We Are Back In 1968

Protesters in the streets, mass protests, police and military under fire -- it feels like the summer of 1968. We even have drive-in movie theaters coming alive again.

From the Smithsonian magazine: “Movements that had been building along the primary fault lines of the 1960s—the Vietnam War, the Cold War, civil rights, human rights, youth culture—exploded with force in 1968. The aftershocks registered both in America and abroad for decades afterward.”

Replace Vietnam with pandemic and you have 1968 all over again. It was election year then, too.

There’s sometimes a Country music story out of Washington, DC. The Washington Post, on June 9th, published a very long article titled, “How The Country Music Industry Is Responding To George Floyd’s Death—And Facing Its Own Painful Truths.” Written by Emily Yahr, the article gets into the issue about as fully as anyone has dared to go. Google it.

The issue will certainly be a point of social media discussion, and already is following the June 11th announcement of Lady Antebellum changing the band’s name to Lady A. The band chose its original name after a style of home where they shot early PR photos. This might be an example of getting ahead of the problem, if it was a problem. It will certainly be a question they will tire of answering.

The NASCAR Confederate flag issue has been boiling behind the scenes for some time. The sport’s ban on the flag came on the eve of the Martinsville, VA race on June 10th. You might remember that a Confederate flag stink rose up a few years ago involving the band Confederate Railroad. Hard to believe the Civil War is still being fought by some, but it is.

The pandemic is shadowing all this week’s stories. Nashville’s Covid-19 reopening has been postponed/slowed down due to a click up in the infection rate stats. The medical folks aren’t real sure yet what’s going on. In another week things will be more clear.

The cancel fever is still in full swing. Chicago cancelled all of its big outdoor summer events. California’s Stagecoach and Coachella are cancelled. But as some things start to re-open, a shadow of worry remains. TV/film production can start in Hollywood this weekend, but with so many hoops to jump through it will be a challenge.

More than a few people on Music Row enjoyed “Live PD” on A&E. It’s now history, as is the long-running “Cops.” Disney’s Splash Mountain is under attack, too, for its voice dialects.

Meanwhile, Alan Jackson is staging two drive-up shows this weekend, and Garth Brooks has announced a June 27th show only available on drive-in movie screens. Both are thinking outside the box, and look for more acts trying to get the wheels moving again.

Pollstar is predicting $8.9 billion in lost concert ticket sales if there are no shows for the rest of 2020. Things do seem to be moving slower than some predicted. Disposable income may be a huge issue. We may feel like 1968, but this 2020 trip does seem to be in uncharted waters.

I read so you won’t have to: Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani are on the cover of US Weekly. The article claims insiders are pointing toward a marriage ceremony for the two when the pandemic ends. (Does anyone know when that might be?)

Hopefully someone will ask Jimmy Buffett why he’s never done the Grand Ole Opry before now. Everyone’s pretty much done the Opry. Crazy that’s never happened, but will on June 27. His first new album in seven years charted just below Lady Gaga.