Outdoor concert venues can reopen. So why are live events unlikely in SLO County?
Massive outdoor concerts, like those on the Grandstand Stage at the Mid-State Fair, likely won’t be happening in San Luis Obispo County any time soon.
Despite California’s announcement on March 5 that outdoor concerts can once again take place with safety modifications, some local venue owners say they don’t anticipate booking concert acts, or even some smaller events, this year.
“You really got to be where the society is comfortable being side-by-side,” said Rob Rossi, who owns venues like the Avila Beach Golf Resort and the Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo. “I don’t see people going to weddings or concerts with masks on and having to distance. I just think it would be unmanageable.”
Rossi said he does not anticipate opening up any of his entertainment venues this year.
“I don’t think we’ll really open those aspects up until next year unless we’re really surprised,” he said.
COVID’s impact on live entertainment
The live entertainment industry has been one of those particularly hard hit by the coronavirus.
Soon after the first COVID-19 cases were reported in California in early 2020, public health officials began warning of large group gatherings like concerts, and asking people to stay away in an effort to prevent further spread of the illness.
In fact, almost exactly a year ago this week, San Luis Obispo County entertainment groups began announcing cancellations of their concert and event lineups, as they eyed the worsening pandemic.
This included the temporary shuttering of the Fremont Theater and Performing Arts Center at Cal Poly, and cancellation of major events like the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, Live Oak Musical Festival and even the weekly SLO Farmers Market.
Several of those events and venues have so far been unable to resume operations even this year, though at least some, like the Film Festival, have found creative ways around their obvious coronavirus limitations.
The closures led to a massive decline in work and pay for employees of these and other local entertainment businesses that were unable to operate for most of the past year.
Between just the first and second quarters of 2020, the number of people employed locally in arts, entertainment and recreation professions dropped drastically, according to data California’s Economic Development Department.
In the first quarter of 2020 (January to March), roughly 1,700 people were employed in this field locally, with a three-month payroll of just over $8 million.
Between April and June of that same year, the number of employees was slashed almost in half to 837 people, and the payroll over that time was just about $4.7 million.
Comparatively, during the second half of 2019, arts and entertainment businesses employed about 1,800 people with a three-month payroll of about $8 million, according to the EDD data.
EDD data for the second half of 2020 is not yet available.
Reopening during social distancing isn’t ‘good economics,’ Avila Golf Resort owner says
When the state announced it would be changing its restrictions to allow outdoor concerts to resume with reduced capacity, mandatory masking and other public health precautions as of April 1, many coronavirus-weary and live-entertainment-starved people started looking forward to a not-too-distant future when they could once again gather and performances from their favorite artists.
Logistically, however, outdoor concerts commonly held in SLO County are just about impossible at this time, at least one venue owner says.
“I think they’re going to give lip service to the fact that things can start to open up, but practically speaking, there’s no operational way to even do a wedding with people coming in from elsewhere, and just all the costs and restrictions to do it,” Rossi said.
Under the new guidelines, outdoor concerts are capped in the red tier at 20% capacity, meaning less than a quarter of the previous crowd can be in attendance. Masks are required and concessions would be limited to at-seat sales.
Attendees would also be required to be California residents — no visitors from out of state.
Even if San Luis Obispo County were to progress to other tiers of the blueprint, capacity is still limited.
In the yellow tier, the least restrictive, attendance at outdoor performances would be limited to about two-thirds capacity, or 66.7%.
Rossi said he felt that as long as there are coronavirus restrictions — i.e. as long as the pandemic is ongoing — he thinks it would be difficult to host major events.
“I just think it’s going to be a societal thing where there’s still separation and distance, and that doesn’t make for fun, and it doesn’t make for good economics either,” he said.
Mid-State Fair pursuing ‘some live music’ options
Reduced-capacity concerts likely won’t pencil out for the Mid-State Fair, either, said Tom Keffury, a fair spokesman.
“Large concerts really need to operate at maximum (or near maximum) capacity,” Keffury said in an email. “So, the ability to only have a few hundred people attend a ‘major artist’ concert is really not financially feasible.”
Fair organizers last month set tentative dates for the event — which was canceled in 2020 — for late July and early August. The Paso Robles Event Center is in dire need of income, as the fair accounts for 90% of its yearly revenue.
Keffury said organizers are still planning to hold a modified fair that will likely include 4-H and FFA animal showing and sales, food and beverage offerings, shopping opportunities, the carnival and games and some live music.
But the large concerts that have become the fair’s biggest draw probably won’t be back this year.
“Our fair is known for our live music, and that’s something that we do not want to give up on,” Keffury said. “However, due to our state’s current restrictions, it’s hard to imagine a scenario by which we would be allowed to host 15,000 fans in our Main Grandstand Arena come July.”
One SLO County venue planning summer concerts
At least one SLO County concert venue does appear to be preparing for a possible return to concerts this year.
Vina Robles Amphitheater in Paso Robles is currently advertising and selling tickets for concerts beginning in June with rock band Train.
That concert appears to be a rescheduled event, after Train’s concert at the venue last year was canceled.
A Vina Robles representative declined to comment to The Tribune on the venue’s concert plans, but details on the venue’s website indicate several acts previously scheduled to perform at Vina Robles have confirmed rescheduled concert dates for this summer.
Other upcoming concerts listed on the website include Barenaked Ladies on June 12, Joe Bonamassa on July 31 and funk metal band Primus’ “A Tribute to Kings” on Aug. 6.
All of those are identified as rescheduled concerts from previously planned ones in 2020.
In all of the above cases, Ticketmaster notes that tickets sold in 2020 for the rescheduled concerts will be honored. It is unclear if adjustments to the number of tickets available have been made to adhere to potentially decreased capacity, depending on what tier SLO County is in at the time of the concert.
This story was originally published March 11, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
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