GUS G. Is 'Not Sure' How Quickly Concert Industry Can Recover From Coronavirus Crisis

April 11, 2020

Greek guitar virtuoso Gus G., well known in rock and metal circles for his work as Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist and as leader of his own band FIREWIND, spoke to Headbangers Lifestyle about how public events, including live concerts, might be affected once the coronavirus crisis subsides.

"It's really hard to predict how things will play out," he said. "One thing is certain: there will be some damage. I'm not sure how quick the live industry can stand back up on its feet after this pandemic. I'm not sure how many people will go out of business. Maybe live events will start again on a smaller scale and small clubs and slowly build up again. We'll see."

Asked if he had any tips for killing time while in quarantine, Gus said: "I'm on lockdown for over three weeks now. I'm with my wife and our cats so the time passes nicely. I think I'm handling it well. I hope everyone else is too. What I do is play guitar, work out, watch movies and play with my cats. Oh, yeah and sex — lots of it! [Laughs] So I suggest you do stuff like that, or maybe read books, start a hobby you always wanted but never had the time for in the past. And if you're alone and don't have a partner, you'll probably masturbate till you go blind."

The coronavirus pandemic has affected the music industry in a huge way, with pretty much every live show and festival being canceled or postponed.

According to Variety, a study from sports and events research firm Performance Research found when surveying 1,000 consumers in the United States that "44% of respondents said they would attend fewer large public events, even once they are cleared by the CDC, with 38% saying they'd attend about the same number, and 18% saying they'd attend more. And 47% agreed that the idea of going to a major public event 'will scare me for a long time.'"

FIREWIND's ninth, self-titled studio album will be made available on May 15.

The band recently parted ways with guitarist/keyboardist Bob Katsionis and singer Henning Basse.

FIREWIND's new vocalist is Herbie Langhans, who has previously played with AVANTASIA and SINBREED.

Find more on Firewind

Prev More News Next

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).