Live music is roaring back in a big way.

COVID-19 shutdowns wiped out live events of all kinds for most of 2020 and into 2021. The music industry was among the hardest hit, with everything from small shows at the local bar to major festivals canceled during the coronavirus threat.

But with virus cases and COVID-related deaths dropping amid the ongoing nationwide vaccination effort in the United States, live music is exploding back to life.

Consider: Joe Berchtold, president of Live Nation, a leading global live entertainment company, recently told CNN that “our festivals have been selling out faster than ever before. Our amphitheater business is ramping up quickly and leading into this fall and 2022 we expect to be our largest years ever.”

Berchtold noted that Garth Brooks’ stadium concerts and Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival recently each sold out within an hour, adding that ticket sales for live performances across musical genres – from Lady Gaga to Guns N’ Roses – are thriving. “We’re just seeing massive, pent-up demand for concerts globally,” Berchtold said.

RETURN OF THE RAGE !!! ASTROWORLD FEST 2021 WE BACK WIT THE MOST OUTLANDISH LINEUP. ON SALE NOW SEE U SO SOON !! https://t.co/7iBfHx8cBy pic.twitter.com/iCpB6xKSSW

— TRAVIS SCOTT (@trvisXX) May 5, 2021

Meanwhile, dates for other major festivals are in place too, mainly for later in the summer and the early autumn. Lollapalooza (July 29 to Aug. 1), Bonnaroo (Sept. 2 to 5), and the New Orleans Jazz Fest (Oct. 8 to 17) have all been scheduled.

Small independent venues are booking acts for indoor performances in abundance as well. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that local indie hot spots Union Transfer, World Café Live and Johnny Brenda’s are opening soon with schedules packed for autumn and beyond. Union Transfer reportedly has show dates set through May 2022.

“Things are completely insane,” Jesse Lundy of Point Entertainment, a live entertainment company, told the Inquirer. “Every band that ever existed wants to tour.”

ICYMI, the 2021 Schedule has arrived. Prepare for your #Lolla and check out the times and stage your favorite artists perform.🔥 https://t.co/82zYJP6WIQ pic.twitter.com/S9eKGAtgxG

— Lollapalooza (@lollapalooza) June 11, 2021

All the activity spells opportunity for promotional products distributors and decorators.

Branded merchandise is already a large, and growing, component of musical acts’ revenue. It stands to become an even bigger cash generator now as live shows return and fans flock to venues with surging enthusiasm, perhaps readier than ever to drop money on merch. T-shirts, hooded sweatshirts, tank tops, bandannas, stickers, buttons, caps and much more, including quirky custom products, could all figure in the product mix at merch tables. Collections could feature themes about the return to live shows and music’s emergence from the COVID-imposed live lockdown.

Beyond the artists, venues will also have a need for choice swag. This could prove especially true for smaller/independent spots that attract a devoted following among locals for the quality of acts they feature. Again, merch that in some way commemorates the return of live shows can figure into the mix. Web stores for the venues – and the acts – are a smart option to pitch too, as online shopping continues to explode.

It’s time to start singing along with others in a crowd again. Promo can be part of live music’s rebirth.