Live Nation President Joe Berchtold was featured on CNBC’s “Closing Bell” on Monday to discuss the return of live events.
According to Berchtold, Live Nation is seeing unprecedented demand for concerts as 2022 was shaping up to be a record-breaking year for touring.
“We’re looking great as we get into summer fall and into 2022. Right now, 2022 is pacing double digits ahead of where we were in 2019 for 2020 and just for context, at that point, we though 2020 would be our biggest year ever, so we are seeing the unlock of demand after people have been pent up for a year, across the board,” Berchtold said.
Berchtold said he also expects that pandemic will help to drive the shift to digital ticketing and technology to allow for a fully touchless experience at concert and sports venues.
Berchtold seemed a little more reticent to expand on Live Nation’s overall approach to health policies at its venues and events, noting that the situation in many markets was still dynamic, making it hard to predict what changes might be put in place in the coming months.
When the hosts asked Berchtold about Live Nation’s policy on mask requirements and proof of vaccination for fans, he again declined to answer directly, noting that the situation with the pandemic was still dynamic but he said that, Live Nation is working closely with public health experts in every market to ensure that events operate as safely as possible.
Check out the full interview here:
