COVID is taking a toll on arts and culture. It seems like every day there is news of another musician canceling their tour due to “illness.” The C word is never mentioned. I have heard that performers and athletes are forbidden by contract from mentioning if they are infected with COVID.
Michael Osterholm, a notable talking head in the pandemic scene was taking every precaution against infection. If he had a gathering of friends at his home, everyone would need to be tested beforehand. He masked everywhere but decided life needed to return to normal in some sense. He decided to got to a Bruce Springsteen concert. He was one of the few people in the stadium wearing an N95 mask. The next week on his COVID podcast he announced that he had been infected. He attributed the possible moment of infection to a brief elevator ride. Now he is fatigued and suffering from Long COVID.
The Rolling Stones announced on June 13, 2022 that it was postponing that evening’s show after front man Mick Jagger tested positive. The rockers noted that Jagger was “experiencing symptoms of COVID” after arriving at the Johan Cruijff Arena.
Elton John, announced January25, 2023 that he was postponing the Dallas dates of his farewell tour after contracting the virus. He shared in his Instagram stories: “Hi everyone, wanted to send a message to let you know that I have contracted COVID and so have had to reschedule my shows in Dallas.”
Adele shared a tearful video Jan. 20 in which she announced that she was postponing her Las Vegas residency, which was scheduled to kick off the following day. “I’m so sorry, but my show ain’t ready,” she said. “We’ve tried absolutely everything that we can to pull it together in time and for it to be good enough for you, but we’ve been absolutely destroyed by delivery delays and COVID. Half my crew, half my team are down with COVID. They still are. And it’s been impossible to finish the show.”
After her appearance at the Met Gala, Lizzo had to cancel her Montreal Concert due to “health concerns.” As she said, “I had a sore throat last night and a headache and went to bed,” Lizzo remained apologetic throughout the video “I woke up this morning, and my body is weak, and I have chills, and my head hurts. Normally, if it’s just a cold, I’d shower, I’d eat, take some medicine, and it gets better. But this is getting worse.” She was later diagnosed with strep which has been surging after COVID infections deplete the immune system.
A 21 year old Keyontae Johnson collapsed on the basketball court after his bout with COVID. He was rushed to the hospital in critical but stable condition. Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin, 24, collapsed during a game on Jan. 2 in front of millions of TV viewers. He has since been discharged from the hospital to recover at home. It is not yet known why his heart stopped, but experts say Hamlin’s cardiac arrest was likely caused by an arrhythmia following a blow to his chest. For people who have had COVID-19, lingering COVID-19 heart problems can complicate their recovery.
Sam Smith issued the following statement after walking off the stage mid-concert in Manchester… I don’t know what to say honestly. I fought off a virus a few weeks ago and since then we have traveled across Europe and had such incredible shows. Today in soundcheck I felt fine and was excited to give Manchester an amazing show tonight. During the first song, I noticed something wrong with my voice. I prayed it was just my voice waking up for the show but into the forth song I could feel something was really wrong. I came off stage and tried everything to get my voice back in gear but it won’t. I am honestly heartbroken I couldn’t finish the show tonight for you all. I love you all. I’m Sorry.
Part of the new normal now as well is watching speakers drop unexpectedly while on stage. I shouldn’t have to say this, but this isn’t normal.