Fourth Of July: Mission Scrubbed

Cancel creep rocks on. The powers that be have now canceled one of Nashville’s largest events, the Independence Day fireworks celebration, which Brad Paisley had been set to headline. It’s one of America’s biggest fireworks presentations, and it was scrubbed this week. Really?

OK, it might be a little soon to have 100,000 people downtown. Maybe it was too expensive this year. Finances for the city and the citizens are mostly in the tank. It is just sad, though, and almost unimaginable. When did you ever think we would cancel the celebrations on the 4th of July?

One tour after another canceled or moved into 2021 this week. There are too many to name. The idea of having any kind of touring in 2020 is looking remote. September is on the books for racing and some football. Since the NFL stadiums are gearing up for the social distancing, is the music community trying to get in on that, too?

It feels like defeat seems easier right now. The recording studios are starting to sound like June will represent a reboot for them. Sessions are scheduled, but not much else.

The drive-in movie idea is great for a publicity stunt, but not anything you can gross six figures with. Keith Urban might have thought “better something than nothing” when he did one recently just outside of Nashville, but the bosses are set up to make the big bucks.

Musicians are ready to work, even hungry to work. The federal/state unemployment stuff runs out for many at the end of July. Then what? That’s when this shutdown is really going to inflict pain. Yes, the “A list” music stars are paying their people, but the sub contractors don’t get it on that.

Pay per view doesn’t seem like an option. How is that Labor Day weekend Panama City Beach, FL music festival, Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam, going to happen with everything else not happening? What’s their secret plan?

But it just feels like you have to try something. Think outside the box and take less money. Is anyone really trying, or is it just simpler to say, “Let’s do it next June?” I have not seen that “can do” spirit.

Even the radio bosses want to keep everyone at home until the fall. One chain leader reportedly even told his staff to stay at home until someone can say how the product improves back in the studio. Yikes!

Sure, keep everyone at home. Use the staffers’ own internet, power, water. Why have an office, or studio or recording studio. Just do it at home? We will save tons

Home recording is about to shut down Music City’s studio culture anyway. And look how much TV is saving staying out of the studio? The carbon emissions are down. Let’s all just stay home and Zoom.

Is this how we want things to be? How boring were “American Idol” and “The Voice” without the energy of the fans? The homemade TV was a curiosity. Same for the solo shows online.

Get the band back together in front of an audience, some way, somehow. We are not a cave-dwelling culture. Radio should have never stopped being live and out among the public. TV live for the sake of live was and is horrible. Reporters broadcasting from their kitchen or backyard looks dumb to me. Necessary for a brief time, but enough already.

Nashville’s Belmont University is coming back in August. They sit at the top of Music Row, but Music Row needs to come back alive long before that. San Francisco and New York City are shut down. Maybe they still should be, but what about everything else?

Things need to be different and germ aware for sure. But there has to be a way to get us to the next place and tread water until there’s a vaccine, some intermediate step the NFL and others are trying to find.

Music Row needs to lead, not just follow Google and Silicon Valley into caves. Find a way to get the music to the people with energy and safety, enthusiasm not defeat. If it’s masks and gloves then it’s masks and gloves.

We went to the moon. It would seem like we could figure out how to play live music performance with and for the fans.