When the COVID-19 pandemic first began making global waves nearly eight months ago, the whole world seemed to hit the pause button. Restaurants, businesses, and countless other industries locked their doors to the public. Some industries found ways to adapt, whether having employees work from home or offering to-go food services, but some others were not so fortunate.
The entertainment industry, including movie theaters, live performances and even sporting events were hit hard. Employees and entertainers alike went months without an income due to the shutdown, but now the future has a glimmer of hope.
In the near future the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall will officially welcome guests back to the venue for socially-distanced live performances.
“We feel really good about it,” said Gabe Pellicer, general manager of the St. Augustine Amphitheatre and Ponte Vedra Concert Hall. “We have done the necessary things we need to do in order to reopen in a safe way.”
To comply with CDC guidelines, and to ensure a safe experience for guests, the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall has implemented new measures. Both ticketing and security will now be hands free. Guests will walk through new touch-free body scanners instead of having security guards check their belongings, and ticket kiosks will also be self-serving.
The biggest change guests will see at the concert hall, according to Pellicer, is the capacity of people in the building. Tickets for performances are now sold in bundles, which vary in number depending on the performer, to ensure that all guests in a single party are acquainted. These ticket bundles will then determine the six-foot spacing of seating in the venue.
“Pellicer and his team made it clear very early on that safety should be our first and top priority,” said Tib Miller, a co-partner and promoter from Flying Saucer Presents. “There is a lot of consideration that goes into this.”
Both Pellicer and Miller mentioned that artists are looking forward to performing again, just as much as guests are looking forward to live entertainment.
“We have to be cautious because we want to provide the safest circumstance for the audience, the artist, and all of the people who work to make sure shows happen,” said Miller. “I am hoping that with each of the shows we do, we provide a nice experience in an environment where people feel entirely and fully comfortable.”
Both the St. Augustine Amphitheater and the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall have plans to host limited capacity concerts in the near future, but for now, guests can purchase ticket bundles to Raul Malu on Jan. 9, 2021.
