I thought it would be interesting to start up a thread regarding this topic , so here it goes :


I have so far attended one such concert back in August when it was still possible in my stomping grounds and while it was mostly geared towards blues/hard rock a few classic metal bands played nonetheless , so I hope I haven't inadvertently committed too great of an off topic transgression .

At any rate the concert itself was more like a one off/one day festival of the " drive thru " variety that's popped up recently , what with almost every attendant sitting in their cars or on their motorbikes , though pedestrians were allowed in as well as long as they kept the required distance of 1,5 meters minimum per person .

I can honestly say that the requirement of having to distance yourself didn't bother me in the least , in fact it was a welcome change to the ( obviously ) often crowded conditions one tends to experience at such events , on the other hand the fact that one wasn't allowed to mix and mingle with other attendees was a definite downer in my case .

This will ( unfortunately ) be my one and only live review contribution since I haven't/won't be attending any more events of this type for the foreseeable future , what with all big gatherings having been banned in my country , however I do hope that it was at least somewhat informative .

P.S. I would have delved way into such factors as the energy of the bands/variety of their set lists / all the good stuff one loves to read , however every single one of the aforementioned bands were local/at best only known in Hungary outfits that probably nobody else is familiar with on this forum , however if anyone is curious then feel free to mention as much and I'll gladly attempt to crack up a better live review .

To delve a bit further and ( hopefully ) make this live review of mine a bit more worth reading , one of the bands that played actually featured an ex member of the Rudán Joe Band , which ( as all those who are familiar with the old school Hungarian metal scene surely know ) was the brain child of Pokolgép's second best known frontman ...

Said band even did a few covers of Rudán Joe era Pokolgép songs ( like f.ex A harang értem szól ) , which were pretty good in their own right , albeit it must be said that ( IMHO ) the vocalist came off a bit too screechy in his delivery .

Moving on to the " social/environmental " aspect of the gig , there were a few cops stationed outside the entrance to make sure that the number of participants didn't exceed the maximum 500 attendees allowed limit which was in force at the time , and the gig itself was by invitation only FWIW .

In fact as far as I know all bigger gigs held in Hungary this past summer were of the invitation only variety , which is why I'd be curious to read if other had similar restrictions as well .

Anyways I'll be sure to type down anything else worth mentioning soon enough and hopefully others will jot down their own experiences as well .

My band managed to squeeze in a show in August during a small window when such events were being put on. Everyone was either at a table, at the bar or along the wall and seated. Definitely not the same energy but people still headbanged and screamed; obviously appreciative to get some kind of live music.

My band played a show in September, and has another show coming up in February. It's a bit odd; there is no pit, and everyone kinda keeps their distance, which is good. People were still rocking out and having a good time. I've attended a few other local shows that my band wasn't playing at, and it's been enjoyable, even with the restrictions. I don't really mind people not slamming into me, it's a nice change. I'm definitely looking forward to this being over and done with, but the music does live on. I do feel for those who live in places where it is impossible to see a show at all!

Interesting ...


May I ask which country did the gig take place in/what sort of restrictions ( if any ) in your current neck of the woods are in place with respect to shows being held ?

It's still the same story here in the Gulyás Republic , i.e. putting on a concert is currently illegal since all events are banned as such .

Yup the fact that present day restrictions have effectively done away with the issue of people slamming into you at gigs is definitely a nice change ...

Are concerts currently permitted in Virginia by the way ? I'm asking because , to my limited knowledge , COVID restrictions in the US can greatly vary on a state by state basis which is why I'm curious .

Here's a question for you all: Has anyone attended/played any "off the books" shows where such restrictions are not in place? Something like the generator parties featured in the desert rock scene of the early 90's? I'm in a pretty rural area and really like the idea of throwing together something on a farm involving a generator, a couple of kegs, a cheap PA and a makeshift stage.