Christopher BarrettKennedy Street and Lloyd Webber Theatres (LW Theatres) said Van Morrison’s recent three-show run at The London Palladium (cap, 2276) has demonstrated that concerts can be staged safely.
The sold-out shows, from 23-25 September, were promoted by Manchester-based Kennedy Street and had a socially distanced audience capacity of 1,200 per night. Tickets ranged in price between £45 and £95.
LW Theatres said it worked closely with Westminster Council to stage the shows in a safe and viable manner. The gigs followed a successful pilot show at the venue by Beverley Knight on July 23.
A survey following the concert by Knight found that 82% of audience members felt very safe and comfortable throughout the event.
In addition to the mandatory wearing of face coverings at the Morrison shows, LW Theatres introduced new hygiene and cleaning measures and the use of contactless technology throughout the venue.
LW Theatres said the seating in venue was reconfigured to ensure that audience bubbles were seated at least 1 metre apart. The flow of audience members was also managed with staggered arrival times, and there were one-way systems around the theatre and signage across the building.
Kennedy Street MD Danny Betesh said, “What these concerts prove is that when the industry comes together, we can put shows on in a way that is consistent with safety measures and build confidence for the future.”
LW Theatres CEO Rebecca Kane Burton (pictured) said the shows enabled the company to provide much-needed work for its team: “We demonstrated that we can operate safely, and that people will feel comfortable, confident and, more importantly, excited to be back with us. Live performance up and down the country can and must continue.”
Morrison will return to play a further four shows at the venue from 17-21 November. Other scheduled events at venue include evenings with Elizabeth Day, Arsene Wenger and a performance of ‘Songs from a New World’.