Festivals are back with a vengeance with SummerSalt the first to kick-off crowded, sweaty gatherings again for the Illawarra - but something is missing.
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Mosh pits.
John Zaccaria, promoter of SummerSalt, said mosh pits were the thing NSW Health were most concerned around with COVID-19 still running wild, so taking them out of the equation made life smoother.
North Wollongong's Stuart Park saw around 4000 music lovers through the festival gates on Sunday to hear the sounds of The Teskey Brothers, John Butler and Kasey Chambers, to name a few.
The attendance was 30 per cent less than actual tickets sold with no-shows believed to be affected by COVID-19 or cautious about heading to a large gathering, according to Zaccaria.
It was the first weekend back for the festival series and a "relief" for the promoter heading into another 10 shows around the country in coming weeks.
"No chair, no entry gives health departments comfort," Zaccaria said of their bring-your-own policy. "You cant possibly create a mosh pit when you've got thousands of chairs in the way."
Prior to the pandemic the tour promoter was producing around a dozen shows a year, but has since flourished during troubled times with now 30 shows a year.
The Red Hot Summer Tour is the next to bring music back to the masses with Jimmy Barnes, Hoodoo Gurus and Chris Cheney rocking out at Berry on February 12; and a different lineup of Hunters & Collectors, James Reyne and Baby Animals performing at Kiama on March 5 (both shows sold out).
Promoter Duane McDonald was also happy to be in the midst of 36 shows following a "rollercoaster" of NSW Government regulations.
The last 12 months has been a turbulent time with Berry date rescheduled from last October, and the Kiama date moved from the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.
But McDonald is optimistic about the future and has already begun planning the 2023 concerts.
"You've just got to adapt and people are accepting, they know every state's rules are different," he said. "It can only get better."
Other major events coming up for the Illawarra include Midnight Oil at the WIN Entertainment Centre on March 2, Nitro Circus at the WIN Entertainment Centre on March 11, Under the Southern Stars scheduled at WIN Entertainment Centre for March 22, the Yours and Owls Festival at Stuart Park on April 2 and 3.
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