Now that COVID-19 safety guidelines are loosening and many people have gotten vaccinated, life is slowly returning to what we once considered normal. For example, family members are hugging and concerts are resuming.
Rock band Teenage Bottlerocket is getting ready for an upcoming tour, and one stop is in Saint Petersburg, Florida on June 26, 2021. Tickets for this particular stop on the tour range in price from $18 to $999. The price difference has nothing to do with seating location or special perks. The difference depends on whether or not attendees have been vaccinated.
The concert promotor, Leadfoot Promotions, specifics that the $18 tickets are considered discounted tickets and are only available to people who show proof of being vaccinated for COVID-19. “To be eligible for the DISCOUNT, you will need to bring a government issued photo ID and your PHYSICAL COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card.” In addition, the promotor specifics that only getting one Moderna or Pfizer shot is not enough. “You will need to have had your second shot of Pfizer or Moderna, or your single shot of Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine on or before 6/12/2021.”
Fans who want to attend the concert and haven’t been vaccinated or are not able to prove that they have been vaccinated will need to be willing to pay $999.99.
The promotor stresses, “We are NOT telling you what to do here, we are making a business decision and letting the market decide. If someone wants to come in unvaccinated, they will scare off a large number of patrons and will need to pay the difference.”
In case you’re wondering, the band has been vaccinated and everyone on staff and volunteering at the concert will also be vaccinated before the show.
Not every stop on Teenage Bottlerocket’s tour will have separate ticket prices for vaccinated and unvaccinated guests. Florida governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill which fines businesses $5000 each time they ask someone to prove they have been vaccinated for COVID-19. This bill goes into effect July 1, 2021, just a few days after the concert in St. Petersburg.
CNN’s Pamela Brown talked to Teenage Bottlerocket’s singer and guitar player, Ray Carlisle, about the no-vax tax. Watch the video below to hear the band’s reaction when they found out about the price difference and Carlisle’s advice for anyone who wants to see the show but has yet to be vaccinated.
Do you think anyone will pay the $999.99 price to see the concert? Do you think it’s a good idea or a bad idea to have separate prices for people who have and have not been vaccinated for COVID-19? Do you think it’s fair for businesses to ask for proof of vaccination?