The major concert "Give Live A Chance" with Sarah Connor planned for September in Düsseldorf continues to be criticized.
The major concert "Give Live A Chance" planned for September 4th in the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf continues to meet with criticism. Armin Laschet (59), Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, now expresses his concerns. He considers the concert with up to 13,000 spectators in times of the Corona crisis to be "not a good signal", as the "Bild" newspaper reports. He also criticized Düsseldorf's Lord Mayor Thomas Geisel (56) and the announcement of the event "without any consultation with the regional authorities responsible".
A "ray of hope" for the music world?
Performances by Sarah Connor (40, "How beautiful you are"), Bryan Adams (60), Rea Garvey (47), Joris (30), Michael Mittermeier (54) and The BossHoss are planned for the concert. Garvey recently described the event as "a little ray of hope for all of us".
In an interview with RTL, Alec Völkel (48) from The BossHoss said about the concert: "We think the idea is great. It's time for culture to find a stage again. (…) There hasn't been much going on in this country for months and it's not just about us, about musicians, but also about the entire trade behind us. " Band colleague Sascha Vollmer (48) added: "Super brave too, you have to say. Safety precautions, hygiene measures and keeping your distance are of course important. But we are sure (…) if you stick to it, it will be a successful event and gives us back the stage. "
Sarah Connor also defended the event at the weekend. On Instagram, she explained in a long post that she could understand "concerns and objections", but that it was about jobs. You have "many friends and colleagues whose livelihoods are now threatened". The singer employs around 150 people over the year, "who lost all their income overnight in March." She is not talking about "partying, but about JOBS". Both sides of the argument are about life. In addition, Connor assures: "According to my information, otherwise I would never have agreed, the planned concert was carefully thought out and worked out and coordinated closely with the authorities."
Tickets already available
In the meantime, advance sales for the concert started on Tuesday morning. According to the event's homepage, "Give Live A Chance" should "demonstrate that a major event is possible during this time" – in compliance with the relevant protection regulations. The measures include a ban on alcohol, compulsory mask and staying in the assigned seat. Only personalized tickets are sold, identification must be presented upon admission.