It feels like an eternity since we have been able to properly see friends and family, forget a concert, sporting event, club or party. The later may be able to change thanks to one Barcelona concert.

C-Turtle / flickr

A concert for a crowd of 5000 people was held in Barcelona last month on March 27th, an impossible thought in a pandemic world. This was not an illegal gathering, all attendees were given a rapid covid test before arriving to the venue. The model seems to have worked, as there has been no indication that any cases have resulted from this event.

Josep Maria Llibre, a doctor at the Germans Trias i Pujol hospital in Badalona announced in a press conference that “a live music concert in a covered enclosure with the correct measures and ventilation is a safe activity.”

All attendees were given a covid test during the day of the concert before arriving at Love of Lesbian’s live show, their results returned within fifteen minutes via an app.

This study shows that there can be hope for a quicker return to major events than initially expected. This concert is a positive sign for not only Barcelona, but for the entire world still facing lockdown. Crowded venues without social distance could start to come back under this rapid test model, Canucks games could theoretically have fans back, theatre productions could run live once again, and concerts could return to the city.

All participants still wore masks at all times as an extra precaution, a small price to pay for the return of live entertainment.

As Canadians wait for the vaccine rollout to reach the herd immunity tipping point, this new way of gathering could help us start to open up earlier than what was once thought. Major gatherings like this concert, as little as a month ago, seemed far out of the realm of possibility.