April 1, 2020 Dolly Parton makes a $1 million donation to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center to help fund research for a coronavirus vaccine.
March 6, 2020 The South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, becomes the first major American festival cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Other tours and festivals around the world are called off soon after in efforts to limit the outbreak.More
April 30, 2020 On his 100th birthday, Captain Tom Moore lands the UK #1 hit with a new version of "You'll Never Walk Alone." Moore, a decorated veteran of World War II, raised money for coronavirus relief by walking in his garden. The song was assembled by Michael Ball using Moore's vocals.
March 12, 2020 All Broadway productions are closed as COVID forces America into lockdown. The lights come back on in September 2021, but some shows, including Frozen and Mean Girls, don't return.
March 10, 2020 Sabrina Carpenter makes her Broadway debut in Mean Girls, but the production is shut down two days later when all Broadway shows close because of the COVID pandemic.
January 26, 2022 Spotify complies with Neil Young's request to remove his music from the service. Young's issue is with the Spotify podcast The Joe Rogan Experience, which he feels is spreading false information about vaccines. Joni Mitchell also removes her music, but Spotify stands tall for Rogan, whose subscriber count grows considerably in wake of the controversy. Young returns to Spotify two years later.
August 9, 2021 Jason Isbell becomes the first major artist to require proof of COVID vaccination or a current negative test to attend his shows. "I'm all for freedom, but I think if you're dead, you don't have any freedoms at all," he says.
July 29, 2021 After postponing the previous year's festival due to the coronavirus outbreak, Lollapalooza returns in full force for a four-day music event in Chicago's Grant Park. But there's a catch: Festivalgoers must provide proof of vaccinations or negative COVID tests to gain entry. Those who have tested negative but are unvaccinated also have to wear a mask.More
June 26, 2021 Bruce Springsteen performs Springsteen On Broadway at the St. James Theater, becoming the first person to perform a full-length show on Broadway since the pandemic hit in 2020. The audience is required to show proof of vaccination.
March 2, 2021 Dolly Parton gets the coronavirus vaccine, which she helped fund with a $1 million donation to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. To encourage others to get it, she posts video of her getting the shot on her social media channels and adapts her song "Jolene" to the occasion: Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine I'm begging of you please don't hesitate
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