Tame Impala are the latest band to trial vaccine passports, announcing strict rules regarding entry to their live shows in the US ahead of their The Slow Rush album tour kicking off stateside next month.
Fans in America will either need to prove they’ve been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, or else tested negative for the virus in the past 48 hours, to be allowed through the gates.
Mr. Tame Impala himself Kevin Parker announced the news in a statement on social media, explaining that “everyone’s safety… is more important to me than anything.”
“I have talked about this with my cohorts extensively and whilst the last thing I want to do is divide people based on what they believe and don’t believe, now is not the time to be putting everyone at risk for the sake of being nice,” he said.
“My beliefs on this matter align closely with the word of science, which is that the vaccine undeniably helps prevent serious illness and death from covid 19. If this isn’t your view I urge you to re-evaluate.”
KP added: “While I understand people have many different reasons for not choosing to vaccinate, and I feel for those who can’t because of medical reasons. Hopefully there’ll be a time in the future when it’s safe for you to come see us.”
“So get a move on if you’ve just been putting it off.”
As it stands, the Australian leg of Tame Impala’s The Slow Rush tour is set to get underway in December, and it’s very likely we’ll see similar rules in place here, if it does indeed go ahead.
One of Australia’s biggest live music promoters, Live Nation, has already thrown their support behind the vaccine or negative test for entry initiative.
You can read Kev’s full post below.
