Houston Venue Refutes Jason Isbell’s Claim It Refused Covid Policy
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit’s show scheduled for Wednesday, August 11th at the Cynthia Woods Mitchel Pavilion in Houston has been canceled due to the venue being unable to implement Isbell’s recently-adopted policy of not playing venues unless attendees show either proof of vaccination, or a negative COVID test.
However, after the venue released a statement announcing the cancellation and saying they were unable to comply with Jason Isbell’s requirements on such short notice, Isbell rebutted by saying the venue’s statement was “false,” and they “flat-out refused” to implement his policy.
The pavilion’s original statement read in part, “The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavillion fully supports and commends Jason Isbell and his team for their commitment to the health of their fans, crew, band, and venue staff. We are all on the same page here and we agree with what Jason Isbell would like to implement, but there is a timing issue. To implement a major change in policy such as what is requested will take more time than we have.”
This statement resulted in Jason Isbell lashing out at the venue. “The pavilion statement is false,” Isbell said in a tweet. “Live Nation, the promoter, was on board but the venue owner flat-out refused to even attempt to implement the policy.”
By quote tweeting his response, Jason Isbell’s fans then began lashing out at the venue.
But according to multiple sources at the non-profit Woodlands Center that operates the Cynthia Woods Mitchel Pavilion, this characterization by Jason Isbell they “flat-out refused” to implement his policy is untrue. The venue did attempt to implement Isbell’s policies after only being alerted to them 48 hours before the show, also attempted other solutions, and also offered to postpone the show instead of cancel it until Isbell’s policy could be enacted.
“We were alerted on Monday (8-9) that this would be a request for our show that was supposed to be today (Wednesday), and we take these things very seriously,” Cameron Klepac, the Director of Marketing and Education for the Woodlands Center tells Saving Country Music. “We don’t want to just implement something and not do it properly. So there are a lot of logistics that go into that. We did offer to postpone the show until when we could implement this. And then we gave a variety of options to have the show today safely. The show was going to be at about 10% capacity. We can seat 16,500 folks at our venue, and the show had sold about 1,700 tickets. We offered to open up our lawn. We are an open air, outdoor venue. We tried to give some options there, but our options were denied.”
Cameron Klepac emphasized that there was no disagreement about Jason Isbell’s requests. “Again, we find what he’s doing very important, and we are on the same page with it. But we just needed some time to implement it, and it was time we didn’t have.”
As some fans who made travel plans and other arrangements to attend the performance have pointed out, Isbell made it known late last week that he would be implementing his vaccine or negative test policy. But according to the venue, that information was not relayed to them by LiveNation until Monday.
Along with the short window to implement Jason Isbell’s requirements, Cameron Klepac says the venue is also dealing with staffing issues similar to many venues, restaurants, and other places of business at the moment.
“We would hold our staff to the same standard,” Klepac says. “The logistics of that, of either requiring vaccination or a negative test, that takes some logistics. But there’s other parts of it too. We have a 13-acre property that we have to control that is different from the Austin facility. Given the opportunity to postpone the show, we could have done that. That was denied. We’re already experiencing a shortage on staff. These are also part-time, seasonal jobs. So you start putting restrictions on things, and you lose people that way.”
The Cynthia Woods Mitchel Pavilion is not the only venue that’s had issues implementing Isbell’s policy on short notice. Jason Isbell’s show at the outdoor, Panther Island Pavilion in Fort Worth on August 13th has been moved to the indoor Billy Bob’s Texas. Isbell’s show at Cain’s Ballroom on August 12th is still moving forward as scheduled, with the vaccine requirement in place.
“The Woodlands Center, we’re a non-profit organization,” Cameron Klepac explains. “We actually exist to make the arts accessible to our community. For these shows, we partner with LiveNation to produce these large shows that help pay for our non-profit mission. We offer educational outreach through performing arts shows for the community.”
The Woodland’s Center also supplied Saving Country Music with a statement from Jerry MacDonald, President & CEO for The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion.
The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion fully supports and commends Jason Isbell and his team for their commitment to the health of their fans, crew, band and venue staff. We are all on the same page here and we agree with what Jason Isbell would like to implement, but there is a timing issue. We got the request for the change on Monday. To implement a major change in policy such as what was requested would take more than 2 days to properly implement.
We would hold our staff to the same standard as our guests and there needs to be time to address this logistically. We are currently following all CDC guidelines in operating The Pavilion. The venue is an outdoor, open-air facility. The Isbell show would have been at about 10% capacity with the ability to socially distance.
The Pavilion gave Mr. Isbell and his team several options to produce a safe event at the venue and even offered to postpone the show to a date when the protocols could be implemented. All options were denied.
The Pavilion has always – and will always – view the health and safety of those at our venue at the highest priority. We will continue to look to our local and national health officials for the best guidance as we continue to evolve our policies and procedures to celebrate our return back to live.
Saving Country Music also reached out to the publicist of Jason Isbell for a further statement or clarification of why he believes the venue “flat-out refused” to implement his policy, but the request was not returned by the time of this post. If a statement or further information is made available, it will be updated here.
UPDATE 3:47 p.m. CDT: Representatives for Jason Isbell have responded, “Our agent contacted Live Nation in Houston on July 31st with our new protocols.”
However, Live Nation is not the venue, it is the promoter. So this does not verify that the venue knew of the new protocols before Monday (8-9). If anything, it verifies the venue was never contacted directly about the new policy.
Live Nation’s statement does not address the issue directly at all, and only says they support Isbell’s decision. The company says, “We are fully supportive of Jason Isbell’s decision to require fans to provide proof a negative COVID-19 test or full vaccination for entry to his shows. We also encourage everyone who can to get vaccinated as that is the best way for us all to take care of each other and get back to doing what we love.”
August 11, 2021 @ 11:48 am
Jason the WOKE cowboy. What an ass
August 11, 2021 @ 12:02 pm
Yeah I have to agree with Jorge on this one. Another classic example of virtue signaling. I’m all for his music but am finding it more and more difficult to contend with his character.
August 11, 2021 @ 12:31 pm
Well L-de-freaking-da for you. Good thing no one cares what you think.
August 11, 2021 @ 3:01 pm
Apparently you do
August 11, 2021 @ 1:48 pm
To me Isbell always came across as a dickhead and a prick, The country version of Springsteen. Full of shit. Every song is about the hard working men and the injustices, while neither he or Bruce has ever work a day in their lives.
August 11, 2021 @ 2:05 pm
wait, musicians don’t work? i’m not a fan of springsteen’s music myself, but you don’t think banging out three hour sets a night isn’t work? is it all musicians who don’t work or just the ones that have opinions you don’t like?
August 11, 2021 @ 2:44 pm
Let me know when he puts an 8hr day at a factory. How can he write about
the plight of the working man or working on a 65 mustang while sipping cafe latte and following Obama on tweeter. NO he has never work a day in
his life. Take off that queer 1980’s Wham earing and fix your teeth. Until them get off the soapbox and stop virtue signaling. Until them he can go
fuck himself.
August 11, 2021 @ 2:48 pm
so your answer is you only musicians with opinions you don’t like don’t work. got it. and, hey cool, ignorance and now homophobia too!
it’s a little thing called storytelling and empathy. pretty easy. he can sing about it the same way actors play other people on tv!
August 11, 2021 @ 3:07 pm
So you admit he is a story telling fraud. And how is it homophobia to call something what it is? . And no i dont mind artist telling stories but when you star virtue signaling he is pretending to be the character he plays.
August 11, 2021 @ 3:12 pm
most people who sing have not personally experienced everything they sing about. do you think gordon lightfoot was on the edmond fitzgerald? lol.
August 11, 2021 @ 3:36 pm
Gordon Lightfoot never had an opinion about my health care choices.
August 11, 2021 @ 3:40 pm
you sure about that?
https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/scrawler-gordon-lightfoot-vaccinated-and-anxious-to-get-back-on-stage
August 11, 2021 @ 4:05 pm
Good for him. Now let everybody else live their lives.
August 12, 2021 @ 11:27 am
I TOTALLY agree. I only want to hear well written songs about the lavish lifestyles of incredibly successful musicians.
In fact, if George Jones didn’t actually attend that funeral, I don’t ever want to hear He Stopped Loving Her Today either.
Gimme a break. I’m sure you don’t care at all that Toby Keith or Aaron Lewis evoke military service and themes in their music despite never wearing the uniform.
August 13, 2021 @ 4:48 am
For whatever it’s worth, Springsteen has joked several times about how he’s never worked in a factory or had a 9-to-5 job. He acknowledges it in his Springsteen on Broadway album, and book. Many of the songs he wrote about that world were from his father’s perspective.
August 13, 2021 @ 5:57 am
That is fair enough. Its possible to write about life experiences that aren’t first hand. I just don’t think he does it that well. I’d much rather hear tales of the joys and sorrows of middle American life from Bob Seger, James McMurtry, John Hiatt, John Prine, etc. I’m just not impressed with Springsteen’s songs.
August 13, 2021 @ 6:18 am
Good reply. I’m admittedly a big fan of Springsteen’s music. I think some of his best songs written are songs “One Step Up”, “My Hometown” and “Racing In the Street” (Charly Robinson has a great cover of this one).
But he’s not for everyone. Those artists you list are among the best songwriters there are, and probably a little more authentic.
August 17, 2021 @ 12:51 pm
Gordon Lightfoot will be returning to the stage at the Re-opening Massey Hall in Toronto in November.
I’m sure there will be a Vaccinated Attendees only policy here as well!
August 12, 2021 @ 7:47 am
I love his music, all set to see him August 26th. What has bothered me about his decision, 2 days before the concert he makes it, and he was just playing at several festivals days before, where there were no guidelines….and himself not wearing a mask when hanging out with others behind stage. WTH
August 12, 2021 @ 8:29 am
On July 17th I was at the Under The Big Sky Fest in Montana. Jason Isbell was the headliner. That’s where the photo at the top of this article was taken. I have never been to a festival on a day that was as dramatically oversold as this one was, and said as much in my recap of the fest. It’s not just that there were not masks, no vaccine or negative test mandates. They had packed so many people in this venue, even before Covid, it would be considered dangerous. Jason Isbell said and did nothing. He played, hung out backstage like you said, and left.
Now granted, opinions can evolve. This was when Delta was beginning to spike, but not as bad as it is now. But it does seem a bit inconsistent that he took Under The Big Sky’s money, but decided to take a stand when only 1,700 tickets were at stake.
If Jason Isbell truly wanted to be safe, he would cancel his tour.
August 12, 2021 @ 9:47 am
“If Jason Isbell truly wanted to be safe, he would cancel his tour.”
What’s so frustrating about that sentence you know damn well you don’t believe it. You aren’t that stupid. If Jason Isbell wanted to be safe, he’d require concert attendees to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test, thereby ensuring that COVID won’t spread at his shows.
Also, you’re article conveniently omits the fact that during the back and forth PR war, the news reporter defending the venue was the venue CEO’s daughter. Her doing that on TV certainly escalated the conflict.
Note that since Isbell implemented this policy, many other artists are following.
Instead of continuing to stoke the culture war with dumb straw men arguments, maybe think about ways we can all reduce the spread of COVID so venues don’t have to shut down for yet another time this winter.
August 12, 2021 @ 10:15 am
” If Jason Isbell wanted to be safe, he’d require concert attendees to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test, thereby ensuring that COVID won’t spread at his shows.”
I commend Jason Isbell for attempting to address this contentious issue head on, and respect his decision to demand attendees provide proof of vaccination or a negative test. That said, it ensures nothing. Does it make the environment more safe? Likely. But with the dramatic amount of breakthrough cases we’re seeing among vaccinated individuals with the Delta variant, the proliferation and ease of obtaining fake vaccination cards and negative tests, and the potential false sense of security this requirement will bestow, nothing is guaranteed. And the fact that Jason Isbell has now moved one of his shows from an outdoor, socially-distanced situation to an packed, indoor scenario at Billy Bob’s Texas that every single medical professional will tell you is more risky shows he’s more interested in implementing his policy that truly ensuring the safety of attendees, at least in that situation.
The daughter is irrelevant, and this has been addressed ad nauseum by me both on Twitter, and in this comments section. The reason she was not mentioned here is because she is not a source of information on this story whatsoever, and is completely irrelevant to it, aside from being used by Jason Isbell as a diversion away from the fact that he mischaracterized the venue as refusing to implement his policy, as opposed to simply not having enough time to do it, as the daughter pointed out correctly. The sources and quotes that any objective observant can use to decisively to conclude that Jason Isbell spoke hastily and inappropriately about the intent of this non-profit venue in Houston come from Cameron Klepac, the Director of Marketing and Education for the Woodlands Center, Jerry MacDonald, President & CEO for The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, the spokespeople for Jason Isbell, a spokesperson from Live Nation, and Jason Isbell himself.
As Jason Isbell and his representative have explained numerous times, they reached out to LIVE NATION on July 31st to inform them of the new policy. They keep doubling down on that fact to say the venue was alerted in enough time. But Live Nation is not the venue. The venue is run by the non-profit Woodland Foundation, who was not informed until 2 days before the event. The more Jason Isbell and his camp double down on how they told Live Nation on July 31st, the more they verify the venue wasn’t notified, and expose Live Nation as the true entity to blame for dropping the ball.
Meanwhile, Jason Isbell is irresponsibly using the daughter’s tweet—which only iterated the truth—as a diversion to present the specter of impropriety, and in a way that has resulted in the daughter receiving significant personal harassment.
August 12, 2021 @ 10:40 am
Also, to the point of these vaccine mandates not ensuring as much as they want to, the Chicago Health Department just announced that 202 cases have been tied to Lollapaloosa, which had the exact mandate that Jason Isbell has. Could have been worse, and it doesn’t mean these policies don’t help. But they in no way ensure that the disease won’t spread in concert populations.
August 11, 2021 @ 12:41 pm
Right?
Can you believe that he expects venues to (looks at article) ask prospective attendees to provide a slip of paper before entering???
The Commie fucker probably thinks people should have to “show their papers” before buying alcohol!!!!
The nerve astounds me.
August 11, 2021 @ 12:50 pm
Or to vote! The hell you say!
August 11, 2021 @ 12:52 pm
Oh, you just know all the snowflakes melting about Isbell expecting a venue to be able to check tickets favor strict voter ID laws, haha!
August 11, 2021 @ 1:12 pm
Read the article more slowly. It’s not the demands themselves, it’s that he gave them two days to come up with a plan to implement them.
August 11, 2021 @ 1:54 pm
um, yeah tom. that’s when the concert was. it wasn’t some arbitrary date.
August 11, 2021 @ 2:30 pm
The virtue signaling here is screaming “woke” at everything thing that bugs you with no comprehension of what it actually means. It’s a signal for shallow idealoues of which side you are on.
This has nothing to do with “woke.” It does have to do with a deadly virus sweeping the nation at the moment.
This looks like a miscommunication in which tempers are flying because of the stress of the situation and probably other related problems.
August 12, 2021 @ 8:50 am
um, yeah, the gentile, and it was scheduled months before so why wait until two days before it was to take place before stating his demands? And if it’s really about making sure people aren’t spreading the virus why not accept their offer to reschedule? And either way, why claim that the venue “flat-out refused” to meet the demands when that’s clearly not the case?
August 11, 2021 @ 4:10 pm
Quick question, Tom:
What part of “Ask people at the door for proof they’re allowed to attend the concert” do you think requires time for a concert venue to implement?
Dude’s not asking for individualized QR codes. There’s no additional training, here.
The venue refused to take 10 extra seconds per attendee, during check-in…and is counting on ignorant, anti-vax sheep to do anything other than laugh at their claims.
August 11, 2021 @ 6:06 pm
I think the venue’s main issues would be making sure their staff complies on that short of a notice. They have a limited staff, and if people couldn’t prove it (I’m vaccinated but lost my stupid card two days after my second shot) or they have some staff that hadn’t been vaccinated, they wouldn’t be able to staff their venue as they thought appropriate.
August 11, 2021 @ 6:29 pm
If they’d said “Sorry, our staff aren’t fully vaxxed, and we don’t have any backups, so we couldn’t handle the request!” that would be one thing, haha!
Entirely reasonable, on their part.
But “We didn’t have enough notice to teach the people working the gate to ask attendees for documents proving they’re allowed to see the show” is just fucking silly, and no one should validate it.
August 12, 2021 @ 12:49 am
Sheep get vaccinated whether they want to or not, dipshit MoLesrer.
August 12, 2021 @ 11:51 pm
Jorge is a massive homophobe. Should be banned from this site.
August 17, 2021 @ 1:32 am
No he’s not and you’re a FOS…
August 17, 2021 @ 3:49 am
Not familiar with that term – please tell me what you think of me in a language I can understand.
August 13, 2021 @ 7:11 am
Hmmmm only 1700 tickets sold, seems like nobody wants to see this self hating American hating pos in the first place. I used to live his early stuff and his stuff with drive by truckers, then they all went full anti white anti American leftist bullsh#%. So f#$k him and the horse he rode in on.
August 18, 2021 @ 12:02 am
The reasons why he’s not selling tickets is irrelevant in this situation. It’s actually brilliant. They have us all arguing about a non-vaccinated red herring. Meanwhile, Isbell’s bosses got to cancel a low selling show, while making him out to be the “hero.” He sold enough tickets to fill a high school gymnasium in a venue the size of an NHL arena. How is that a safety issue? That’s enough room to have 10′ “social distancing” and it’s outdoors, to the best of my knowledge.
Low ticket sales looks bad for him and his promoters. If the show is cancelled, and it’s the venue’s fault, it doesn’t count as a failure on their part. His promoters can continue to boast about their long line of sold out venues. That’s how they play this game. Don’t hate the player.
The sad part is, after a stunt like this, white collar folks are possibly less likely to plunk down a sizeable portion of their ever shrinking disposable income for tickets they might not get to use, because the performer changed the conditions of entry a couple days before the show. Your ass is itchy if you don’t think that 80% of Isbell’s income doesn’t come from the wealthiest 20% of his fans. So this probably doesn’t matter, and his bosses probably don’t care, nor do I.
My concern is this causing greater polarization in live music. The wealthy Isbell audience will happily roll the dice on overpriced tickets they more than likely will have to eat because they don’t meet his standards. They’ll slather the ticket with avocado, sprinkle some kale on top, and choke it down, chased with a pumpkin spice latte. They’ll bow their heads in reverence and promise to be better next time. The blue collar fans, too poor to pay attention to his nobles oblige, are just going to stop going. The cost is too high. Which could be a boon to smaller local artists playing dive bars, couch surfing and living off a tip jar. So that’s a potential win.
Admittedly, I’ve been wholy agnostic on Mr. Isbell for the last 10 years, so I’m not an expert on his fanbase. He’s never really tapped my toe, all politics and tom foolery aside. I genuinely couldn’t care less about his shenanigans and chicanery. I am, however, genuinely interested in the effect of “show your papers” on the live music business. It’s fascinating that we went from “punch a nazi,” to “show me your papers,” in a year.
I haven’t been to a show in a year and a half, and I was a +50 show a year fella. I just sadly passed on Charley Crockett two weeks ago because the local corporate “McMusic” chain venue was requiring “vaccine passports.” I am vaccinated, but I feel like that’s crossing a line that I should toe. How many other slack jawed, mouth breathing, simpletons feel like I do? How will that affect the bottom line of national touring acts? Get vaccinated or don’t, I’m not proselytizing one way or the other, just curious how this plays out. It might be a Napster like industry shift.
August 11, 2021 @ 11:54 am
Yeah, fuck Isbell for wanting his fans and the venue staff to not die. What a selfish prick. Always thinking about, um, others.
August 11, 2021 @ 12:03 pm
I don’t have a problem with the policy and it seems neither do the venues. It seems, once again, that Isbell is more interested in posturing and gaining woke points with the media. He knew there was no time to implement this policy on such short notice and I’m sure Live Nation told him whatever to make him happy. If he was truly interested in having these restrictions while implementing it in a practical way, he would have worked with the venue and not just put out statements and sic his twitter followers on them to make himself look better.
August 11, 2021 @ 2:38 pm
Do you even know what “woke” actually means?
God that’s a stupid claim.
August 11, 2021 @ 4:06 pm
Lol ok
August 11, 2021 @ 12:10 pm
No one was going to die, but kudos to you and Isbell for showing you care more about being perceived a certain way than… y’know, reading things or obtaining facts.
August 11, 2021 @ 1:07 pm
Strange take on this article. I think Jason Isbell has a right to assert whatever policy he wants for his performances. The Cynthia Woods Mitchel Pavilion feels the same way, and said so in two separate statements. Isbell appears to have mischaracterized their position in a way that implied they were taking some sort of moral stance against his policy as opposed agreeing with it, while unfortunately not being in a position where they could guarantee they could implement it in time.
August 11, 2021 @ 4:15 pm
The Cynthia Woods Mitchel Pavilion released a “Story” through the owner’s daughter, complaining that Isbell expected them to be able to check at the door whether people had a document that would let them into the concert.
There’s a whole lot of babble, but the beginning and end of the story is: “Concert venue claims they have no way to check whether prospective attendees have a document that will allow them to attend the show.”
August 11, 2021 @ 4:33 pm
“The Cynthia Woods Mitchel Pavilion released a “Story” through the owner’s daughter, complaining that Isbell expected them to be able to check at the door whether people had a document that would let them into the concert.”
This is a verifiable lie. The daughter has absolutely nothing to do with the source information for this story. This morning I personally spoke to Cameron Klepac, the Director of Marketing and Education for the Woodlands Center, who operates the venue. I have the conversation recorded. The organization also provided a statement to me from the CEO. THESE are the sources of the explanation of what happened according to the venue. NOT the daughter.
The only reason the daughter continues to be brought up is because Jason Isbell refuses to take responsibility for mischaracterizing the venue as “flat-out refusing” to implement the policy, when they have now said THREE TIMES they respect Isbell’s policy, are willing to implement it, but couldn’t implement it within time for this evening.
When the response about this discrepancy from Jason Isbell’s camp was quote, “Our agent contacted Live Nation in Houston on July 31st with our new protocols.” this VERIFIES they never reached out to the venue directly. Nor did Live Nation. If anyone is to blame here, it’s Live Nation for not relaying the information to the venue.
The only reason people continue to bring up the daughter is because it makes a convenient scapegoat and psyop away from the fact that Jason Isbell was irresponsible of his characterization of a venue owned by a non-profit, that exists to raise funds to promote music and the arts in the Houston area.
All of this information is verifiable and factual, and none of it comes from the daughter. It is absolutely unconscionable that Isbell and others continue to use the daughter as a scapegoat, and it is embarrassing that otherwise intelligent and contentious music fans are attacking a non-profit venue and the CEO’s daughter because their fandom is blinding them from the facts, full stop.
August 11, 2021 @ 4:42 pm
Ah, forgive me on the daughter part!
My bad..
August 11, 2021 @ 4:45 pm
I will say, though:
It’s interesting that you spent 5 paragraphs refuting my characterization of who published the response…but never actually addressed whether concert venues should be expected to check whether people in line have a sheet of paper saying they’re allowed to attend the concert.
Do you think asking concert venues to check whether people have documentation showing that they’re allowed to attend the concert is unreasonable?
If so, why?
August 11, 2021 @ 5:19 pm
Look, if I was running this venue, and 48 hours before Isbell was supposed to play I had this new policy he wanted to implement thrown in my lap, I would roll up my sleeves, and figure out how to get it done, because that’s the kind of mentality I have about these things.
But the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavillion didn’t think they could do it. Neither did the Panther Island pavilion in Fort Worth. As I’ve explained above, these are not like indoor venues, who have full-time staff. They go months out of the year with no events, and maybe weeks in between events even when they are more active. They have to rely on seasonal employees, contractors, etc.
As I spoke about yesterday in my article about vaccine requirements at venues, we already know there are people out there trying to beat the system with fake vaccine cards and test results. You’d have to train up employees to be able to verify this documentation, at least to some extent. This isn’t just like scanning a QR code. Would it be a ton of work? Probably not, but as the Marketing and Education Director told me this morning, they respect Isbell’s policy, and to do it right, they would need more time. What they didn’t want to do is implement the policy haphazardly. That would be disrespectful to Isbell. So they offered to reschedule the date until later in August or September, and Isbell refused.
Hey, it didn’t work out, and sometimes that happens. And Isbell could have left it at that. But when he called the venue out directly saying their characterization that they tried was “false,” which he has still yet to prove—while all the other proof is counter to this claim—that is where he crossed a line. He attacked a non-profit venue and organization because he knew his fans would go apoplectic, and he would be made to look like a hero. As much as I hate the term, it is virtue signaling to the highest degree, and at the expense of an organization that is critical to the arts here in Texas.
August 11, 2021 @ 6:24 pm
Man, I know that inces like CK form an important part of your readership…but you know that your argument is silly on its face.
“Make them show a vaccine card or a recent negative test, alongside their ticket” is as hard to implement on short notice as “Make them show an ID saying they’re 21, alongside their ticket.”
He didn’t ask them to train their staff to become experts in detecting forged vaccine cards.
He asked them to check two documents at the gate, instead of one.
They refused…and they couldn’t even come up with a good excuse for it.
You’re a smart guy.
Why carry their water, man?
August 11, 2021 @ 7:28 pm
Cool Lester,
Again, I agree that adding an extra layer to entry shouldn’t be a huge burden. But you’re also severely discounting that it will take at least some additional time and training. In my days of volunteering at festivals, ticketing and entry is truly the most complicated portion of the event, even more difficult to handle than moving bands on and off stages in 30-minute intervals. There’s a lot of moving parts, and if one wrench gets thrown in the cogs, you have a line out into the parking lot, and angry patrons missing the opening act. Could have they rolled up their sleeves and figured out a way to accommodate Isbell’s requests? I think they probably could have. But it was their call to make, and they felt more comfortable postponing the date. Isbell balked, and took to Twitter to make himself a martyr.
August 12, 2021 @ 4:22 pm
shut up n a z i
August 14, 2021 @ 9:56 pm
I gotta hand it to you Trigger. You’re putting in some overtime+ hours with the yeoman’s work you’re doing to keep this comment section honest. I admire your steadfast ethics and dedication.
August 11, 2021 @ 5:25 pm
Take the L, Lester.
August 11, 2021 @ 6:14 pm
lol.
Imagine reading a reply that dedicates 5 paragraphs to refuting a throwaway phrase, and none to the point raised…and thinking that the OP should “take the L.”
You probably think Madison Cawthorn knows how to read.
August 12, 2021 @ 4:22 am
No. He has the right to ask. Period. No one has the right to force another in one direction or the other. They, like jason who, may feel entitled to make demands. Coercion is forcing. Period. Consensus from all party’s involved is an agreement.
Land of the FREE- ha! You fuckers wouldn’t know free if it was tattooed on your foreheads.
Home of the BRAVE – my ass. Sheeple is a better word.
Godvernment and sheeple are a danger to Individuals. Individuals have certain UNalienable rights. Demanding compliance comes from an entitlement mentality, be it a bureaucrat or a sheeple.
COMPLY or DIE people. The mantra of fools.
August 11, 2021 @ 2:26 pm
If COVID is that dangerous then why Isbell and his band even touring?
You should be condemning them for that if you want to be logically consistent.
August 11, 2021 @ 4:17 pm
Because, sweetie…it’s not dangerous for vaccinated people.
That’s why your Tangerine Calf got vaccinated 9 months ago.
August 11, 2021 @ 4:51 pm
It’s not dangerous for healthy people under the age of 70. (Over 70, the risk increases slightly.) It’s also not dangerous for anyone previously infected. Natural immunity is strongest and longest-lasting.
The Pfizer and Moderna jabs correlate with problems. Here is a reflection for today from the Israeli situation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NZ9Y4kD2qk
This 30 min. video may tax people with short attention spans, but I’m sure you can handle it.
August 11, 2021 @ 6:33 pm
A YouTube link?????
Thank Jeebus!!! This video with under 600 views is DEFINITELY a better source of information on COVID than my doctor, who actually has the training necessary to read and understand these studies!
Thank you, sir, for opening my eyes.
August 11, 2021 @ 9:14 pm
You sir are a dipshit. Just saying.
August 12, 2021 @ 8:10 am
@Cool Lester
Actually, I found out recently that most MDs don’t learn how to read and analyze studies during their education. In particular, primary care physicians’ education is more focused on learning about the known facts of the human body and how to identify the causes of various symptoms. Apparently, understanding scientific/academic studies and how well they were conducted is more of a specialized field in the medical industry. Not defending the video, just thought you should be aware of that for when you are assessing the credibility of information.
August 17, 2021 @ 1:33 am
Yawn…
August 17, 2021 @ 1:42 am
Isbell is a pretentious woke socialist; he and his manager here Nashville are red state hating ideologues. Nothing new here.
August 11, 2021 @ 11:55 am
“Is it me? Am I the drama? I don’t THINK I’m the drama…” – Jason Isbell
August 11, 2021 @ 12:02 pm
This is so uninteresting that it will get 200 comments. Love his older music but not impressed lately, I couldn’t care any less about his political views or opinions, not sure why anyone does.
August 11, 2021 @ 12:21 pm
I’ve always liked his music and typically do not care about an artist’s politics. He has decided to place his at the forefront though and the media laps that up. He’s known for his “clap back” tweets now more than his music.
August 11, 2021 @ 1:50 pm
Or maybe that’s what gets you worked up so you don’t see anything else.
Besides, Isbell’s request here has nothing to do with politics.
August 11, 2021 @ 4:37 pm
Lol ok
August 11, 2021 @ 12:07 pm
What if you were vaccinated and had proof of it but took a COVID test anyway and it came back positive? Seems like you could just pretend you never took the test, present your vaccination card at the door, and infect everybody there.
August 11, 2021 @ 1:11 pm
As I said in an article yesterday, with all the breakthrough cases we’re seeing and specifically within the ranks of country music performers, we know that being fully vaccinated is not a guarantee you’re not infected. They also have caught people making and selling fake vaccine cards at places like Lollapaloosa, which if you have a vaccine card, you know it would not be hard to forge at all. I do think these policies will help to keep venues more Covid free. But they are in no way a guarantee at this point.
August 11, 2021 @ 3:57 pm
“being fully vaccinated is not a guarantee you’re not infected”
Being fully vaccinated against polio is not a guarantee you’re not infected with polio.
Being fully vaccinated against mumps is not a guarantee you’re not infected with mumps.
Being fully vaccinated against diphtheria is not a guarantee you’re not infected with diphtheria.
Etc.
Good thing we have experts driving the national clown car.
August 11, 2021 @ 4:23 pm
I keep seeing this point about breakthrough cases being offered without context or caveat, and as such, it’s highly misleading. It’s akin to saying “people die in car accidents with seat belts on so don’t bother.” Vaccines highly reduce transmission, in addition to reducing serious symptoms, hospitalization, and death.
August 11, 2021 @ 2:43 pm
It’s math. Vaccines bring the numbers and the risks down.
It’s that simple.
August 12, 2021 @ 5:36 am
You would have a valid point IF everybody knew they had to have that ahead of time. But how are you going to communicate that to everyone planning to come in two days?
The only effective and equitable way to implement this would be to set up a vaccination and/or testing station outside the door which I doubt could be scheduled with two days’ notice.
August 11, 2021 @ 12:08 pm
If the artist wants to protect his band, staff, family, etc., put your money where your loud mouth is and cancel the tour. No more problem!
Jason is a great artist but I don’t need or want to know his feelings on everything from Morgan Wallen to COVID. Shut up and sing! SHUT UP AND SING!
August 11, 2021 @ 2:03 pm
well, the thing is, you don’t have to follow him on twitter or anything! neat!
August 11, 2021 @ 12:08 pm
Man, Isbell is such a dick. Never been a fan. There’s obviously more going on here than meets the eye and for Isbell to misrepresent the circumstances of the cancelation and throw the venue under the bus, a nonprofit one at that, is absolutely classless. Could’ve handled it way better. Fuck this guy.
August 11, 2021 @ 12:09 pm
Love Isbell’s music but his and his fans’ “holier than thou” attitudes retired me from going to his shows for good.
August 11, 2021 @ 1:21 pm
One of the continued issues with Isbell’s harangues from his Twitter account is how he commonly quote tweets individuals who end put being bullied en masse by his fans. In this case, it was a non-profit venue that is out here trying to support the arts in the community.
Didn’t bring this up in the article, but it was actually a local television reporter who Isbell was responding to with his “false” and “flat-out refused” tweet when the reporter pointed out the venue wasn’t against Isbell’s policy, only they logistically couldn’t implement it in time. The reporter also happens to be the daughter of the CEO of the venue. Yes, she probably should have disclosed this, but when Isbell’s fans found out, they really went after her in a pretty unconscionable way. All she did was point out the truth.
It’s really become a problem.
August 11, 2021 @ 1:36 pm
Daughter pointing out the truth? Or trying to save her dad image? More to this story than what you have reported. You cant deny its SUPERRR sketch she sent that out when she has direct ties to the venue. OF COURSE they would want to try and save face.
August 11, 2021 @ 2:24 pm
Michael,
The reporter should have disclosed that she was the CEO’s daughter. But this is all a diversion for the bigger issue. She has nothing to do with any of this. The daughter is not a source on this story. Jason Isbell said that the venue “flat-out refused” to implement the policy, and he was wrong. And instead of just taking the lumps, the daughter is being proffered due to a lack of any other way to attack the venue. The venue simply didn’t have time to implement Isbell’s requests. They said they could and they would, but they would have to postpone the event for a few days. I’m not sure why so many are assuming malicious intent by the venue here, except they’re blowing in from Twitter where they’re all geeked up, looking to fight somebody. Same thing happened at the Panther Island Pavilion on Fort Worth, and somehow everyone’s fine with it.
August 11, 2021 @ 4:29 pm
The “bigger issue” being:
This venue isn’t capable of asking people at the door to show a document proving they can attend a concert.
Jesus, Trig. I know Isbell was mean to you on Twitter, but I didn’t peg you as such an easy mark for this nonsense.
Like, “Venues shouldn’t expect attendees to have a piece of paper allowing them to attend the show!!!!” is CountryKnight-level Incel Trumper nonsense.
August 11, 2021 @ 1:49 pm
When you say “local television reporter” are you referring to the daughter of the venue’s CEO?
August 11, 2021 @ 2:12 pm
Yes. Keep reading the comment.
🙂
August 12, 2021 @ 11:26 am
Bro, how are you not grasping the crux of what he is saying?
Its not about showing an extra piece of paper, or training their employees to look at test or vax card. If everyone attending has to have a negative test or a vax card, then that means that would apply to the employees as well. If some of your staff don’t meet that requirement, or potentially cant/wont meet that requirement in the two days before, then those staff would have to be replaced. Meaning new staff that do meet those requirements would have to be found, hired and trained in order to be staffed adequately for the event. And I don’t mean trained to look at an extra piece of paper, since you’ve been reducing everything to that. I mean trained on ticketing procedure/point of sale systems/TABC laws/whatever else might be entailed in the position they are filling.
Perhaps the venue didn’t feel they could do all that in two days. Perhaps the venue didn’t feel like going thru that hassle for an artist who was only drawing 10% of their capacity. Who knows. Either way, there is way more involved than just looking at one more piece of paper.
Even if that’s all it was, when I went to the show in Austin, as an experiment I showed them my negative test from last summer instead of my vax card, and they let me right in. My girlfriend showed them a picture of my vax card instead of hers, and they let her right in. That’s about how effective having your staff look at one more piece of paper is.
August 12, 2021 @ 12:08 pm
“how are you not grasping the crux of what he is saying?“
What the venue says is a crock. That’s the crux.
As an admitted scammer and schemer yourself Heatherly, you should recognize that.
August 12, 2021 @ 9:00 pm
I believe it’s pronounced Trigga*
COMEDY!
August 11, 2021 @ 12:10 pm
If he really cared about people’s safety with this virus he would just cancel his shows.
August 11, 2021 @ 12:34 pm
Or, here me out:
He can put into place common sense, easily implemented measures, like asking for proof of vaccination or a negative test!
Seeing as how you’re fully vaxxed 2-6 weeks after your first jab, and vaccines have been universally available in the USA for 3+ months, it’s a perfect way to mitigate risk while still playing live shows!
August 11, 2021 @ 12:43 pm
Guess what, you can still transfer the virus after you are vaccinated. That’s right, vaccinated people can still spread it and still get sick! Now explain to me what risk is being mitigated when vaxxed people can still spread it?
August 11, 2021 @ 12:46 pm
Honey…get off Twitter and talk to your doctor.
That’s the beginning and end of the “research” you should be doing.
August 11, 2021 @ 1:01 pm
He’s actually correct. Vaccinated people are much less likely to get sick and if so have less severe disease but it is still happening. They are also capable of spreading the virus.
August 11, 2021 @ 1:08 pm
“ If you are fully vaccinated and become infected with the Delta variant, you can spread the virus to others.”
From the “What we know”, directly from the CDC.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated.html
August 11, 2021 @ 1:12 pm
I’m guessing you missed the cape cod
Study released by the CDC in which 74% of Covid cases occurred among vaccinated, majority of hospitalized were vaccinated. It sounds like you, not me, needs to do some research. Ignorance isn’t the way!
August 11, 2021 @ 1:14 pm
Go talk to my Aunt that works on the covid floor and has seen 10 people pass the last month and guess what all had been vaccinated.
August 11, 2021 @ 1:39 pm
Kyle – it was Bear Week. Probably not much social distancing or mask wearing happening there.
August 12, 2021 @ 6:40 am
Les(s),
Why are you dodging THass’ above post taken directly from the CDC website stating that vaccinated people can still carry the virus and pass it on to the unvaccinated?
August 11, 2021 @ 1:58 pm
the risk that is being mitigated is not having the unvaccinated people there. because 99%+ of people being admitted to the hospital/dying from covid are unvaccinated. why is this so hard?
August 11, 2021 @ 4:22 pm
I mean…these dumbfucks think asking a venue to make people to show a piece of paper to enter a concert requires advance notice.
Nothing’s gonna get through to these special snowflakes.
August 11, 2021 @ 5:31 pm
Again, take the L, Isbell Fangurl.
August 11, 2021 @ 6:55 pm
Well, MH, I have three words for you on this lovely Wednesday in Infrastructure Week:
Cry more, snowflake.
August 11, 2021 @ 12:10 pm
Hoo boy, gonna need some popcorn for this comment section.
Seriously though, Railbird Fest sent notification that they would check vaccination status at the gate last week, months after most people’s $200 tickets were bought and paid for, and part of me now thinks it’s because Isbell is the headliner for one of the days.
They also requested that everyone “bring a mask” even if they don’t wear it – to an outdoor festival. Their customer service has not replied to my polite “F**k You”.
Margo Price is doing an after party at one of the local venues the night before and is asking for proof of vaccination at the door as well.
August 11, 2021 @ 1:06 pm
I used to think that there was very little benefit from wearing a mask outdoors, but the 1,000+ new cases among young healthy fans at the Verknipt festival in Holland last month seems to be pretty strong evidence that there can be a lot of spread, even outside.
Not hard to see how virus jumps from person to person among a large group who are drunk shout-talking and singing while crowding together in front of a stage, especially here in Kentucky where only about 40% of adults age 30-39 are vaccinated and numbers are even lower in some neighboring states.
August 11, 2021 @ 3:19 pm
Don’t care. I’m not wearing a mask outside in August.
If I get it (as a fully vaccinated, healthy adult), I get it.
I’m moving on with my life, and encourage others to do the same.
August 11, 2021 @ 1:24 pm
Not for nothing, but I’m vaccinated and have one of them cards. We all probably know a dozen tech savvy youngsters, hell probably not even youngsters, that could produce a reasonable facsimile.
August 11, 2021 @ 1:59 pm
hey, we could do the same thing with passports and visas and green cards too! great idea KGD!
August 11, 2021 @ 2:21 pm
lol – trying to go to a show, not fly to Adelaide.
August 11, 2021 @ 2:27 pm
oh i thought as long as we’re talking about committing felonies by forging official documents, we might as well let all the people trying to get into the country know we think it’s okay now!
August 11, 2021 @ 2:43 pm
Not encouraging it, just pointing out that it is a document that is easily forged.
August 11, 2021 @ 8:35 pm
Exactly. Actually… Damn straight. If you’re that scared stay home. Wear your mask by yourself at home and in your car to protect you from yourself. 🤘🏽
August 11, 2021 @ 3:19 pm
Blue Ox Festival in Wisconsin just announced it too, festival is in a week. Jason is the Friday headliner. I’m pro vaccine and precaution, but you can’t pull this shit right at the 11th hour. Why didn’t him or his team think about this a month or two ago?
August 11, 2021 @ 5:33 pm
The social media points weren’t there for the taking a month ago.
August 11, 2021 @ 7:13 pm
you mean jason isbell should have predicted the delta variant?! lol.
August 11, 2021 @ 12:13 pm
1000 tickets sold in a 16,000 seat ampitheatre. I wonder if the Pavillon just said screw it and cancelled it as they probably lose money on a show that small.
August 11, 2021 @ 12:25 pm
I’m guessing it’s more like he decided it wasn’t worth his time and this was the easiest way to get out of playing.
August 11, 2021 @ 12:27 pm
Right. That was the one thing that stuck out to me. The show was going to be at about 10% capacity. We can seat 16,500 folks at our venue, and the show had sold about 1,700 tickets. Is Isbell’s popularity on the decline?
August 11, 2021 @ 12:32 pm
Conspiracy theory – is Isbell scamming the venue? He only sold 10% of seats, likely far less than expected, so he hastily canceled, blamed it on the venue under the guise of something else, and now he collects his guarantee without question because the venue is contractually “at fault” for not abiding by his pre-negotiated conditions? No idea what’s in his performance contract, but I smell a rat.
August 11, 2021 @ 12:37 pm
Sure, the criticism is overplayed a bit by now, and perhaps even used by some with ulterior motive. That being said, I couldn’t agree more with many of the above commenters: He is the ultimate virtue signaler, and it got old a long time ago.
August 11, 2021 @ 12:44 pm
He was a fat loser who got stuffed in lockers and spent most of his time in his bedroom strumming his guitar. When he became a minor celebrity, he decided he was going to get his revenge on the people he grew up around. So, he basically adopted viewpoints which are the exact opposite of his home town/state, etc. and started to bully from his bully pulpit. Its a sort of Napoleon complex for fat nerds.
August 11, 2021 @ 5:56 pm
Yeah maybe. To me he reminds me more of some born again types I know. People with really shady and substance abusive backgrounds who clean themselves up but are now overcompensating by constantly telling you how much better than you they are. I probably share a fair amount of core values with the guy, but can’t stand his condescending holier than thou schtick. It’s beyond transparent, and honestly I got bored of it awhile ago. It would be slightly more tolerable if his recent output was good, but personally I can’t even give him that.
August 11, 2021 @ 6:07 pm
I think you’re right. That is definitely part of it. Those people remind me of Scientologists. My buddy did an internship in college at a recording studio. After a couple weeks, he was getting really weird vibes from the people who worked there, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. One day in the conference room, out of the blue, they all bombarded him with a Scientology hard sell. He came to find out that most of them had been junkies and claimed that Scientology saved them. From what I know of Scientology, that is its only positive attribute. Now they were basically on an evangelizing mission and were not going to take no for an answer. Anyhow, he left a few days later and got the hell out of there.
There were a couple of dry drunks on my mother’s side of the family who did the same thing. They criticized everyone around them, when they were really reprehensible pieces of shit themselves.
I think a little Bible verse about a mote and a beam is relevant here….
August 11, 2021 @ 6:14 pm
Yup that’s the M.O. exactly. Again, very transparent.
August 11, 2021 @ 6:51 pm
Man, this “controversy” consists of a venue claiming it doesn’t know how to check whether people at their door have sheets of paper that allows them to enter the concert.
The only appropriate response to this pairing of self-evident idiocy and attempts to paint themselves as the victim is mockery.
(Hmmmm….morons trying to play the victim card while exposing themselves as utter fools…no wonder RD and CK identify so strongly with them!)
August 11, 2021 @ 12:37 pm
This dude is a douche. His music is shit too learn how to write a non droning melody you hack. This dude wouldn’t be known at all if he came up during songwritings peak years.
August 11, 2021 @ 1:50 pm
He is the country version of Bruce Springsteen. Overrated woke POS
August 11, 2021 @ 12:38 pm
Incredibly compelling response from the venue.
Isbell’s such an entitled prick!
Imagine expecting a music venue to check whether people who show up have a slip of paper or QR code proving that they’re allowed to enter the show!
That libtard probably expects bars to demand “age passports,” too!!!!!
Not in my Amurica!
August 11, 2021 @ 11:30 pm
Not sure about USA, but here in Australia, to check “age passports” in a bar you generally need training to check what all the different documents could look like, what to do if it looks forged, how to deal with people who refuse to show ID, how to deal with the dear old lady who left hers in the car but needs to get in with her group… honestly, it sounds crazy difficult to me. 1000 people is a lot to process in half an hour before the show.
August 12, 2021 @ 4:16 am
Honestly, these CDC cards are so damn easy to forge that it’s not worth the bother (ridiculous that we don’t have a centralized equivalent to the EU Digital Covid Certificate yet).
And Isbell knows it – he’s just asking for a good-faith effort from venues to check an extra sheet of paper.
Maybe the issue is that they didn’t have enough fully vaccinated staff to accommodate the change on short notice…which would be a far more reasonable excuse than the one they gave.
August 12, 2021 @ 6:02 am
If this comments section is anything to go by, one in every 10 people is going to cause a scene. Staff need to be trained how to handle it. I think its reasonable to say that 2 days notice isn’t enough to guarantee its all worked out. Maybe for a smaller venue, maybe in a few months when its standard procedure, but right now there will be a backlash, and the poor temporary worker will be the one to bear the brunt.
August 12, 2021 @ 7:02 am
“Maybe the issue is that they didn’t have enough fully vaccinated staff to accommodate the change on short notice…which would be a far more reasonable excuse than the one they gave.”
…except that’s the issue they gave. Cameron Klepac, the Director of Marketing and Education for the Woodlands Center told me quote, “We would hold our staff to the same standard. The logistics of that, of either requiring vaccination or a negative test, that takes some logistics … you start putting restrictions on things, and you lose people that way.”
This is included in the article above. You go to the Facebook page of the venue, and they have a “Now Hiring” post pinned at the top. They’re already dealing with staffing issues, Now you’re giving them 48 hours to mandate their staff to Isbell’s requirement, as well as implement it for patrons. It’s not unreasonable that they said they would not have time.
And you’re right about the vaccine cards. This is all to create the spectre of safety. An outdoor venue at 10% capacity will be way more safe for Jason Isbell fans compared to the indoor Billy Bob’s packed to the gills, vaccines or not. There isn’t a medical professional alive who won’t agree with that statement. But Isbell is playing Billy Bob’s solely because of this requirement.
August 13, 2021 @ 1:43 am
A much better “refutation” from the vendor would be to say “We proposed pod seating – each ticket group would be placed at least 3 meters away from others, and distancing would be strictly enforced.”
August 11, 2021 @ 12:56 pm
There are plenty of musicians that I would side with believe and support if this happened to them but his whiny ass isn’t one of them.
August 11, 2021 @ 4:25 pm
So, instead:
You’re going to believe a venue that says it didn’t already have the ability to check whether random people at the door are allowed to enter a concert.
Just a heads up: DA LIBS don’t want you to drink bleach, either.
August 11, 2021 @ 5:37 pm
“Cool” Lester “Smooth?”
You seem more like “Unhinged” Lester Outburst.
You’re all over the place.
Get your anxiety and anger pill dosages increased, brah.
August 11, 2021 @ 6:42 pm
Honey…I hope you pass your remedial reading classes, next year.
The tone has varied, but the point has been very focused:
Every concert venue already requires attendees have certain documents, in order to enter.
Anyone who’s ever been to a concert knows that there’s not implementation or training neededz
August 11, 2021 @ 1:22 pm
Presenting proof of vaccine will be no problem for me, but there are others for whom it is a legitimate problem. For the four years prior to this one, all I heard about was “empathy” and how much we needed it; I wonder where the fuck that went.
August 11, 2021 @ 2:17 pm
you’re talking about the empathy of not wearing masks, not socially distancing and not getting the vaccine to protect other people?
August 11, 2021 @ 3:06 pm
They call it “protecting other people”, but a study just came out from the Cleveland Clinic stating that the natural immune system of someone that had covid and got over it is as effective, if not more effective, than those with a vaccine. And it also stated that T-cell memory of the virus can last YEARS, not just months. So what would the reasoning be for people who have already gotten over covid, to get the vaccine that has potentially fatal side effects when their own immune system is now conditioned for the virus? Only to prove a political point. Empathy goes both ways, and anyone who is looking out for their own long-term health shouldn’t be labeled as selfish. Anything mandated by the government should be met with suspicion and at least has a right to be questioned, in my humble opinion.
August 12, 2021 @ 6:38 am
No, that’s not what I’m talking about and I suspect you know it. You’re just proving my point.
Why is it so hard to accept the basic fact that these various mandates have costs? Some of us can easily handle these costs, but others can’t. The assumption that anyone who doesn’t instantly comply must be “selfish” stubbornly ignores this.
Yeah, I know. You’ve got a crazy uncle/coworker/neighbor with a Trump sign on his front lawn and he’s refusing to follow the mandates because he’s a selfish prick. Sure, such people exist, I know some myself. That doesn’t mean that everybody who resists the mandates fall into that category.
August 13, 2021 @ 7:24 am
You moron, the so called vaccine does not protect anyone because it is not a vaccine. A vaccine prevents you from getting a disease, i.e. polio vaccine. So if you are fully vaccinated you shouldn’t get the disease yet now the idiots at cdc are telling us that even the fully vaccinated can still get sick. And why all the hullabaloo over a flu like virus that 99.98% of people survive? Never had to mask up or show proof of flu shot. This is all bullshit fake fear generated by power hungry elitist assholes. Again 99.98% survival rate no more dangerous than flu.
August 13, 2021 @ 9:03 am
hey moron, no vaccine is 100% successful. any basic research would show you that. so considering you didn’t even make it that far in your research… adios!
August 11, 2021 @ 1:39 pm
2011 Isbell: “No one gives a damn about the things I give a damn about. The liberties that we can’t do without seem to disappear like ghosts in the air. When we don’t even care, it truly vanishes away.”
2021 Isbell: “Get this big-pharma sponsored corporation pocket-lining vaccine that hasn’t been through proper trials (to protect against a virus with a 99% survival rate) or you can’t come to any concerts that i’m playing at, you stupid fucking racist homophobic bigoted MAGA nazi asshats. Also fuck anyone who ever disagrees with me about anything ever, even if it’s just a little bit.”
August 11, 2021 @ 2:34 pm
Jay Farrar is to the left of Isbell, has toured with Isbell, and would almost certainly prefer that you not use the name of his band while attacking Isbell. Why not call yourself Lee Greenwood or Nugent or something?
August 11, 2021 @ 5:42 pm
“..would almost certainly prefer..”
LOL you BFFs or something?
August 22, 2021 @ 10:41 am
Funny how I’ve managed to go listen to music at venues with no problem and didn’t get covid. Or maybe I did and just didn’t notice. Funny how something with a survival rate of 99 percent can cause such a stir. Also since vaccinated people are more likely to spread it since they feel safe, he isn’t really doing anything to stop spread. Really serious about it, dont have a show in a indoor arena or maybe don’t have a show.
August 11, 2021 @ 6:51 pm
“to the left of Isbell”… Not sure that’s possible anymore, my guy.
I’ve used SonVolt as a moniker in certain corners of the net for ages. “Catching On” is one of my favorite songs ever recorded. I got the jab and i’m not even a righty. I have little in common with someone like Ted Nugent politically and I’d rather french kiss a skunk than listen to Lee Greenwood. I just hate extremism and hypocrisy.
August 12, 2021 @ 6:57 am
I love that first album. Was living on LI in the mid-90s and the rock station had Drown on heavy rotation. I liked it, but didn’t pay close attention.
A little while later I heard “Windfall” on Idiot’s Delight (back when Vin Scelsa was on WNEW-FM) and went out to buy the CD. It wasn’t until I listened to the whole album did I realize those songs were from the same band.
August 12, 2021 @ 7:35 am
Drown is such a sonically pleasing album. Son Volt has a very unique sound despite the undeniable simplicity of the songs.
August 11, 2021 @ 1:40 pm
How is it that he accuses the unvaxxed of being “selfish”, but literally cancels a show to prove a political point, costing a non-profit venue time and money, and costing venue employees a night of work? Also, wondering why the Fort Worth show was moved from an outdoor venue to an indoor venue, to accommodate his new vaccine policy? Regardless of vaccination status, aren’t people less likely to get covid when they’re outside?
August 12, 2021 @ 7:29 am
Drown is such a sonically pleasing album. Son Volt has a very unique sound despite the undeniable simplicity of the songs.
August 12, 2021 @ 7:35 am
This response went under the wrong comment…
August 11, 2021 @ 2:02 pm
The problem with Isbell is that he is such an insufferable drama queen about everything.
It’s hysterical that he had only drawn an audience of 10% of the venue’s capacity a few days before the concert.
I am all for vaccinations (last year I got the Covid, pneumonia and shingles vaccines as well as a flu shot),
and I wore double masks for a long time.
And I’m okay with artists doing whatever they wish.
I think he was trying to duck out of a show that was going to be a flop.
August 11, 2021 @ 2:17 pm
I am happy with Jason Isbell’s stance. Other venues, ACL 3 nights last weekend, have been able to implement the policy. If only 10% of tickets were sold, what was the big deal in complying with a small crowd? Show your ticket and your vaccine card/negative test. The gate people usually wand, pat down, and dig through my purse so I feel like this was not a big ask on the venues part. I hope more artists and venues enact this policy. I had tickets to Chris Stapleton at Globe Life later this month and sold my tickets because of rising Covid. I have been to Red Rock this summer but they had 50% capacity and social distancing and it made for an enjoyable evening.
August 11, 2021 @ 2:31 pm
The difference between venues being able to easily implement this policy is very simple:
Indoor, permanent venues with permanent staff = easy.
Outdoor, seasonal venues with seasonal, mostly contract staff = hard.
That is why ACL, Cain’s, and Billy Bob’s are able to handle this.
That is why the Houston venue, and the Panther Island Pavilion in Fort Worth weren’t.
It’s that simple. The person I spoke to this morning at the venue spoke to me about this in detail, and it’s addressed specifically in this article.
August 13, 2021 @ 7:30 am
Why is it anybody’s business about my Healthcare? If you are gay should you have to show a negative hiv test? Does anyone require a negative tb test certificate? How about any number of highly infectious truly deadly diseases? 99.98% survival rate. Average age of death with covid, 76.2yrs. Average age of death with so called delta variant, 85.6yrs. Please explain the hysteria?
August 13, 2021 @ 8:02 am
Yes. If words still had meaning, the liars would not be able to call this a “pandemic.” It simply isn’t a pandemic, even when they juice the numbers.
August 11, 2021 @ 2:30 pm
The same singer who hates ID for voting wants people to show proof of vaccination for a virus with a 99% survival rate for anyone in decent health.
Leftist hypocrisy knows no bounds.
Dude’s music is garbage. But he is great at playing the virtue signal. His best instrument.
August 11, 2021 @ 2:38 pm
the vaccine is free. IDs and the documents required to obtain them, are not. pretty simple math.
August 11, 2021 @ 2:46 pm
LOL.
An ID costs practically nothing. And if you can’t afford an ID, you are either a spendthrift who shouldn’t be voting in the first place. Really, voting should be determined by if you are a net producer or not. If you are on welfare, no voting. Moochers shouldn’t be allowed access to the public treasury.
Here is the deal, even if the IDs were made for free, the left would still complain about it.
And you still can’t explain how that screws over people wanting to do other things that require an ID. But somehow an ID for voting is a bridge too far. What a joke.
August 11, 2021 @ 2:53 pm
you know, considering that red states tend to be on the receiving end of gov’t benefits more so than blue states, i kind of like your idea!
https://wallethub.com/edu/states-most-least-dependent-on-the-federal-government/2700
https://www.forbes.com/sites/shaharziv/2020/05/12/blue-state-bailout-red-state-residents-received-largest-stimulus-checks-and-millions-in-federal-aid/?sh=7bf2f9928352
https://www.businessinsider.com/red-states-are-welfare-queens-2011-8
August 11, 2021 @ 4:38 pm
In fairness:
CountryKnight is a white, suburban, Yankee who decided to become a Conservative Evangelical to piss off all the girls who never knew his scrawny ass existed.
They still don’t know he exists, but now he has strangers on the internet to validate him, even as the three people he’s interacted with in the last 5 years mock him behind his back.
August 25, 2021 @ 11:25 am
Mobile units provide free Alabama Photo Voter ID, and if you can’t get to a Mobile unit, they’ll come to you. They tour the state regularly. Free IDs are also available at the SOS office and each Board of Registrar’s offices in every county. Try harder.
https://www.rocketcitynow.com/article/news/mobile-units-provide-free-alabama-photo-voter-id/525-0ae476db-ec4f-4be7-9c7e-d7d73d275b70
August 11, 2021 @ 2:54 pm
99% is pretty nasty. Do you have 100 friends? Which one would you prefer to die?
Also, if it becomes seasonal, every year one of them will die.
A few others will have scarred lungs for life and long term effects.
I don’t pretend to have answers, but please don’t be fooled by statistics that look good.
August 11, 2021 @ 4:07 pm
“don’t be fooled by statistics”
Blackhat, it might calm your overactive panic gland to know that statistics all over the world show that covid severity and death is highly stratified by age. The overwhelming majority of those over 70 who die with the virus in their systems die with many co-morbidities. Many of them were even going to die anyway, and soon.
This is public information, but you have to know where to look because there are too many people who see it as a crisis to create and exploit.
August 11, 2021 @ 4:43 pm
“Many of them were even going to die anyway, and soon.”
and you guys were worried about senior citizens and death panels with the ACA. lol.
August 11, 2021 @ 5:18 pm
Don’t change the subject. The fact is that good stats show clear evidence that the virus is not a threat to healthy people under 70 years of age and is only marginally more of a threat to healthy people over 70. The problem arises when you have unhealthy people over 70. Even then, the stats have to consider all kinds of complicating factors.
Here is a good page that explains “confounding bias”: https://catalogofbias.org/biases/confounding/
Be on the side of those who think, not those who throw around snark.
August 12, 2021 @ 4:26 am
Dude literally gets his public health opinions from obscure YouTube videos.
August 11, 2021 @ 5:44 pm
Haha, no panic here.
Sure, and John Prine was one of them. If getting a jab could have saved his life for long enough to make another record then I’m not too fussed about growing a 2nd head or whatever the latest thing is.
August 11, 2021 @ 2:34 pm
The only thing worse than Jason’s moralizing is the virtue signaling from his obnoxious wife.
August 11, 2021 @ 2:35 pm
So sick of his arrogant ass.
August 11, 2021 @ 2:49 pm
Isbell and Springsteen are pretentious twats. The right has assholes like Ted Nugent and Aaron Lewis. All of them need to shut up and sing. The only difference is Isbell and Springsteen are good. 😉
It’s all an echo chamber now. My side this and your side that. Sick of this crap and sick of these click bait articles. Trigger stick to the music…your blog is best when you do. These obviously political posts just fire up both sides.
If you don’t want to provide proof of vaccination don’t go to a show that requires it. Pretty easy to deal with.
This whole argument is getting old fast. Resume your griping. My popcorn is ready.
August 11, 2021 @ 3:01 pm
“Trigger stick to the music…your blog is best when you do.”
I see this comment all the time. The thing is, this has everything to do with music. The false accusation Jason Isbell made against a non-profit venue that helps fund a non-profit organization that promotes music in the arts in Houston must be challenged in the public forum. Otherwise these false notions and the activity behind them metastasize. If I have to say something or do something because I know something is true and the prevailing sentiment at the moment is false, so be it. I don’t like doing this. I like to focus on more on the music itself. But I would be unable to sleep at night without forwarding the truth, however unpopular it is, especially when it’s directly affecting an important musical institution.
August 11, 2021 @ 4:11 pm
It’s funny, because I think in Isbell’s head, he’s every bit as important and influential as Bruce is, when in reality he will never be a pimple on the Boss’s OR Ted Nugent’s ass. Maybe the start of one on Aaron’s, but I would be willing to bet there are still 10 times the amount of people who know who Aaron Lewis is over Isbell
August 11, 2021 @ 4:26 pm
Agree he’s no Springsteen. But Ted? I was there in the 70’s. It’s been downhill since Free For All. Aaron Lewis is pretty much a nothing Y2Hasbeen.
Music arguments…love it. Brings back my record store days.
August 12, 2021 @ 1:07 pm
Hasbeens dont have #1 songs a month before you call them that.
August 13, 2021 @ 1:08 pm
A #1 record does not necessarily mean something is good. Not much happening for him prior to his little “patriotic” little ditty. And I kind of liked his last record, but he’s not even close to Isbell’s league with respect to songs. Not even close.
Music opinions…we all got ‘em.
August 12, 2021 @ 7:21 am
At least i can say with Springsteen he has some songs i like but Isbell his best song he got outdone by someone he would consider Hillbilly,White trash,inbred etc.
August 15, 2021 @ 2:32 pm
Morgan Wallen? Surely you jest…
August 11, 2021 @ 2:58 pm
I don’t care about any of this. But, he’s a freaking asshole. Sturgill is an amateur compared to Isbell. I liked him better when he was a raging wino.
August 11, 2021 @ 3:11 pm
Has anyone ever asked for proof of a flu vaccine? Smallpox? No? Didn’t think so
August 11, 2021 @ 3:35 pm
I don’t know about every state, but here in NY you must provide proof of a number of vaccinations in order to enroll in school. The military requires a series of vaccinations as well. So yes you do need proof of some vaccines, just not all of them.
When I returned to college in the 90’s I needed proof of vaccination which my district no longer had. I rolled up the sleeve like a big boy and got the shots. Of course I could have chosen to not go back to school.
Then again what do I know. Drinking a beer and listening to a 1978 Springsteen show at the moment.
Please save the NY bullshit by the way. I can’t stand AOC her buddies on the left and Trump and the MAGA crowd on the right. So sick of this polarization.
Resume your histrionics…
August 13, 2021 @ 10:44 am
My point was during flu season which may not be as contagious but is more deadly percentage wise, we love our lives as normal and no one asks about if you’re vaccinated or not.
August 11, 2021 @ 3:23 pm
My thought on this is….Jason Isbell has the right to make policy for his shows, but it should have been established prior to people buying tickets. So, the buyer knows the policy before purchasing or attending the show. It’s the fans choice to be vaccinated or not, tested or not.. It wrong to just start a policy two days before a show and say it’s this way or I walk…
August 11, 2021 @ 4:33 pm
He’s offered full refunds to anyone who won’t follow the requirements.
Quick question:
Why do you think a concert venue needs more than two days notice to know that documents are required for entry?
August 11, 2021 @ 5:55 pm
Why do you think two days notice is reasonable?
August 11, 2021 @ 6:35 pm
…to let a venue know that folks at the gate need a certain slip of paper to see the show?
August 11, 2021 @ 8:06 pm
It’s clear you don’t know all of the various moving parts within a business.
Stick to making macchiatos, brah.
August 12, 2021 @ 4:24 am
lol.
Ya got me!
Thinking that concert venues should already know how to check whether people have a certain slip of paper before they enter a show CLEARLY means I don’t understand business!!!
(Meanwhile, if I *did* work in a coffee shop in my city, I’d have to check the vaccination status of everyone who wants to sit inside! This isn’t theoretical for me – bars and music venues had a much easier time adjusting to the vaccination requirements than restaurants did.)
August 12, 2021 @ 7:13 am
Hey Cool Lester,
If this is so important to Jason Isbell, why doesn’t he hire a few extra people on his tour staff to work with the local venues to help implement his edict? Believe it or not, last time I saw him, Isbell had three buses and a semi, and has guarantees around half a million. Hire a staff of three, maybe four folks who can help work the doors and make sure the policy is implemented properly. After all, it’s so easy, right? … or, you know … take to Twitter and smear a non-profit organization and have everyone troll the CEO’s daughter because you refuse to pin any blame on anyone in your camp, and you know your fans and the media will play ball in the pysop making you the martyr.
August 12, 2021 @ 9:41 pm
3 busses and a semi….Now I know you’re full of shit and just out to get him. There’s no way the Man of Virtue would leave such a massive carbon footprint. Gotcha!
August 13, 2021 @ 10:49 am
Let’s say someone that wasn’t vaccinated who actually would comply with these regulations found out 2 days ahead of time they either had to be vaccinated or show proof of a negative test. But they’re out of town on business and they had planned on getting back home just in time to make it to the show and have no time to do either. The point is life can get in the way even if someone wants to do what they say and it isn’t always as simple as you act.
August 11, 2021 @ 3:45 pm
Some of the best music of our generation.. isn’t it sad that he’s such a douche!?
Glad I learned how to separate art from artist. YouTube views and the albums I’ve already bought (in the past) will be the only financial support he gets from me. Not because of different politics either.. because he is a fUcKeRhEaD!
August 11, 2021 @ 3:57 pm
I feel the same way about virtually all my musical heroes. I don’t want to meet them and I really don’t want to know their politics. If the music is good I can overlook some douchiness. Isbell is a great songwriter and artist in my opinion. Unfortunately he seems to be a bit of an ass. Oh well.
BTW for all of you fawning over Aaron Lewis last week he is a giant stoner asshole. Treats his fans like crap. Worst in store I was ever involved with. My point is there are douches on both sides of the argument. Enjoy what you like and ignore the rest.
Support the artists you like and withhold your hard earned money from those you don’t.
August 11, 2021 @ 3:48 pm
Can only sell out 10% of the venue’s capacity. Yet, on short notice, he wants to call all the shots. (See what I did there?)
August 11, 2021 @ 3:50 pm
I do not have enough word to describe idiot Isbell. Thus, I will render myself speechless much to the approval of many.
August 11, 2021 @ 4:48 pm
and, yet, here you are. typing.
August 11, 2021 @ 3:57 pm
Jason isbell stans are the most toxic of all stans, as evidenced by their insane comments on every story that covers anything His Royal Douchiness does, including this story.
August 11, 2021 @ 4:33 pm
Eh, his music isn’t as great as he makes it out to be.
August 11, 2021 @ 5:11 pm
I think we’re lacking neutrality here, especially in the comments section, which is heavy on the “fuck Isbell and Springsteen.” Please note the article has 0 to do with The Boss.
If Isbell alerted Live Nation on 7/31 and the show was on 8/11, that’s a fair bit of notice. Not great, but certainly do-able if everyone is on the ball. So maybe Live Nation screwed up here, or maybe there was a miscommunication, we don’t really know. I don’t think Isbell is a villain. It’s a hard thing to navigate for everyone out there.
August 11, 2021 @ 5:23 pm
Both yesterday and today, Isbell has been saying Live Nation was notified, Live Nation was notified. That tells you all you need to know. Isbell is not to blame, (except for attacking the venue when he should have attacked Live Nation.) But the venue isn’t either.
August 11, 2021 @ 6:09 pm
If I were to guess, I’d say Live Nation screwed up, and then decided to blame the venue to save face, and Isbell is going off of what Live Nation told him. But that’s just a guess.
August 11, 2021 @ 10:44 pm
This is what Live Nation said about the situation:
” “We are fully supportive of Jason Isbell’s decision to require fans to provide proof a negative COVID-19 test or full vaccination for entry to his shows. We also encourage everyone who can to get vaccinated as that is the best way for us all to take care of each other and get back to doing what we love.”
(Ridiculous, corporate speak prescreened by junior in-house lawyer conveying no useful information.)
This is what Jason Isbell’s representatives said:
““Our agent contacted Live Nation in Houston on July 31st with our new protocols.”
Notice none of them said they reached out to the venue. Because they didn’t.
Jason Isbell was also interviewed by Rolling Stone Country, and when pressed directly, didn’t say anyone had reached out to the venue. Because they didn’t.
August 11, 2021 @ 5:16 pm
This place has turn into the Fox News of Americana.
August 11, 2021 @ 5:22 pm
There’s always CNN for you, AdamAmericana. At least you’ll be one of its mere million viewers. They lost their airport contract because of those numbers.
The few and the proud, I guess.
By the way, Fox sucks.
August 12, 2021 @ 7:34 am
What a wholly useless take. Trigger is a very thorough reporter. I’m sorry that the objective facts don’t fit your narrative tightly enough to keep you from lashing out and resorting to inaccurate ad hominem slander against SCM.
August 11, 2021 @ 5:22 pm
Well, there could be many reasons. It was already stated that they were short-handed. What if they didn’t have enough vaccinated employees and volunteers to staff the show? Maybe they offered to push the show back, so they could all of their vaccinated employees and volunteers there at the later date. What if their employees aren’t trained in identifying real versus fake vax cards? I know that at many bars, bouncers get pretty thorough training on spotting fake ID’s and what qualifies as a legit ID, etc.
August 11, 2021 @ 5:54 pm
Trigger,
I rarely comment on here but just wanted to throw this out there. Everybody in the last few years outright lie to try to convince their followers/the general public to take their side. Jason may be lying and the venue may be lying. You seem to be believing the venue spokesmen. I’m a big Isbell fan but not one of his disciples on social media in the least. I don’t know the answer but have any of the other venues had a problem with his requirements? I’ve become very cynical in my old age so I take everything I read with a grain of salt. Nobody seems to have an answer, but being a fully vaccinated guy I’m concerned about going to live shows and I have tickets for a couple (DBT and Buddy Guy) in a few months, both in outdoor venues. May we live in interesting times takes on a different meaning these days.
August 11, 2021 @ 6:14 pm
Hey Bruce,
The answer is that the venue didn’t know until Monday about Jason Isbell’s protocols, and didn’t have time to implement them. Then Jason Isbell mischaracterized the venue’s stance by saying they “flat-out refused” to implement them, making it seem like a politically-motivated choice.
These are the facts. And I know there are a lot of moving parts here, and maybe at some point after the dust settles I’ll try to diagram it out deeper. But this is not just one side of the story.
If Jason Isbell’s management had told the venue of the requirements, they would have said so. Instead, what they said is they told Live Nation. In fact, in the statement from Isbell’s camp, they’re verifying they didn’t notify the venue. Live Nation is basically not saying anything. They did release a statement connected to all of this, but it is so innocuous I didn’t even put it in the article. It’s basically “We respect Isbell’s wishes, blah blah blah,” probably because they dropped the ball, and didn’t notify the venue. Literally NOBODY, not Live Nation, or anyone in Isbell’s camp said they notified the venue directly. AND the venue is saying nobody notified them directly. So guess what, nobody notified the venue directly.
I reached out to Isbell’s camp personally, as well as Live Nation. This isn’t just one side of the story. It’s just that only one side was willing to speak in-depth about it.
Also, this afternoon, Isbell spoke with Rolling Stone Country, and when asked what happened in Houston, he said “As for the idea that they didn’t have enough time to implement it, how long has Covid been around? How long have these venues known that this kind of thing was going to happen? What did they think was going to happen when the vaccines rolled out?But that goes to show you that we knew this was coming. People had plenty of time to prepare. So that excuse, I think, looks pretty hollow to anybody.”
In other words, even Isbell himself is not trying to say they were notified in a timely manner. Because they weren’t. That’s not Isbell’s fault. But it’s not the venues either. It was irresponsible of him to act like they were making a political stance against his vaccine requirement.
August 11, 2021 @ 6:33 pm
Trigger,
I hadn’t seen the Rolling Stone comment so I’m tending to agree with your take. I’ve also read that AEG isn’t taking a vaccine or not stance. Nobody seems to care about the greater good these days, just looking good to their disciples. I say let’s just enjoy the music we do get to see and hope we come out on the other side of this (expletive deleted). Thanks for all you do as it’s among my favorite sites!
August 11, 2021 @ 7:21 pm
Thanks for reading Bruce.
Also, forgot to mention from your first comment, yes, The Panther Island Pavilion in Fort Worth also said they could not implement Jason Isbell’s policy. So no, it’s not just one venue.
August 11, 2021 @ 5:55 pm
I don’t mind Isbell’s political beliefs and consider him a decent songwriter. But he eventually wore me down with his opinion that he’s the only voice that matters and if you disagree with his opinion you are wrong. And unfortunately, he’s convinced his fan base that his opinion is the gold standard of all opinions. So I boxed up my Isbell albums and took them to Goodwill (hopefully someone else will enjoy his music). The above-mentioned situation is classic Isbell. It doesn’t matter how much the logic will tell you he’s probably in the wrong for calling out the concert venue he and his fans know for certain that he’s right. and the venue must be a bunch of Trump-supporting bigots. What a sad and ignorant way to live life.
August 11, 2021 @ 5:56 pm
This overhyped pompous asshole only sold 1700 tickets for 16,500 seat venue in Houston Texas. LMFAO. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. What a joke.
August 11, 2021 @ 8:28 pm
I have to say, that when the news of his rules first broke at the beginning of the week, the possibility of slow ticket sales did come to mind. Ya know, it would be an easy way to force someone else to do your dirty work and cancel some shows that you didn’t want to play anyhow because it was going to be embarrassing to you, your wife and whoever else you dragged onto your tour when you have to play to an almost empty house because you’ve alienated so much of your fan base over the past couple of years with all that woke shit.
August 11, 2021 @ 7:26 pm
Jason has lost the forest for the trees. He is typical of many in this country who are supportive of being progressive, as long as your are progressive in the same way he is progressive. He uses Twitter to spout out propaganda and never pauses to consider other people’s point of view. His success, or something else, has made him delusional. And he is eroding supporters by the day. I am all for having convictions and standing for what you believe. Alienating others, if they are your fans or not, is counter productive to anyone’s cause. It only creates divisiveness and conflict. Like many he should focus on what we do agree on, what we do have in common. When you do that you are able to have a civil conversation about things where we might disagree. Today people listen to respond when they should listen to understand. Isbell isn’t immune to this either.
August 11, 2021 @ 8:33 pm
Isbell’s policy will diproportionally exclude people of color and transgender individuals from attending his concerts. Nice job Jason….
August 12, 2021 @ 8:07 am
why would it exclude transgender people? or are you just grouping people you don’t like together to try to cobble together some sort of gotcha?
August 12, 2021 @ 1:32 pm
I shouldn’t have to have a complete stranger questioning my gender and why I don’t look exactly the same as my ID photo. My transitioning process and which gender I choose to present as, is NONE OF THEIR BUSINESS.
August 12, 2021 @ 1:50 pm
i mean, fair enough, and i read your comment the wrong way. apologies. i imagine that is very frustrating and difficult, but unfortunately that isn’t exclusive to going to this concert, right? i imagine you would run into this problem wherever an ID needs to be presented. seems to be more a problem with current ID rules/standards and general trans acceptance. i empathize with your situation, but to say the policy is exclusionary of trans people seems like a bit of a stretch.
August 14, 2021 @ 4:53 am
I think you misunderstood the original comment, but please keep pandering.
August 14, 2021 @ 5:01 am
um yeah steven. that’s what “i read your comment the wrong way” means. so i guess you misunderstood all of mine? lol. not really the gotcha you hoped for.
August 12, 2021 @ 5:32 am
This seems like a miscommunication between multiple parties that was poorly handled by all of them, Isbell, Live Nation, and Cynthia Woods. With Live Nation playing the middle person.
Reading all of this though I would say it would help to keep in mind old adage, to not let perfection be the enemy of the good (“woke” liberals tend to ignore this adage as well). The venue probably could have fairly easily checked for vaccine/negative test while they were checking tickets and bags. Would it have been better if they’d had training in how to spot fakes first? Yes. Would some people have scammed their way in? Also yes. But the vast, vast majority would have complied.
In the same vein, is the vaccine perfect? No (No vaccine is perfect, you can still get breakthrough cases of something like measles too). Is testing perfect, again No. Does requiring vaccination or test lower the risks? Yes. The same is true for masking in indoor and crowded areas. When combined these all provide layers of protection, but not activity is 100% safe. This doesn’t mean you don’t take precautions (again don’t let perfect be enemy of the good).
What some people seem to be overlooking though is that artists just want to tour. And if covid continues to increase & overwhelm hospitals, they’re worried touring will be shut down again. The hope is by taking some steps to mitigate risk, they avoid financially ruinous closures. I suspect also most artists also don’t want their show to be the place an outbreak happened that killed immuno-compromised granny, or put a 10yo – whose parents attended – on a ventilator.
Regardless, we’re rapidly heading for though is massively bifurcated touring protocols. In my neck of the woods all the major venues, indoors and outdoors, are now requiring vaccine or test, and the indoor ones require masking as well (per new govt orders). Whereas in some areas places are under government order to not put in any restrictions. And navigating all the different requirements will be yet another layer of difficulty artists have to face.
August 12, 2021 @ 7:08 am
Good comment Seak.
“Regardless, we’re rapidly heading for though is massively bifurcated touring protocols. In my neck of the woods all the major venues, indoors and outdoors, are now requiring vaccine or test, and the indoor ones require masking as well (per new govt orders). Whereas in some areas places are under government order to not put in any restrictions. And navigating all the different requirements will be yet another layer of difficulty artists have to face.”
This was the upshot of the article I posted on this issue earlier this week. Perhaps it got buried in the minutiae, but this going to potential segment the American culture like never before. That was my concern. And it’s not that restrictions are evil or even unwarranted in certain cases. But I think we all need to look straight into the belly of this truth as we make and discuss these decisions.
August 12, 2021 @ 8:00 am
The politicization of this vaccine is exceedingly frustrating to me. We’ve had vaccines mandates in every state for the last 70years. 95% of the American public has received vaccines, and complied with vaccine mandates at some point in their lives. Oh here’s a shot to help prevent me and others from getting sick, cool. The only real exception were fringe wackos on the left, and in areas where they congregated it led to measles outbreaks a few years ago…which then led to tighter vaccine mandates.
But now we’ve taken something that wasn’t political, and shouldn’t be political (its science/medicine, that Dolly helped fund, being recommended by Drs) and made it massively political. And really 70% of the country does agree, and agrees with mandates. It’s a small segment of anti-covid vaxxers who are dividing everyone and causing hospitals to be overrun. It’s just exceedingly frustrating.
August 12, 2021 @ 9:46 am
but seak, have you considered that our rights have been being infringed upon for the last 70 years and that’s its our god given rights as a red-blooded american males to get polio? also, like what’s up with the world apparently being round?! like, i mean, how even could!
August 12, 2021 @ 5:44 am
Wow, Trigger! Hot button issue here – 169 comments and counting!
I think Jason could have stuck to his protocol (and his own values) by simply cancelling and offering a non-accusational justification for his decision. It would have been a much better look for him and allowed the venue to voice some kind of “we’re sorry/but we support Jason” notice to the fans, with plans for refunds etc. Instead, finger pointing and mud slinging. It’s just really unfortunate. To me, it comes across as unpolished, and Jason’s been around too long to get a pass on that.
August 12, 2021 @ 7:36 am
The saddest part to me is that any reasonable and rational individual can pour over the various facts and statements from everyone involve and make a very reasonable conclusion on what happened here, which for the most part, is happening in this comments section. But on Twitter, and in much of the Americana community, Jason Isbell is being praised, and being couched as the victim here, not the non-profit in Houston set up to support the arts on a local level that Isbell is slandering because he knows this is a psyop he can get away with. They will be considered anti-vaxx, anti-science, and his is and will continue to be praised for taking a stand. Jason Isbell is winning this fight. The venue is losing. The other person losing is me, because I have the audacity to tell the truth.
August 12, 2021 @ 9:41 am
you seem to end up the victim in your own story quite a bit, trig.
August 12, 2021 @ 9:46 am
Good thing venues and publications don’t ask to leave your ego’s at the door. After reading part way through the comments, it is apparent that this is about genuflecting to thyself. Aren’t we all great for hating on this person? Aren’t we all wonderful for articulating our innermost outrage…our freedom! Our Rights! It’s so hard to get a grip when you’re walking up such a slippery slope. Kindness is in such short supply and in times like these we need to face reality. Your ego will be your demise.
August 12, 2021 @ 1:27 pm
I agree Trig. You told the truth here, and in fair and tempered terms. I understand his fans love him (here, we’re all fans or someone) but smashing the credibility of this venue is unfair. Jason is abusing his standing. Keep up the good work.
August 12, 2021 @ 5:57 am
I’m absolutely shocked that Jason Isbell is being a pretentious asshole about something
August 12, 2021 @ 6:56 am
I have a question. Who the hell is Jason Isbell? Anybody? Okay. I’ll go back to my 400th play this month of Waylon Jennings’ “Leavin Town” .
August 12, 2021 @ 7:29 am
It was announced today that the show he’s playing here at the minor league ballpark up the street from my house (Schaumburg, IL) on Aug. 22 will have the protocols in place and will be handled by ticketing staff from concert promoter Innovation Arts & Entertainment. They are giving refunds to those that had bought tickets already and don’t meet the criteria. It really has no bearing on my life whatsoever as I will be partying with Mike and The Moonpies 40 minutes south at The Law Office that day as they come into the area for a 5 day stretch of shows.
August 12, 2021 @ 7:32 am
So people who bought tickets in advance would be turned away if they could not provide proof of either immunization or a negative test? And presumably with but a two-day notice, the venue would not have been able to contact each and every ticket holder that one or the other was required for entry? That is a possibility. Isbell has acted poorly lashing out at this venue in such a derogatory way.
August 12, 2021 @ 8:39 am
TLDR;
Well L-de-freaking-da for you. Good thing no one cares what you think.
Sheep get vaccinated whether they want to or not, dipshit MoLesrer.
You fuckers wouldn’t know free if it was tattooed on your foreheads.
You sir are a dipshit. Just saying.
He was a fat loser who got stuffed in lockers and spent most of his time in his bedroom strumming his guitar.
Leftist hypocrisy knows no bounds.
Well L-de-freaking-da for you. Good thing no one cares what you think.
Sheep get vaccinated whether they want to or not, dipshit MoLesrer.
You fuckers wouldn’t know free if it was tattooed on your foreheads.
You sir are a dipshit. Just saying.
He was a fat loser who got stuffed in lockers and spent most of his time in his bedroom strumming his guitar.
Leftist hypocrisy knows no bounds.
Dude’s music is garbage.
“Trigger stick to the music…”
Stick to making macchiatos, brah.
fUcKeRhEaD!
His Royal Douchiness
Dude’s music is garbage.
“Trigger stick to the music…”
Stick to making macchiatos, brah.
fUcKeRhEaD!
His Royal Douchiness
August 12, 2021 @ 9:36 am
it’s not often you get to see someone have a mental breakdown in real time…
August 12, 2021 @ 10:07 am
AEG will be requiring proof of vaccination starting Oct 1 for all their concerts (negative test will not suffice). Would not be surprised if Live Nation follows suit. Just to much of a liability concern
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210812005676/en/AEG-Presents-to-Require-Proof-of-Full-Vaccination-for-U.S.-Concertgoers-and-Event-Staff
August 13, 2021 @ 7:42 am
Bye bye, live music. Way to go, corporate America!
August 13, 2021 @ 8:25 am
Oh, Uh-uh …
Lot of us out here have not stopped enjoying live music. Lots of it out there.
And some great talent.
: D
Piss off corporate “music” America.
Ok, once again, here are your key players:
clintons, bill gates, jack ma, fauci (bless his heart).
Maybe this weekend, i’ll work up a nice simple flow chart.
Nah, forget it.
Too much life to be lived & enjoyed.
By the by, anyone heard from or positively verified that jack ma is still amongst the living?
Uh-huh, … yeah, ok.
Have a great day Corncaster.
Thoroughly enjoying your comments.
August 12, 2021 @ 10:26 am
I like the Isbell policy. I think all venues should implement vaccine proof before entering. I loathe the unvaccinated for dragging this thing out unnecessarily.
But this is Woke Jason doing what the woke do best: virtue signaling.
I’m a never-Trumper. But Jason’s moral preening got old about 2 years ago.
August 12, 2021 @ 12:37 pm
Decisive as he may seem at first, he does sometimes bring people together. Over the years I’ve seen many instances of people of varying political views find common ground over the guy’s annoying preachiness and virtue signaling. It seems mostly only his Stans and fellow signalers in arms that eagerly defend him.
Kumbaya (mostly) everyone.
August 12, 2021 @ 1:09 pm
Totally fair point. But it really just makes me sad.
My first DBT show was the Friday after Thanksgiving, 2001, at The Nick in Bham. It was Jason’s third show with the band. I’ve always had an affection for him, and his brilliance is self-evident.
But now he’s just being a dick because he can. The Morning Joe spot is gonna make him more insufferable than Hood & Cooley circa 2016.
It’s a fucking shame is what it is.
August 12, 2021 @ 11:18 am
I’m inclined to believe Jason Isbell is full of s**t. great musician and song writer, but full of s**t
August 12, 2021 @ 3:59 pm
I think if I were a musician I might want a similar policy during a pandemic. But I’d want to bring my own people. You know a good many of the venue’s staff (or worse, temps) won’t give a damn. And those that do aren’t going to want to deal with conspiracy theorists and people getting aggressive, not for a fairly low-paying, often short-term job. To do it right you’d need your own people to check papers, trained to spot fakes as well as possible, and your own security to back them up if some nut starts ranting about Bill Gates microchips and pulls a gun.
August 12, 2021 @ 4:25 pm
LOL The dude’s such a crybaby!
August 12, 2021 @ 5:35 pm
I think Stagecoach is now going to require vaccination proof, no exceptions.
Maybe Trig can give us more info.
August 12, 2021 @ 6:50 pm
200 plus comments and no one says they had a jab they could give that wife of his?
internet is too mature for me these days
August 13, 2021 @ 5:20 am
There’s not enough self hate in the world for anyone besides isbell to ever want involvement with that woman.
August 12, 2021 @ 9:58 pm
Ya lost me at 10% capacity LOL
August 13, 2021 @ 1:17 am
‘The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and and over and expecting different results’
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/30/cdc-study-shows-74percent-of-people-infected-in-massachusetts-covid-outbreak-were-fully-vaccinated.html
https://news.yahoo.com/fully-vaccinated-people-quarter-covid-205000154.html
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/cdc-covid-19-outbreak-among-170000960.html
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/vaccinated-people-make-up-75-of-recent-covid-19-cases-in-singapore-but-few-fall-ill/ar-AAMtDFU
https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/07/30/1022867219/cdc-study-provincetown-delta-vaccinated-breakthrough-mask-guidance
https://lasentinel.net/alarming-cdc-memo-reveals-vaccinated-individuals-spread-delta-variant-as-much-as-the-unvaccinated.html
https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/science/cdc-says-fully-vaccinated-people-spread-the-delta-variant-and-should-wear-masks-this-new-science-is-worrisome/ar-AAMCXEa
August 13, 2021 @ 6:06 am
Attention and fame is a drug. Some artists just get so addicted to it that clamoring for both they become junkies in a way. As his career wanes look for him to meltdown tragically in some way in order to generate some more focus on himself. It’s already tragic that someone so talented can be so much of a douche. He’s sort of got a case of Madonna syndrome.
August 13, 2021 @ 4:27 pm
He’s a wacky liberal so its not shocking.
August 14, 2021 @ 4:47 am
“Jason Isbell’s fans then began lashing out at the venue…” Exactly what I would aspect from that crowd.
August 14, 2021 @ 5:07 am
hey steven. i think you meant expect. not aspect.
August 15, 2021 @ 12:41 am
Thanks for clarifying.
August 15, 2021 @ 6:07 am
What’s wrong with letting consenting adults make their own decisions? 10% capacity is a complete virtue signaling joke still at this point. What would it take for Jason to go to full capacity again? 0 Covid? That’s never going to happen again.
August 15, 2021 @ 7:25 am
No, it’s worse than that. Jason Isbell chose to not play an outdoor venue at 10% capacity to play an indoor venue of Billy Bob’s Texas at basically 100% capacity. With the massive discrepancy between transmission in indoor and outdoor setting, and the dramatic amount of breakthrough cases we’re currently experiencing, there isn’t a doctor or public health official who won’t confirm that the gig Jason Isbell chose to play as opposed to the one he had scheduled can and will result in more Covid infections.
August 15, 2021 @ 9:53 am
Seen JI 3 times, before he got a soapbox.
The wallet is the influence. Don’t pay to see them or buy their albums or merch and they might figure out they aren’t the ruler.
It is still a free country, choose to go or not. He has worn me out the last few years.