Asking Alexandria’s Ben Bruce Says Getting COVID Is ‘Inevitable’ on Tour
As more and more bands are having to cancel tours due to someone in their camp contracting COVID-19, many others are faced with the decision of postponing their dates or moving forward with them. Asking Alexandria's Ben Bruce says it's basically inevitable that someone is going to get sick, and that now may not be the right time to proceed with life as usual.
"I think it'd be naive to not realize that [getting COVID] is a very real possibility," Bruce told Loudwire Nights. "It's just so tough because everyone wants to get back out there. I think the fans want shows again and the bands wanna play those shows again. But I'm not convinced that this is necessarily the right time."
"I think it's inevitable that when you go out on tour, someone's gonna get COVID because, how could you not? You just gotta hope that it's not the end of touring again, or I don't know," he continued. "We have to find a way to live with this thing, and I think you gotta start somewhere... There's stuff that's gonna need to be figured out and addressed."
Asking Alexandria do have a tour book this year, though, which you can see the dates for on their website.
Among the artists who have gotten sick with the virus over the last several weeks are Corey Taylor, Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson, Korn's Jonathan Davis, Pop Evil's Leigh Kakaty and more.
Taylor, who had to cancel performances last week after testing positive, is urging his fans to get vaccinated after his experience with the illness.
"I also want to say that because I was vaccinated, I truly believe that is what helped me get over the break. I mean, this is the worst I've ever been sick in my life. Had I not been vaccinated, I shudder to think how bad it would have been. But because I had that extra little bit of protection, man, it definitely helped me get through it," he said.
Several entertainment companies have implemented COVID-19 regulations over the last several weeks in an effort to prevent the spread of the new delta variant at their events. While Live Nation shows will require either proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test upon entry, other companies, such as AEG, will only allow people who are vaccinated to attend — a negative test will not be sufficient.
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