On an investor call for Live Nation’s quarterly earnings report in August, Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino said the company was expecting concerts to return at scale in summer 2021.

The Met will start its 2021-2022 season at the end of September 2021, months after many in the live music industry have said they expect to be able to kick off full-scale concerts again. In a press release, the company said that with hundreds of performers in close quarters along with the Met’s audiences, resuming shows wouldn’t be safe “until a vaccine is widely in use, herd immunity is established, and the wearing of masks and social distancing is no longer a medical requirement.” The company also cancelled three shows set for June 2021 at Carnegie Hall. The decision carries ominous implications for the return of the live music industry, which has been battered since the pandemic almost completely stalled what was supposed to be a record year for the business. Citing safety concerns from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the New York Metropolitan Opera announced on Wednesday that it is cancelling its 2020-2021 season.

Met opera cancellation