SEATTLE — The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact events both large and small, indoors and outdoors. A concert at the Seattle Center Sunday was no exception.
What was supposed to be an outdoor concert called “Welcome Back, Seattle” was instead rained out and held inside the Fisher Pavilion.
“The title ‘Welcome Back’ is really just celebrating being back together in a performing space... after being in lockdown for almost two years,” said hip-hop artist Essam, who performed at the show.
The concert was part of an ongoing series of events spanning the past several months. They were originally designed and introduced by the Seattle mayor’s office as a time to celebrate the city's COVID-19 vaccination rate success. But between the variants and the weather, Sunday’s event did not go on as planned.
“How do we get people to just feel good about coming back into the world and still being safe at the same time?” asked Adra Boo, the event’s emcee and a performer at the show.
Sunday’s show did go on, albeit in front of a modest crowd in a socially distanced indoor venue.
“There’s a lot of good local talent that’s playing, and hopefully, people feel encouraged to go out and see local artists,” continued Boo.