“To see people without masks inside — gambling, clubbing with the bottle service — it was like, ‘Alright. We’re back.'”
For the first time in 15 months, live music is returning nationwide after the global coronavirus pandemic ravaged the industry. Billboard’s “My First Show Back” is a series dedicated to sharing stories from throughout the touring ecosystem about what’s happening now, what has been forever altered and what will never change.
In this installment, ICM Partners’ Mitch Blackman talks about his client Blackbear performing at the grand opening of the new Money, Baby! club at the Virgin Hotel in Las Vegas on July 9, which fell on the first week of major events returning to Sin City. In addition, Blackman details his strategy for an artist who blew up during the pandemic.
It was the grand opening of Money, Baby! That was the night of the [Conor] McGregor fight. It was the grand opening of the club since Virgin took over the Hard Rock, and I had Blackbear do it for the grand opening. It was pretty f—ing exciting to be honest. That was the first weekend Vegas was kind of Vegas again. To see people without masks inside — gambling, clubbing with the bottle service — it was like, “Alright. We’re back.”
