The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting restrictions have had a devastating impact on the concert, live music and entertainment industry.
"Things like Ohio State football, Cleveland Indians baseball, Blossom Music Center, you know, PromoWest Newport Music Hall, that's ingrained in our culture, and we had a hard stop on that, and we don't know when we're gonna be able to get together again," says Denny Young, owner of the Elevation Group -- a sports marketing, artist management and event planning company that produces the WonderBus Music and Arts Festival in Columbus.
With events postponed or canceled and local venues shuttered, many aspects of the entertainment industry have been struggling.
"You know, it's hard," Denny says, "when you've spent your entire career doing something and literally, within 24 to 48 hours, you're forced to reinvent your company, your business, yourself. And that's been probably the single biggest challenge in my life."
Artists, managers, promoters, sound companies and live music venues have all been faced with uncertainty.
"Concerts are prohibited right now," Denny adds, "concert venues are prohibited, sporting events are prohibited, and we don't know when that's going to be lifted. And when it is lifted, we don't know what the restrictions will be."
While live events have been canceled, the demand for entertainment, in general, seems to be on an upswing.
"The digital streaming platforms," Denny says, "the social media (outlets) like TikTok and YouTube, I mean, they're on fire right now!"
Now companies like the Elevation Group have had to pivot their focus to areas like artist management, helping those artists capitalize on new opportunities. With that comes a lot of trial and error.
"There's a lot of talk about virtual events and drive-in concerts," Denny says. "You know, nobody really was ready for any of that. There's not necessarily an economic model that makes those kinds of events viable."
While the future of live concerts and public gatherings is still in limbo, Denny says there's a silver lining to all of this.
"In the music industry, we run so fast and furious," he explains, "that we've been forced to stop and we've been forced to work together in ways we've never done before, and cooperate with one another and come up with solutions, and I think all of that is gonna make us better and stronger."
At the time this story was published, the Elevation Group indicated the WonderBus Music and Arts Festival is still going ahead as planned, on August 29-30 on the grounds of CAS in Columbus.
Of course, like many other live events, that is subject to change depending on the spread of COVI-19 in Ohio and orders from the Ohio Department of Health.