Metal bands throughout Europe have begun playing socially distanced shows for small audiences, bringing the continent another step forward in the fight against COVID-19. Destruction performed two shows in Switzerland over the weekend, while Arcturus played for a seated crowd in Norway.

The European Union, as a whole, has succeeded in flattening the curve of COVID-19, while the United States is experiencing its highest numbers ever due to botched early re-openings in the majority of states, along with many Americans refusing to wear masks because freedom.

Destruction ventured out from their native Germany to perform two gigs in Prattein, Switzerland. 250 fans attended the first night, while 300 attended the second night, keeping some distance within the 1,600-capacity Z7 Club. It’s impossible to gauge if audience members remained six feet apart from strangers, but you can plainly see empty space on the floor.

After their shows, Destruction wrote:

WOW!!! What a weekend in Switzerland @Konzertfabrik Z7 - Pratteln - danke, merci, thanks, grazie, teşekkürler for the fantastic fans that came from all over Europe to see the gigs.
Respect for the discipline that the Metal community showed at these social distancing concerts, this is the way this should be done.
A big CHEERS to the Z7 team for the invitation, the love and the perfect administration.
We are all hoping and working on more shows, as soon as our governments will give us guidelines and options!
We have filmed part of the concert and have collected background infos. So there will be an aftershow movie coming soon - stay tuned!

As for Arcturus, 200 fans attended a socially distanced show at Sentralen in in Oslo, where fans remained seated in numbered chairs. Though it certainly wasn’t the rowdiest show, fans got to see live music again after months away from concerts, while Arcturus returned to doing what they do best.

Watch footage from the two concerts above.

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