Morgan Wallen, Chase Rice & More Call For Live Shows To Return Following Massive Weekend Gatherings
Mass gatherings at football games and various election celebrations over the weekend had several country music artists calling out COVID-19…
Morgan Wallen; Photo by ANdrew Wendowski, Screen Shot via Instagram
Mass gatherings at football games and various election celebrations over the weekend had several country music artists calling out COVID-19 restrictions that have halted large concerts around the country and declaring that they are ready to book shows in light of recent events.
Morgan Wallen, Florida Georgia Line’s Brian Kelley, Chris Lane, Chase Rice and Scotty McCreery were among the artists who took to social media to share their thoughts on the matter.
“The hypocrisy is unreal,” Wallen wrote on Instagram, along with footage of a crowd at Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C.
“Time to start booking shows…If you don’t agree with me, fine. We can still be friends,” he continued. “But I have a family, band, and crew that need to be provided for and taken care of. If it’s OK for us to party in the streets with no ‘social distancing’ then we can book shows right now.”
Rice shared his thoughts on Twitter, writing, “Also, glad to see thousands gathering again, cool, glad that’s happening, concerts can resume.” His tweet received thousands of likes and hundreds of responses.
Lane and McCreery shared similar posts via Instagram stories, while Kelley was a bit more detailed in his response.
“[I] knew we were waiting on the election since March when this (expletive) show started,” Kelley wrote.
“Time to go back to work AMERICA. Booking shows ASAP.”
Shortly after Kelley’s post to Instagram, Tyler Hubbard, the other half of Florida Georgia Line, revealed he had tested positive for the virus and is asymptomatic. Now, the duo is unable to perform at Wednesday’s CMA Awards.
As of Monday afternoon, 10 million people in the United States have been infected with COVID-19, according to CNN. Cases of the coronavirus continue to rise in 43 states around the country.
There was some good news released on Monday, however, as drugmaker Pfizer suggested that its COVID-19 vaccine is 90% effective in preventing the disease in early trials.
Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.
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