USA Today (08/09/21) McClellan, Jennifer
Live Nation Entertainment said it will allow artists who want to require vaccination or proof of negative coronavirus tests for audiences and staff at their shows to do so, although no acts have so far announced such mandates. "We believe this is a great model, and we have already implemented this successfully at many major shows including Lollapalooza," said Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino in a note to employees. "We know people are eager to return to live events and we hope these measures encourage even more people to get vaccinated. That is the number one thing anyone can do to take care of those around them and we are encouraging as many shows as possible to adopt this model." Live Nation CFO Joe Berchtold declared in an Aug. 3 earnings call that Lollapalooza's entry mandates were "a great signal in terms of people's commitment and support of being vaccinated in order to go to these shows," and reflected a "shift" in the industry toward such safeguards. However, Live Nation and artists can make vaccines mandatory only where it is legally allowed, which means such requirements cannot be enforced at venues operated in states where governors and lawmakers have banned mandates on masks and vaccines. Rapino said Live Nation will require all its U.S. employees to be vaccinated to enter "one of our events, venues, or offices — with limited exceptions as may be required by law" starting Oct. 4.
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