WOODBURY — After the long year we all have had as a result of COVID-19, many things had to be put on hold such as concerts, festivals, and more. We all miss it: the sound of hearing your favorite artist live, or the anticipation felt throughout the day waiting to watch performers we’ve longed to see in person. 

With concerts back in full swing, the question arises: Who is performing right now?

Artists performing right now include The Jonas Brothers, Pitbull, Dan and Shay, Pitbull, Phoebe Bridgers, Harry Styles, Josh Groban, Thomas Rhett, Maroon 5, Luke Bryan, Bruno Mars, John Legend, and many more artists. In addition to concerts returning, music festivals are back en vogue with the iHeartRadio performance on Sept. 17-18. 

What are concert venues doing to make sure people stay safe? Some arenas throughout the U.S. are making sure attendees are vaccinated or have a negative COVID test ready for entering the arena, but what about Connecticut arenas?

At Mohegan Sun Arena, there are a few rules to make sure everyone stays safe. Prior to entering the venue, masks are required for all unvaccinated people, as well as fans who sit in the pit. However, even though masks are not required for vaccinated people, it is still recommended to wear one since it’s a place with over 10,000 people.

The Chief Advocate conducted a poll to see what were the students’ opinions of concerts coming back. The questions included were, “Are you excited for concerts to come back?, Do you think it is safe?, and, Who are you most excited to see live?

The poll collected 67 responses, including 48 for the last question, an open response. For the first question: Are you excited to see concerts come back; the poll came back with 29.9% no and 70.1% yes. The next question was Do you think it’s safe for concerts to be back; the poll results showed 22.4% no and 77.6% yes.

It isn’t just students who are excited to be back in person. Harry Styles, the lead singer from One Direction, noted, “The last year and a half, we’ve been through something together, and we’ve all been through something here individually. In the darkest of times of what we’ve been through the only thing that got me through was this tonight.”

Based on poll results, it’s shown that some people do think it’s the safe for concerts to be back, while others aren’t quite ready. Similarly, this sentiment is shared among  those who are excited for artists to finally be coming back.

With concerts returning, so too is a return for music’s biggest stars. Among the names Nonnewaug is most excited to see perform, the leading vote getters included: Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, The Plays, Migos, Abba,  BTS, Elton John, Panic at the Disco, Machine Head, Morgan Wallen, Machine Gun Kelly, Dan and Shay, Billie Eilish, Louis Tomlinson, Wallows, and Luke Bryan.

With a return to normalcy, concerts hold a special place in the world of entertainment. Seeing the world’s biggest stars take the stage reassures crowds of adoring fans that concerts are a vital piece of our country’s social fabric.