Coronavirus: US promoter charges unvaccinated attendees $1,000 for concert tickets

Paul Williams has said that fans who are inoculated can attend the gig for a discounted ticket price of $18 with proof of vaccination

Teenage Bottlerocket will be one of the bands performing at the concert which offers a special discount to vaccinated guests. Getty Images

Many countries around the world are starting to reopen after the roll-out of vaccinations and there's been no shortage of extra incentives offered to get inoculated, such as restaurant deals or special lotteries.

Now a promoter in Tampa Bay, Florida, US has really stepped it up by offering a massive discount on concert tickets for those who have been inoculated.

Paul Williams of Leadfoot Promotions is offering discounted tickets for $18 for those who have been vaccinated and charging $999.99 for those who have not.

He says he came up with the idea as vaccination appointments in his state opened up to all, and while trying to plan an event that people could safely enjoy after over a year of living through the pandemic.

“I also wanted it to be a vaccine drive to get the fence-sitters off the fence,” Williams told ABC News. “I wanted to get the kids that want to go to shows to go out and get their shots.”

In a Facebook post for the event, it says "to be eligible for the discount, you will need to bring a government-issued photo ID and your Covid-19 Vaccination Record Card" and that interested concert-goers will have needed to have had their "second shot of Pfizer or Moderna" or "single shot of Johnson and Johnson Covid-19 vaccine on or before 12/6/2021."

The post also states that all band members and staff are fully vaccinated and shares links informing how to get a replacement vaccination card, as well as a list of vaccination centres.

The concert event takes place on Saturday, June 26 in St Petersburg, Florida and features three punk rockets performing.

As of Friday, 210 of the 250 discounted tickets had sold and Williams says that if someone buys the full-priced $1,000 tickets (which there are four available), all the money will go directly to the bands.

While there have been some negative comments, William said that he isn’t denying entry to unvaccinated concertgoers. “You can buy a full-price ticket and you’ll be treated like everyone else.”