It is the first live socially distant music festival in the world.
(TRR) – Rock legends Foreigner are set to perform at Frontyard Festival next year. It is the world’s first live socially distant music festival. Foreigner will take the stage outside Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando on March 23 and 24, essentially one year after the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S. and shut down the live entertainment industry.
“We are so happy to be able to perform live again because we and our fans really miss the experience,” Foreigner lead singer Kelly Hansen said in a press release. “We saw how the team at Dr. Phillips Center cared about the health of their audiences and innovated socially-distant concerts, and that’s why we chose it as our first show for 2021. There’s nothing like it anywhere else in the country. We are so excited to connect with our fans in a safe manner, and can’t wait to play live again at the Frontyard Festival.”
The Frontyard Festival is a new purpose built, live entertainment event designed to re-engage artists and guests in a safe, socially-distanced setting. It takes place over six months in a specially-built, three-acre outdoor theater. The Frontyard Festival pays homage to the fact that our yards have become gathering places, where we see our friends and family in an open-air setting. Accordingly, the design elements—sleek woodfencing, stainless steel accents and lush greenery—are inspired by sunny, outdoor patios and front porches. The venue will feature hundreds of private, elevated boxes placed six feet from one another, allowing guests to enjoy a concert while keeping a healthy distance from others.
COVID-19 health and safety protocols—developed with guidance from federal, state and local health authorities—will be strictly enforced, including touchless temperature and bag checks at the entrance points, mask wearing outside guest boxes, and increased sanitation. And guests can order food and beverages from a group of on-site restaurants and have their orders delivered right to their boxes.
After a devastating year in which the entire live performance industry has been decimated, this heralds a new era for music, theater and the performing arts. It will also shed light on efforts and funding needed to sustain live venues and entertainment organizations across the country.
Foreigner is universally hailed as one of the most popular rock acts in the world with a formidable musical arsenal that continues to propel sold-out tours and album sales, now exceeding 80 million. Responsible for some of rock and roll’s most enduring anthems including “Juke Box Hero,” “Cold As Ice,” “Hot Blooded,” “Waiting For A Girl Like You,” “Feels Like The First Time,” “Urgent,” “Head Games,” “Say You Will,” “Dirty White Boy,” “Long, Long Way From Home” and the worldwide #1 hit, “I Want To Know What Love Is,” Foreigner still rocks the charts more than 40 years into the game with massive airplay and continued Billboard Top 200 album success.
Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts is a private, not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization operating the state-of-the-art performing arts center in downtown Orlando, Fla. With its opening in November 2014, the arts center has become a gathering place for creativity and discovery, and a vibrant urban destination where artists, audiences and students come to experience, explore and learn.
The two-block community destination features the 2,700-seat Walt Disney Theater, 300-seat Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater, Seneff Arts Plaza, AdventHealth School of the Arts, the DeVos Family Room and other event rental spaces. Under construction is Steinmetz Hall, a 1,700-seat acoustical theater, along with rehearsal, classroom, office space and commercial development spaces. Dr. Phillips Center collaborates with the City of Orlando, Orange County, the City of Winter Park, the State of Florida and generous donors.