Tickets for the “Because Music Matters” concert series, launched on 27 January, have not yet sold out. This means there are still places available for five concerts over five days, each one with a capacity of 100. 

"Obviously we were hoping to be sold out very soon,” Rockhal director Olivier Toth explained. “But we are not worried. The important thing is that everything is filled on the big day. And it will be.

“I saw the sales numbers before last weekend, and we were on the last tickets for each of the five shows. Even though the poster is not made up of groups that would normally fill our large hall, there is a lot of interest coming from an audience that seems to be glad."

A double test pre-concert

The first three concerts take place over three consecutive nights, starting at 8pm, with the first on 10 February with French artist Mezerg, Cleveland the next night and finally Claire Parsons accompanied by Jérôme Klein on 12 February. 

The last two take place over the 13-14 February weekend, with Fusion Bomb on Saturday and Francis of Delirium + C’est Karma on Sunday, both starting at 4:30pm. 

To attend, one must agree to submit to the health regulations put in place by the Esch-sur-Alzette venue, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, which go further than the current legal requirements. 

As stated on the Rockhal website, “By purchasing your tickets for these concerts, you agree to submit, at no extra cost, to a screening test before the concert as well as seven days after the concert.

The pre-concert screening is, in fact, twofold: an antigen test, as well as the PCR test.

“The result of the antigenic test will be available before you enter the concert hall,” according to the venue. “Admission to the Rockhal will only be permitted in the event of negative results and on presentation of your concert ticket.” 

Health authorities provide a prescription for the PCR test, to be carried out seven days later.

"Shaping the future"

A surgical mask will also be provided at the entrance which must be kept on throughout the entire performance, which concert-goers will see from an assigned seat. There will also be the 2m distance rule, with clearly marked directions for the flow of traffic. 

The bar, as well as changing rooms and the smoking area, will be closed. Moreover, bags cannot be larger than an A4 sheet of paper.

In short, the concert experience will be notably different--but still a fresh air for music lovers who have missed those concerts. 

What’s more, "the goal of all these concerts is also to better understand covid-19 and its circulation in a concert hall,” slipped Olivier Toth. "So it could help us shape the future in live music."

Kulturfabrik too...

On Monday, 15 February, it’ll be Kulturfabrik’s turn to organise a concert ... at the Church of Saint-Joseph in Esch. Limited, again, to 100 people, with mask and distancing rules, albeit without all the tests requested by the Rockhal. The artist is the trendy German pianist Lambert, described in a press release as the “German Yann Tiersen”. At the beginning of the week, around 75% of tickets had already found takers.

This article was originally published in French on Paperjam.lu and has been translated and edited for Delano.