Music fans who are ready to take in a concert will likely have to wait a little longer to see some of their favorite artists – especially for national touring acts and shows scheduled in large arenas or stadiums.
The much-anticipated reunion tour for the New Jersey band My Chemical Romance has been put off for another year until September 2022. It is the second postponement of two concerts originally scheduled for 2020.
Country superstar Kenny Chesney delayed his show scheduled for this summer at MetLife Stadium for a second time.
These delays are due to the uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated health concerns, as well as capacity limits in the venues, which can vary from state to state.
“We really can’t do tours, so to speak, like we did pre-COVID,” says concert promoter Rob Albanese.
Albanese books many shows in New Jersey and elsewhere in the U.S. He says that the ability to hold safe concerns at full capacity is essential.
“We need to work with a full house. Really I think each and every promoter would agree with me on that,” he says.
Albanese is offering smaller, socially distanced shows including upcoming Motown and Doo Wop concerts at the Carteret Performing Arts Center. But he says that it will take some time before New Jerseyans can enjoy concerts like they used to.