Grammy Award-winning singer Jason Isbell explained why he’s requiring audiences to be vaccinated at his concerts.
“I think the people who work at the venue, and who work in the music business understand from everything that I’ve heard, so far all the response I’ve gotten from people in the business has been positive,” the 42-year-old singer explained during his appearance on MSNBC’s Monday morning show, as seen in a clip posted on Twitter. (RELATED: Mike Rowe Says He Won’t Endorse Vaccine, Government Needs To ‘Stop Treating The Unvaccinated Like The Enemy’)
“Because they understand that we could go back to not working at all,” he added. “And a lot of these smaller venues, they aren’t going to be able to reopen if they go through another round of shutdown.” (RELATED: Cardinals’ DeAndre Hopkins Says He’s Questioning His ‘Future’ In The League Following New COVID-19 Vaccine Rule)
WATCH:
Musician @JasonIsbell on why he’s requiring coronavirus vaccinations at his concerts: “I’m all for freedom but I think if you’re dead, you don’t have any freedoms at all.”@MSNBC pic.twitter.com/X6NYheDWGL
— Stephanie Ruhle Reports (@RuhleOnMSNBC) August 9, 2021
“I think you know the problem is they’re just they’re just getting so much pushback from some of the governors of certain states who, you know, want to kowtow to their political base and and try to make people think that their freedom is being encroached upon,” Isbell continued. “I’m all for freedom but I think if you’re dead, you don’t have any freedoms at all.” (RELATED: FLASHBACK: Mike Rowe Says He’s Not ‘Petrified’ And Chooses To ‘Live’ His Life After Being Slammed For Filming During Pandemic)
The singer said it was more important to for a person to “stay alive” before they question their “liberty.”
He then quoted from the Declaration of Independence and said “it’s life and then it’s liberty and then it’s the pursuit of happiness, those are in order of priority.”
The “Cover Me Up” hitmaker has since tweeted that he was “requiring proof” of vaccination or a “current negative test to attend all” his “shows, indoors or out.”
We’re now requiring proof of vaccination or a current negative test to attend all our shows, indoors or out. If the venue won’t allow that, we won’t play. https://t.co/KSYmsT5qAl
— Jason Isbell (@JasonIsbell) August 9, 2021
He said that if the venue he was playing “won’t allow that,” he “won’t play.”
