Amy Shark and other musicians have criticised the Queensland Premier for attending a rugby match while live music restrictions continue.
What’s objectively safer? A live festival where people congregate to celebrate the talents and arts of the music industry, or a rugby match where bodies slam into each other and teammates inevitably hug and cheer and sing at the end?
Given that music festivals, live gigs and concerts offer similar physical interactions as in a sport context, then why continue to restrict them?
For context, proud Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk posted a picture of herself celebrating her state’s win in the Super Rugby Grand Final on May 8, with a crowd that she boasted was 41,637.
Members of the state’s live music community were quick to point out the ongoing restrictions on capacity and the viability of large scale performances.
“I wish you’d support the music industry like this @AnnastaciaMP we need help x” fellow Queenslander Amy Shark posted in reply.
https://twitter.com/amyshark/status/1391012308701257728?s=20
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Similarly, Eves Karydas was quick to comment on the double standards.
“Please allow music venues to increase their capacities. It’s insulting seeing the number of people allowed to cram into sports stadiums while we are left with half capacities and no wriggle room. Music saves people’s lives. Give it the support it deserves.”
Ball Park Music, on the other hand, got straight to it, replying to the Premier’s photo with, “Yeah this is fucked, do more for the arts.” They later clarified that despite being Reds fans, that football isn’t the problem, showing that you can support one mode of entertainment while still questioning while another form is treated differently.
This comes as Brisbane venue owners John Collins and Brett Gibson launched a petition last month that gained over 8300 signatures in the first 12 hours since going live, calling for the state government to give live music the same support it has been offering to sport matches. Currently at the time of writing it stands at 18,912 signatures.
This definitely isn’t the first time that other bands have called the inconsistent ways of regulating COVID-19 restrictions in regard to sport and music. As Peking Duk put it so eloquently, “Is there a magical reason that differentiates how Covid is spread between rugby fans and music fans?”
To clarify, I am a rugby fan, but what’s good for the sporting goose is good for the music gander.
You can read more about this topic over at the Indie Observer and the Live Music Observer.
Check out ‘Everybody Rise’ by Amy Shark:
