‘Joint Plan Of Action’ On Live Nation Germany Return

Merkur Spiel-Arena
Peter Weihs/ D.LIVE – Merkur Spiel-Arena
Located in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Marek Lieberberg, CEO of Live Nation GSA, the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), and the City of Düsseldorf released a statement saying they’ve “agreed on a joint procedure” for the planed “Give Live A Chance” in Germany, Sept 4.

NRW reportedly registered a rise in numbers of people testing positive for Covid-19, which is why the ministry of labor, health and social affairs, the mayor of Düsseldorf, and Marek Lieberberg, CEO of Live Nation GSA, today announced that a final decision on the concert will be made on Aug. 31.
The concert is part of Live Nation’s worldwide Return To Live campaign. Bryan Adams, Sarah Connor, Rea Garvey, The Bosshoss, Joris and Michael Mittermeier are scheduled to perform on Sept. 4 at Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf.
The concert is supposed to mark the return to live for Live Nation in Germany, where it runs under the title “Give Live A Chance!”  The concert is meant to be a beacon of hope, according to Live Nation GSA CEO Marek Lieberberg.
The on-sale of some 12,000 tickets will continue for now. Refunds will be issued in case of the event is canceled on Aug. 31.
Health minister Karl-Josef Laumann said as long as infections occurred in the current numbers, a music event of the size of “Give Live A Chance” couldn’t take place. Given the constructive talks of the past days, however, he didn’t want to make a final decision just yet.
He also praised the safety concept devised by the health ministry of Düsseldorf and Live Nation GSA.
The “experts” of Lauman’s ministry had reviewed Live Nation’s and arena operator D.LIVE’s safety concept, and verified that it accommodated the current governmental health and safety mandates, according to the joint statement.
Concert promoter Marek Lieberberg said: “This agreement represents a constructive, forward-looking effort that gives the cultural sector a chance, while taking into account the specific development of the infec-tion. This is something artists, fans and promoters can live with.”
Minister of Health Karl-Josef Laumann staded: “Today, North Rhine-Westphalia has an incidence rate of 13.7 In comparison to other state capitals, the state capital Düsseldorf ranks second in terms of in-fection incidence rates with 18.7. As long as the incidence rates and infection counts are so high and continue to rise, it will not be possible to hold a music event of this magnitude. However: In the spirit of the constructive discussions over the past few days and in appreciation of the diligent concept that has been developed for the arena, no final de-cision will be made today.” 
Mayor Thomas Geisel commented: “We are very pleased that we have once again reached common ground with the ministry and have found a solution that is acceptable to all parties. I am also very glad that the ministry acknowledges the meticulous work of Düsseldorf’s Health Of-fice, as the state capital has likewise done with the Minister’s concerns”.