Since the spread of Covid-19 caused music venues across the UK to close temporarily, the famous London O2 Arena announced yesterday that they will re-open in December 2020. They will celebrate with a socially distanced gig headlined by rock band Squeeze, and an audience of just 4,700 in the 20,000-capacity venue.
The performance date will be Saturday 5th December, and will be the first in nine months. Opening the show will be Leon Tilbrook – son of Glenn Tilbrook who is the frontman of Squeeze – as well as The Wilhelm Scream. Tickets go on sale this Friday, 9th October at 10am, and will be sold in groups of two, three and four to ensure safety.
Organisers announced the news on Twitter, explaining what they’ll be doing to create a safe gig for attendees, artists, and crew. A one-way system will be in place, and everyone must wear a mask when in the venue, unless they are seated in their assigned area.
We’re excited to announce that after 9 months without events, our first socially distanced gig will be held on 5 December 2020 with London band Squeeze
Find out what we’re doing to keep you safe here https://t.co/sMleqfsUb0
Tickets on sale Friday 10am https://t.co/brBYPVFBPA pic.twitter.com/dhT3Z7wVos
— The O2 (@TheO2) October 5, 2020
Fans had mixed reactions, understandably given the circumstances and the regularly changing Government guidelines. General Manager of The O2, Steve Sayer, expressed his thoughts, saying, “At the moment, we’re only able to host under a quarter of our capacity in the arena, so this is not a long term solution for us or other venues and we continue to press the government for targeted support and guidance to get the live events industry and its supply chain back on its feet.”
Many other venues have held socially distanced live shows, which were successful, but not financially viable in the long-term. Virgin Money were able to set up a new outdoor venue for the summer, which maintained health and safety guidelines. However, smaller grassroots venues are suffering greatly from the loss of business and income.
Sayer continued, “The O2 was designed to give artists and fans the best live music in the world and we look forward to doing that again with Squeeze. As The O2 returns to live, it’s really fitting that a band from the local area are the ones to reopen our doors to the public once again. The whole team are excited to see them on our stage for the first time.”
