Jason Isbell had no choice but to cancel his concert in Texas as the venue cannot comply with his desired health and safety standards amid the pandemic.
Ahead of its scheduled gig in Texas, Isbell made it clear that he would require his fans and attendees to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test. He set the requirements as live performing after a year is fearful to some.
The fact that one wrong move could send everyone back into lockdown also caused him to set such standards.
"It's been a truly cathartic and joyful experience to see people return to shows again, and we are committed to doing everything in our power to keep the crowds safe during this time," the statement read.
However, his record label, Southeastern Labels, announced that the singer will not push through his performance as the venue allegedly did not want to comply with his desire.
Jason Isbell, Venue Staff Had Misunderstanding?
After the release of the decision, the venue, Cynthia Woods Mitchell, released a statement (via Fox News) to clarify that it supported Isbell's decision. It added that the real issue was the timing of the new health and safety guidelines.
"We are all on the same page here and we agree with what Jason Isbell would like to implement, but there is a timing issue," it said. "To implement a major change in policy such as what is requested will take more time than we have."
Still, Isbell hit back and said that the venue's statement was false. He explained that the ticket promoter, Live Nation, informed the venue weeks ago but refused to implement the policy.
While other people slammed him for allegedly sending a short notice, some people noted that the involved individuals have the right to cancel the event, not to attend the event, or require everyone to comply with the standards.
As of the writing, the U.S. sees an uptrend again due to the spread of COVID-19's Delta Variant. The cases peaked again this month, having 155,576 new cases as of August 11 with a 7-day average of 124,234.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Delta is currently the predominant strain of the virus in the country. It is highly contagious as previous variants, and unvaccinated people are currently at high risk.
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