concerts

Epidemiologist Answers: How Dangerous Are Concerts?

It’s now been about a month since the Lollapalooza music festival took place in Chicago. Was it the super spreader event that the city feared? Among 385,000 attendees, 203 people are reported to have contracted Covid-19 which represents less than 1% of those in attendance. Are concerts safe again?

In a new Billboard article, journalist Steve Knopper sat down with infectious disease expert Dr. Amesh A. Adalja about the risk of attending a concert or other live event while we are experiencing a surge of new Covid-19 infections. 

Wearing masks and being vaccinated is a good start in the transition for live events reappearing. According to Dr. Adalja, the more vaccinated the crowd, the safer the event is. This statement pairs well with AEG’s recent striking update that the live entertainment company is requiring vaccinations, not only negative tests or wearing masks at it’s events. 

Attending an outdoors festival is much safer than being in a crowded indoor environment, but the risk of contracting Covid-19 remains. The severity of infections vary, even among the vaccinated, with some requiring hospitalization. Preventing as many cases as possible through vaccinations and masking up will keep our hospitals from becoming overwhelmed.

If you wish to attend concerts in the upcoming future, secure the safety of both yourself and your community by getting vaccinated. For more information and to schedule an appointment near you, visit www.vaccines.gov.

Gigmor Pro New Releases: Mira Goto – The Best

Mira Goto The Best

Gigmor Pro New Releases: Mira Goto – The Best

Mira Goto is a California native who now splits her time between Santa Cruz, CA and Nashville, TN. The singer began her music career at a very young age playing violin, but grew up to play guitar. When she reached college, she began writing songs and has now gone on to chart on country radio stations and just released her first EP in October of last year. 

On August 12th, Mira released her brand new song “The Best”. Mira told us she was “Drawn to the songs that told stories, songs that were more lyrically driven.  I wanted to learn how to do that… how to have a song about love without ever saying the word ‘love’. It’s a really fun challenge to say something without saying it.” 

Mira mentioned she is inspired by a variety of styles, and her inspirations have evolved over time.

“My inspirations vary greatly in style, and in timing; some were massively inspirational years ago, and some speak to me now.  For example, Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz, John Mayer, Colbie Caillat, Sheryl Crow – that whole singer songwriter movement in the early 2000’s is what inspired me to first pick up a guitar.  Kacey Musgraves & Taylor Swift brought me into country, while Chris Stapleton, Lori McKenna, Ingrid Andress and Lee Brice keep me here.”


When asked what is next for her, Mira told us “Next for me is more music!  Always more music.  I would love to do more shows, but the future is unknown in that regard.  I’ll pace myself for now, and perform when I can. In the meantime, I’m writing and hoping to have a deep catalogue of great music to share with the world once we’re [in] full sprint again!”

20% of Music Venues Received No Federal Assistance During Quarantine

A new report from Billboard states that 20% of independent music venues received no federal assistance to keep their properties afloat during the height of the pandemic. There was a total of $8 billion distributed to just over 10,400 venues. The rest were denied without explanation.

The United States Small Business Administration received 15,429 applications for the Federal Shuttered Venue Operations grant. The grant was established after the creation of the #SaveOurStages movement which aimed to attract the government’s attention to the peril that these businesses were facing. The movement gained popularity after statistics were released in late October that 90% of independent music venues across the country were at risk of closing permanently, with an estimated 300 already shuttered before the end of 2020.

The Federal Shuttered Venue Operations grant was allocated $16 Billion to distribute to independent venues. Many venues were rejected without explanation or actionable recourse. When a venue received notice that they were rejected for funding, papers showed a generic “Eligibility matrix,” including “Common reasons an entity is found ineligible [for the grant].” As of now, the United States Small Business Administration has declined further comment.