Unpopular opinion – Red Rocks is not my favorite Colorado concert venue. The most interesting and fun shows I’ve been to have been at venues like the Bluebird Theater or the Gothic Theatre, where I attended the first concert I bought tickets to on my own when I was in high school. They are shows with smaller audiences or maybe up-and-coming artists that don’t sound like anything I’ve heard before. And, they largely happen in INDOOR venues.

I was thrilled to see tickets go on sale and buy them as a fully-vaccinated adult with fully-vaccinated friends. Last week, we went to see Tune-yards at the Gothic Theatre, the first show there since COVID shut it down last year, and it was the first indoor concert I’ve been to since March 3, 2020.

While this should have been a celebratory event symbolizing a near end to a dark chapter for the live music industry, and it was in many ways, there was also so much tentativeness in the air. And guilt. Should we even be doing this right now?

Suddenly, I was mad. And sad. And anxious at the idea of the weather turning colder.

For about 200^th time in two days, my anger toward those who could and have had every opportunity to get vaccinated, yet refuse to do so reached a blood-pressure raising level.  

The careless and selfish decision to not get vaccinated when others have sacrificed so much to keep themselves and others safe is so incredibly maddening, it’s hard to articulate. Speaking for myself and Harrison – for a year, we left the house only to go grocery shopping. We religiously wore masks in public and in the common areas of our apartment building.

We went months without seeing any friends or family. We also lost the things that bring us joy, relieve stress, and give us something to look forward to – like live entertainment. 

We did all of this because we wanted to be good citizens of our city, our country, and the planet. And since playing Russian Roulette with a deadly pathogen isn’t a hobby we choose to partake in, we thought it would be in the best interest of our own health, as well.

But forget the losses we felt. Theater performers, musicians, comics, stagehands, costume designers, and so many other people lost their livelihoods.

Harrison and I both attended The University of Colorado Denver and have degrees in Music Industry Studies. (Sometimes I like to tell people that I majored in liking things before they’re cool and minored in buying concert tickets, but I digress.) We both have people in our circles who lost their main source of income and had to find new jobs to get by or navigate the maze of unemployment benefits.

One of the things we love the most about Denver is the music and arts scene, whether it’s music, comedy, theater, or something completely weird and different. While mostly for fun, we are also both performers – I sing in a choir, and Harrison is a stand-up comic and also produces shows. So, believe me when I tell you that I am elated to see promoters like AEG and Live Nation, along with artists and venues requiring proof of vaccination by a certain date or negative COVID test to attend shows. Frankly, the fact that they are giving people time to get vaccinated at this point shouldn’t be necessary. They’ve had time. Fans who did the responsible thing and got vaccinated, the performers, and the employees of the venue do not deserve to be put at risk by people who don’t seem to have the capacity to care about anyone but themselves or are so willfully misinformed, they are beyond persuasion.

Do I want it to be incredibly difficult for the willingly unvaccinated to do anything that brings them joy? Yes, absolutely I do. Why? Because for over a year, people lost their livelihoods or willingly sacrificed the things they love in order to keep themselves and their communities safe. We are continuing to pick up the slack of those who refuse to do the right thing. Your “freedom” and “rights” end at endangering the public. It’s the same reason we have laws against drunk driving. So, when you get vaccinated, you can have nice things again. Or you can stay home for a change. I don’t think my mental health can withstand another COVID winter, and none of us who already put in the work when it was asked of us should be confined to our homes again due to the selfishness of the minority.

Written by Whitney