The highest death toll Florida has ever reported on a Monday arrived this week. The Tampa Bay Times points out that the 1,065,785 cases since the pandemic started means that “roughly one in every 19 Floridians have now tested positive for the virus.” Locally, the Tampa Bay area added 1,204 coronavirus cases and 19 deaths Monday, and with the state positivity rate at 8.77%, Florida remains one of 46 states above the World Health Organization’s recommended positivity rate of 5% or below.
Still, live music is trying to find a way to stay on its feet. We’ve marked the gigs at venues that have joined a local “Safe & Sound” initiative that pledges to strictly enforce limited capacity, mask wearing and social distancing (look for the ✔️). Click through the shows below for more information.
✔️= “Safe & Sound” concert venue
Friday, Dec. 11
- Mitchell Tenpenny (Dallas Bull, Tampa)
- Synergy in a Cup w/Shelby Sol/Lex DeVeaux/Samuel Rashad (Crowbar, Ybor City) ✔️
- Mwiza Simfukwe (Hooch and Hive, Tampa) ✔️
- Speak Easy (Ella’s Americana Folk Art Café, Tampa) ✔️
Saturday, Dec. 12
- Travis Tritt (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
- Covid Punks Blank Off Xmas Show: Return to Saturn w/Free Fall/Piss Test/Mosquito Teeth/Boney Fiend/Abortion Twins/Pig Pen (VFW 39, St. Petersburg)
Sunday, Dec. 13
- Big Bad Voodoo Daddy’s Wild and Swingin’ Holiday Party (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Tampa Bay venues and promoters need you to bug Marco Rubio about saving the live music scene. See a list of Tampa Bay’s “Safe & Sound” live music venues here.
Support local journalism in these crazy days. Our small but mighty team is working tirelessly to bring you up to the minute news on how Coronavirus is affecting Tampa and surrounding areas. Please consider making a one time or monthly donation to help support our staff. Every little bit helps.
Follow @cl_tampabay on Twitter, subscribe to our newsletter, and listen to us on WMNF 88.5-FM’s “Radio Reverb” program every Saturday from 4 p.m.-6 p.m.
This article appears in Dec 10-16, 2020.
