Chiff and Fipple Forums

pancelticpiper wrote: ↑Sat Apr 17, 2021 6:15 am

Katharine wrote: ↑Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:02 am ...people are going to flock to any events there are, and unless they have a cutoff for how many people they allow there are going to be big crowds...

I would have thought so too, but oddly enough ONE festival that was held last year, in October, was very poorly attended. It sort of snowballed, because when X number of participants in a particular sub-event cancelled their trips the organisers had to cancel that sub-event, and the more sub-events that got cancelled the more participants in other sub-events dropped out. I think it ended up being a few members of the General Public walking around with nothing to do, see, or hear.

I wonder if it depends on the area? What I keep hearing about events is that they're packed with people (and what I have to assume is that if this is an unusual number in attendance, that many of the people aren't the ones who would normally go and just go because it's something... anything... to do...).

Mid-April > Many larger folk festivals in Canada that I'm monitoring have indicated either a full cancellation of the 2021 event or some idea that they're going to try some kind of altered performance/attendance situation IF POSSIBLE, with details as yet to be figured out/announced. That gives them a few months yet to monitor the COVID situation, vaccination rate in their region, health authority coaching and depending on the balance of all factors to consider, maybe attempt some live performance situations in some manner.

I'm guessing that for any festival before the end of August 2021, attendance would have to be quite minimal and masks and social distancing highly enforced (no joke), with no alcohol served on site (I'd highly recommend!). There are some possibilities: live performance with maybe 20% capacity attendance and live broadcasts of the events with paid viewing (and some free viewing as teasers to show a taste of what the festival is about!). That would give them some kind of alternate extended income, and allow vastly expanded viewership of the artists (who'd greatly appreciate THAT!) and appreciation of the festival. Another possibility with using online broadcasts is that the timing can be expanded, so a festival could expand it's timing from being one weekend to perhaps being two or three weekends, as a SERIES of live stage events, with much less effort, cost and real estate needed to be used, more live venue and indoor activity, more easily controlled and protected environments used with far more reliable results. No rain, no cold, no heat waves, and perfect lighting. A festival could shift from being set in a large park, to being a collection of live performance venues functioning as that one festival.

Who here has NOT yet attended any music festivals in person, or has, but only saw a few acts and then had to leave, and would have preferred to stay to see 20 or 30 acts!

Imagine the 2021 music festival of your choice(s) being available as a live event online. To me, being there in person, for live music performance, is very important, for many aspects of live musician experience and the experience of mingling with hundreds if not thousands of people all digging the music. And buying some music I've just heard, and a meal or three, and a shirt. I love that environment, it's extremely invigorating and the music variety and quality is usually stunning too. But with the COVID pandemic, getting past the restrictions with full safety measures in place securely, means either full cancel of some kind of greatly altered delivery. The timing just sucks, but it's something to adapt to and work with.

Online concerts and festivals will be de rigeur for the forseeable I imagine. In Ireland anyway. Level 5 restrictions have been eased slightly to allow travel within a county outside the 5km range we've been locked into these past four months.

There was a brief easing late last summer. I was at the premiere of Duala, Jack Talty and Maurice Gunning's film and the week after that a concert (in the same room) by Laoise Ni Cheallaigh and Aisling Lyons. All very socially distanced and masked and safe. It was awkward and not really conducive to socialising and hanging around so it was in and out without much of the fringe benefits of live music. It was a mixed blessing. Within a week or two lockdown was tightened again and other concerts I was looking forward to went on the long finger once again.

There are plenty of attempts to hold concerts, music, theatre, festivals online with a fee attached this sort of thing but I don't fancy that at all (and not just because of the limitations of rural West Clare's broadband connections). I was commissioned to do a video for Na Piobairi Uilleann's Piping in the Parlour series and found it awkward to the extreme to sit in the room talking into a microphone with nobody around. It's not a happy medium, as far as I am concerned.

Willie Clancy 2021 will again be 'virtual' too.

We'll have to weather it but I can't see the end. Maybe next year?

On the positive side, the cuckoo was calling on the mountain for the first time this morning, hot on the heels of the swallows that arrived over the weekend. The cycle of life is still going.

Ah, the mhéar fhada

Ní bhíonn in aon rud ach seal!

Bob

the mhéar fhada

Farce majeure.

I was looking back on my earlier posts on this thread. Perhaps the yo-yo effect of restrictions easing and tightening a again is wearing me down. Last summer was relatively good and then we were shut down again for autumn. We had about a week before christmas when restrictions were eased, maybe two. Then the whole thing went completely out of controlwith a new variant from the uk (b117), resulting in a very tight lockdown that has lasted since and is only very slightly easing now. Between vaccinations and restrictions numbers are lower again but then there's spring, it was very busy at the seasides last weekend, almost uncomfortably so, fueled by less severe travel restrictions. People on the move and raring to go out and meet. You can't but wonder about how this could be setting up a fourth wave of infections. It's hard to entertain any thoughts about live music, let alone festivals.

From what I’ve read, a big issue is it’s not possible to buy any insurance products for festivals/events against cancellation due to covid restrictions in the U.K. at the moment.

The result is, despite a high percentage of the U.K. population now having covid antibodies, more and more festivals are deciding to cancel all 2021 events (seems to be snowballing in the last few weeks), as they can’t face the financial risk if the government decides on new restrictions down the line, due to any rise in covid transmission.

There’s been a proposal that the government should back festival/event insurance due to covid but this hasn’t been taken up so far (I can imagine would be complicated to put in place).

So far the Feile an Phobail is still going ahead here in Belfast, they have just advertised it the last few days as the most exclusive in 33 years. It's in August, it seems that it will be going ahead (all being well), don't know how they will work it with social distance and alcohol etc. its in the local park and usually in a huuuuge tent.

Here in California, and from what I heard in New York (the two worst-off places in the USA and the ones with the tightest restrictions) the various vaccines are now fully available with no-appointment/walk-ups suddenly appearing.

As late as a month ago people in this county were getting appointments in other counties and driving an hour or two for the vaccine due to it being very scarce here.

In a month or two we will be to the point where the only unvaccinated people will be the ones who don't want it. Estimates vary from 60% to 70% of the population needs to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity.

pancelticpiper wrote: ↑Sun Apr 25, 2021 6:57 am Here in California, and from what I heard in New York (the two worst-off places in the USA and the ones with the tightest restrictions) the various vaccines are now fully available with no-appointment/walk-ups suddenly appearing.

As late as a month ago people in this county were getting appointments in other counties and driving an hour or two for the vaccine due to it being very scarce here.

In a month or two we will be to the point where the only unvaccinated people will be the ones who don't want it. Estimates vary from 60% to 70% of the population needs to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity.

That is the problem with Michigan, as well. I was hearing that people were having a hard time getting vaccinated, even going to other states. Our numbers are low in terms of percentage of people vaccinated 34% right now), yet 2-3 weeks ago we were among the worst in the country for cases. I was looking at the numbers think I (as a young-ish, healthy person) would wait a bit until all of the older people, those with illnesses or disabilities, those who work public-facing or otherwise-high-risk jobs, etc. could get vaccinated. Then on Friday a coworker told me a lot of places couldn't get people to sign up, and started seeing news stories to the same effect. I got home from work that night and signed up, was able to get in yesterday (then as I was waiting at the pharmacy after my shot, I was chatting with one of the employees as he stocked shelves and he said on Friday they'd had 8 people not show up for their appointments and they couldn't get anyone to take those vaccines. Wish I'd known that-- I would've just gone over Friday night and taken one off their hands right then so it didn't go to waste).

Katharine wrote: ↑Sun Apr 25, 2021 3:25 pm I was looking at the numbers think I (as a young-ish, healthy person) would wait a bit until all of the older people, those with illnesses or disabilities, those who work public-facing or otherwise-high-risk jobs, etc. could get vaccinated.

I was thinking along the same lines (as an old-ish, could-be-healthier person), because I reasoned that all things considered, for me to hold off would be the ethical thing. But it became unavoidably clear to me that this is a public health issue first, and in a pandemic, herd immunity is not served by picking and choosing. Get your shots as soon as you can, folks.

My wife and I have both had our second shots and our daughter, 16, gets hers on Saturday morning. We live in a county with very high vaccine acceptance rate, and our state as a whole is at about 45% vaccinated.

It's hard at this point to know what this is going to mean. All the local festivals this summer are set for virtual. Between people refusing the vaccine and the alarming variants, it's not clear when or even if normal returns. I have research to do that I've been putting off for for more than a year because all the archives are closed. They're still all closed. We're vaccinated, but still wearing masks. We have tentative plans to go out to a restaurant next week, first time in 14 months. But who wants to be in a bar sitting near the flute player? (even under the best circumstances )

Was talking to the neighbour on the road this morning. 'We won't be having any tunes any time soon', he said after we discussed the vaccination schedule (I signed up on Friday, which was as early as possible for my age group, and am awaiting the appointment for the first shot). That just about sums up the situation. Things are once again easing up slightly, some shops may even open later in May. Still not sure this isn't setting up the next wave'

For the moment the weather is nice though and we can go outside our 5km circle for walks and all that. Walked the Cliffs of Moher on Saturday, which was a delight without the tourists spilling out of the tourbusses. Whistleplayer 'Timber' Tony was in his usual busking spot, playing for the few people around and one of the rangers was doing a leisurely round followed by a murder of crows who were clearly expecting him to have a bit of food to share.

Mr.Gumby wrote: ↑Mon Apr 26, 2021 7:08 am Whistleplayer 'Timber' Tony was in his usual busking spot, playing for the few people around

Speaking of Timber Tony, Eoin O'Neill has just posted a podcast 4/18 with Timber Tony. I've enjoyed each of the podcasts here.

https://eoinoneillpodcast.podbean.com/

ytliek wrote: ↑Mon Apr 26, 2021 8:26 am
Speaking of Timber Tony, Eoin O'Neill has just posted a podcast 4/18 with Timber Tony. I've enjoyed each of the podcasts here.

Timber Tony was a wild man when I first came across him during the eighties. Best leave it at that,

Nanohedron wrote: ↑Sun Apr 25, 2021 3:49 pm

Katharine wrote: ↑Sun Apr 25, 2021 3:25 pm I was looking at the numbers think I (as a young-ish, healthy person) would wait a bit until all of the older people, those with illnesses or disabilities, those who work public-facing or otherwise-high-risk jobs, etc. could get vaccinated.

I was thinking along the same lines (as an old-ish, could-be-healthier person), because I reasoned that all things considered, for me to hold off would be the ethical thing. But it became unavoidably clear to me that this is a public health issue first, and in a pandemic, herd immunity is not served by picking and choosing. Get your shots as soon as you can, folks.

Once I saw that it seemed everyone who wanted one in high-risk categories had been able to get it, I agree and I was happy to have a needle stuck into my arm. However, having been reading the stories about people scrambling to get it... desperately getting onto every waiting list they could, trying to go to other states, hanging around pharmacies at closing time hoping they'd have extra doses, recruiting friends to help them find out about openings or additional waiting lists... and having friends who are older, have illnesses, are disabled, work at grocery stores... hearing about the disproportionally-high number of cases in Detroit where people are more likely to be working customer-service jobs and may not have a choice about taking the bus... there was no way I wanted to take a dose from someone else in the early days.

PB+J wrote: ↑Mon Apr 26, 2021 3:46 am My wife and I have both had our second shots and our daughter, 16, gets hers on Saturday morning. We live in a county with very high vaccine acceptance rate, and our state as a whole is at about 45% vaccinated.

It's hard at this point to know what this is going to mean. All the local festivals this summer are set for virtual. Between people refusing the vaccine and the alarming variants, it's not clear when or even if normal returns. I have research to do that I've been putting off for for more than a year because all the archives are closed. They're still all closed. We're vaccinated, but still wearing masks. We have tentative plans to go out to a restaurant next week, first time in 14 months. But who wants to be in a bar sitting near the flute player? (even under the best circumstances )

Yes, even once I'm fully vaccinated, I'm not going to be changing much. Not until we know more about what's going on. And, the fewer people who take the vaccination, the longer this will last. I too wonder if things will ever "go back to normal." There are many activities I miss, and I'll be sad if I never get to do them again.

And for me, I don't want to get even "a mild case" of this. I have a close family history of autoimmune diseases and am terrified of developing same myself since I spent most of my life seeing how much hell that family member's life became, so getting an illness that can cause an immune system over-response is not on my list of things I want to do. I also have at least one friend who had a "mild case" but weeks later is still tired, having difficulty breathing with exercise, has "brain fog," etc. And I still do not want to inadvertently infect anyone else. I will pass on going to restaurants, going to dance class, being unmasked in close proximity to other people, etc. for a while.