 cases have the chance of running rampant. Indoor concerts, especially with such a high magnitude of people, pose serious risks due to the lack of air flow and ventilation. Outdoor concerts are a safer option, but still pose risks of their own.

Finally, physical safety is an aspect that needs to be taken into consideration. For example, at the Astrofest concert held by Travis Scott in 2021, there was a large, prolonged, crowd surge that resulted in the death of 9 people. Countless others sustained serious injuries and were trampled by the aggressive crowd. This has not been the only concert containing dangerous moshing that injured the fans.

Considering the fact that concerts are inevitable and are going to continue to happen, the best and safest option for concerts is to have an outdoor venue and require masks. Though this may not be fool proof, it is the safest method for concerts at this time.