Article: What a night!

[The Computer Audiophile]

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[botrytis]

I agree with one stipulation, Covid is not over by any means. My wife and I have tickets to see Genesis coming up, but with the Covid resurgence, in the US, I worry that concerts will be a breeding ground for more cases. It has already happened and an outside festival in Colorado.

 

I will be masked up, when we see Genesis. If people don't like it? TOUGH.

[firedog]

At any mass event with people crowded together, it's a good idea to wear a mask. Even outside.

The Delta variant is highly contagious, and a brief exposure can result in infection.

[JoeWhip]

I have sworn off live music until this thing is over. Doesn’t matter how long it takes.

[AudioDoctor]

I love Dessa and am just a bit jealous Chris!

[The Computer Audiophile]

12 minutes ago, AudioDoctor said:

I love Dessa and am just a bit jealous Chris!

It really was glorious. 😁

[christopher3393]

For those who may not be familiar with local Twin Cities musicians...and may be interested in this one:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dessa

 

But these are still plague breeding grounds ( Delta for now, more variants to come, no doubt ) as has been mentioned. It is difficult.

 

Wishing you all good health and happiness in the midst of this.

 

 

[RickyV]

Two week ago our government decided that if you could provide a negative test or proof of full vaccination you didn’t need to uphold the 1.5 m rule. So all indoor cafes and discotheques could open which was a bit of a surprise to everyone. 
Now we have new restrictions no discotheques, no indoor cafe unless seated + 1.5 m, no outdoor festivals and that’s a big thing in Holland, everything closes at 24:00h.

The COVID infectious 7th folded in those two weeks, not in hospital counts that stayed low. The youth infections skyrocket. Almost everyone over 55 who wants a vacation is fully vaccinated. Thanks D variant.

[audiobomber]

It's a shame about the club and other businesses that were damaged and looted in the protests. America really needs to deal with its racial issues. Protests are a symptom, not the root problem.

[AudioDoctor]

There is a new Lambda variant in South America as well. I haven't seen anything that said it has been found here in the US. 

 

However, from the article:  https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/08/health/lambda-variant-covid-peru.html

 

Quote

“I think some of the interest is just based on the fact that there’s a new variant, and it has a new name,” said Nathaniel Landau, a microbiologist at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine who is studying the new coronavirus variants.

 

“But I don’t think there’s any more reason to be concerned than before we knew about this variant,” Dr. Landau added. No evidence so far suggests that Lambda will outcompete Delta, the highly transmissible variant that’s now dominating most of the world. “There’s no reason to think that this is now something worse than Delta.”

 

[fas42]

The news doesn't get better, https://theconversation.com/whats-the-delta-plus-variant-and-can-it-escape-vaccines-an-expert-explains-163644

[Rexp]

Herd immunity is now back on the table in the UK now that at-risk groups are fully vaccinated. 

[jrobbins50]

@The Computer Audiophile, I was in the old club but once, long ago.  The new space looks amazing!  Glad you had fun. Cheers. JCR 

[Confused]

17 hours ago, botrytis said:

I agree with one stipulation, Covid is not over by any means. My wife and I have tickets to see Genesis coming up, but with the Covid resurgence, in the US, I worry that concerts will be a breeding ground for more cases. It has already happened and an outside festival in Colorado.

 

I will be masked up, when we see Genesis. If people don't like it? TOUGH.

Things are starting to open up in the UK.  Live music venues can open now, albeit with capacity and other restrictions.  From July 19th the restrictions on capacity will be lifted, and we will be heading back to normal, or to a "new normal" at least.  It is not just music venues of course, there have been (and will be Sunday) attendances of 60,000 people for the finals for the Euro 2020 (2021) football tournament, and larger numbers planned for the F1 Grand Prix at Silverstone next week.  So how might this work out?  To quote:

 

“The UK is in an absolutely unique position,” says Mark Woolhouse, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh. “We have the biggest Delta outbreak in a well-vaccinated country. We are a petri dish for the world.”

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/02/we-are-a-petri-dish-world-watches-uks-race-between-vaccine-and-virus

 

As things stand at the time of writing, confirmed cases are doubling about every six days, but hospitalisations and fatalities are rising relatively slowly.  

 

So keep a watchful eye out for how it is going in the UK, we'll keep you informed.

 

One final thought, I really would not like to be one of the relatively low number UK residents who are "vaccine hesitant" at the moment.

[botrytis]

In Missouri and Arkansas, there is the Delta plus variant now.

[audiobomber]

19 minutes ago, botrytis said:

In Missouri and Arkansas, there is the Delta plus variant now.

I heard on CNN that Delta is not only present, but it is the dominant strain.

[audiobomber]

4 hours ago, Confused said:

Things are starting to open up in the UK.  Live music venues can open now, albeit with capacity and other restrictions.  From July 19th the restrictions on capacity will be lifted, and we will be heading back to normal, or to a "new normal" at least.  It is not just music venues of course, there have been (and will be Sunday) attendances of 60,000 people for the finals for the Euro 2020 (2021) football tournament, and larger numbers planned for the F1 Grand Prix at Silverstone next week.  So how might this work out?  To quote:

 

“The UK is in an absolutely unique position,” says Mark Woolhouse, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh. “We have the biggest Delta outbreak in a well-vaccinated country. We are a petri dish for the world.”

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/02/we-are-a-petri-dish-world-watches-uks-race-between-vaccine-and-virus

 

As things stand at the time of writing, confirmed cases are doubling about every six days, but hospitalisations and fatalities are rising relatively slowly.  

 

So keep a watchful eye out for how it is going in the UK, we'll keep you informed.

 

One final thought, I really would not like to be one of the relatively low number UK residents who are "vaccine hesitant" at the moment.

I believe most Brits have had the AstraZeneca vaccine? It is reportedly not as effective vs. Delta. Most North Americans who've been vaccinated had RNA types. I heard yesterday there are Gamma and Lambda variants, and more to come. We'll be due for boosters soon.

 

Ontario has just entered Stage Three restrictions, which allows for indoor concerts:

 

"The number of members of the public at an indoor seated concert, event, performance or movie within the concert venue, theatre or cinema at any one time must not exceed 50 per cent of the usual seating capacity for the concert venue, theatre or cinema, or 1,000 persons, whichever is less."

[Confused]

1 hour ago, audiobomber said:

I believe most Brits have had the AstraZeneca vaccine? It is reportedly not as effective vs. Delta. Most North Americans who've been vaccinated had RNA types. I heard yesterday there are Gamma and Lambda variants, and more to come. We'll be due for boosters soon.

In the UK, it depends on age.  Typically, those over 40 received the AstraZeneca vaccine, those under 40 received Pfizer or Moderna.

 

Curiously (or perhaps luckily) the latest data shows that the AstraZeneca vaccine is more effective against Delta rather than Alpha variants.  The UK is now effectively generating its own data in one big real world trial, the AstraZeneca vaccine performance is not the best, but then again it is not far behind.  (with two doses at least)  That said, as someone who has been given two doses of AstraZeneca vaccine myself. I would not refuse a new variant booster when it becomes available.

 

Also, the AstraZeneca vaccine has some advantages in terms of cost, production, distribution and storage.  ($4 per dose versus maybe $20 to $40 for others)  When we consider the challenges of vaccinating most of the world's population, this has to be a good thing.  In practical terms, most people do not get a choice, they need to take what is offered when it is offered, and we have a long way to go with this outside of the wealthier nations.

 

This is from UK data published June 14th:

 

 

 

 

In terms of the topic of this thread, would I be happy to go out and listen to live music with my own 92% efficacy against hospitalisation?   This is almost a risk reward ratio type of decision, so the music would have to be good, and something outdoors might be preferable in the medium term.  But yes, I would, at least with the current levels of covid infection in the UK.  This might change though.

[The Computer Audiophile]

Can we not make this thread about vaccines and viruses?

[jrobbins50]

I tried. JCR 

[NOMBEDES]

OK, who wrote the lyric.? "Language is a Virus"?   I will buy the winner a drink, when it is safe!!!

[MarkusBarkus]

...the lyric was popularized (at least for me) by Laurie Anderson, but it was taken from William Burroughs. After a second glass of wine...I'd have to look up the specific text. I think that's correct, @NOMBEDESbut I am on a second glass on a fine evening in upstate NY...

[MarkusBarkus]

...my first experiments with R2R were with tape loops based on Laurie Anderson's violin performance piece...where the bow was recorded magnetic tape and a tape head was on the violin body. OMG. That was a lot of fun...li, li, li, listen to my heart beat. OK, that's the wine talking now...

[NOMBEDES]

You win.  I have a fine btl of 2015 Ch. Pavie Macquin to share at the next Covid Free Audio Show.

 

[Mike Rubin]

I had tickets to see Dessa and Thievery Corporation last Sunday afternoon at San Francisco’s open air Stern Grove.  Between the bad weather and the rise in San Francisco of Delta, and even though I am Moderna vaccinated, I chickened out and opted instead for the live feed.  I have a couple of

 

Dessa’s albums as downloads, but was surprised that she seemed so affable and outgoing live, backed by the same musicians who accompanied her in Minneapolis.  For me, though, the real attraction was Thievery Corporation, which never seems to disappoint.  In any event, all of the musicians on stage clearly were thrilled to be performing in front of live audiences.

 

SFJazz today announced its live performance season, beginning in September, after 18 months of only streaming past performances.  It looks like a sensational season and I hope that Delta no longer will be a concern by the time the Jazz Center reopens at full capacity.