INGLEWOOD (CNS) - After a season of hosting NFL games with empty seats, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood will finally make a major public debut this weekend, hosting thousands of fully vaccinated spectators for a charity concert aimed at boosting confidence in COVID-19 vaccines and raising funds for vaccination efforts worldwide.
VAX LIVE: The Concert to Reunite the World, sponsored by relief organization Global Citizen, will be the first major event with spectators at the $5 billion stadium. The concert will be held at SoFi Stadium at 6 p.m. Sunday, but it will be taped and shown on multiple platforms May 8 as part of a worldwide fundraising event.
According to organizers, the concert will be held in front of an audience of “fully vaccinated frontline health care and essential workers.'' The ticket disclaimer requires all attendees to have received their final dose of COVID-19 vaccine no later than April 18 -- allowing the required two-week time frame to be considered fully vaccinated.
Organizers have not said how many fans will be in attendance, billing it only as “the first large-scale music event for a COVID-compliant audience.'' State and county guidelines could allow for tens of thousands of fans to attend the event.
With all attendees being required to show proof of full vaccination, current COVID guidelines allow outdoor venues to admit up to 67% of capacity. SoFi Stadium's standard capacity is about 70,000 for a concert. The vaccination requirement will negate the need for physical distancing requirements, but masks will likely be mandated.
Officials with the county Department of Public Health did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Selena Gomez will host the concert, which will include performances by Jennifer Lopez, Eddie Vedder, Foo Fighters, J Balvin and H.E.R.
Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, will serve as co-chairs for the Global Citizen fundraising campaign aimed at providing COVID vaccines in poverty-ravaged countries. They will deliver “an important global message for vaccine equity during the event,'' organizers said.
President Joe Biden and his wife and Vice President Kamala Harris will also appear on the broadcast, “to increase public confidence in COVID-19 vaccines while reinforcing basic prevention measures, such as mask wearing and social distancing.''
French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Croatia Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic will also appear, along with Ben Affleck, Chrissy Teigen, David Letterman, Gayle King, Jimmy Kimmel, South African actress Nomzamo Mbatha, Olivia Munn and Sean Penn.
The event will be shown May 8 on ABC, CBS, Fox, YouTube and on iHeartMedia radio stations, and internationally on various other broadcast platforms.
The broadcast will encourage donations, with the goal of ensuring vaccinations for 27 million health-care workers globally, including in the poorest countries of the world. Organizers will also advocate for “equitable distribution'' of vaccines.
On Tuesday, Global Citizen announced several major donations that have already come in. Cisco donated $5 million, an amount that is being matched by an unnamed Swiss foundation, while the Analog Devices Foundation donated $1 million, and the Coca-Cola Foundation donated $500,000. According to event organizers, the donations will fund the purchase of about 2.3 million vaccine doses.
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