This is the tale of two COVID celebrations. On Saturday night, as New Orleanians are so often wont to do, revelers took to the streets of the French Quarter to celebrate the news of Joe Biden’s president-elect status. As a video uploaded on the OffBeat Instagram demonstrates, there was dancing and reveling with most people wearing masks. On Frenchmen Street, people socially- distanced on sidewalks, watching brass bands and music from balconies. In response to the Biden-centric celebrations going on in the Quarter, some Instagram commenters stated that the partiers were already ignoring COVID since Biden had become president. Other commenters said that masks and social distance were clearly being observed.

However, in Washington Artillery Park, many hundreds of revelers gathered to celebrate the music of Sean Feucht and Lauren Daigle , the Billboard chart-topping Christian artist from Lafayette. Feucht, a California native, is, as detailed by Politico October 25, “a Trump-aligned guitarist and failed congressional candidate, has traveled the country channeling the frustration of Americans who chafe at health restrictions on religious worship.” Feucht’s performance was livestreamed via his Facebook Live for his 342.9K followers to see. Commentators on Feucht’s Instagram insisted COVID rates were “not even worse than the flu.” Mayor Cantrell recently threatened to fine locals $500 if caught outside without a face mask and locals asked in the comments why these mask-less concert attendees were not fined.

OffBeat readers may recall last week’s open letter to Mayor LaToya Cantrell sent by Buffa’s owner Chuck Rogers who asked what the permitting process is so that he can have live music return to his venue.

Cantrell acknowledged that there is a special permit process involved for indoor venues; Feucht and Daigle may or may not have been performing within city guidelines. In the announcement of Phase 3.2, the City wrote the following guidelines for outdoor music:

• Outdoor stadiums and large arenas will be allowed to have 25% permitted occupancy or 500 individuals, whichever is fewer.
• Concert halls will be allowed to open for timed, seated events at 50% of permitted occupancy or 250 individuals, whichever is fewer, with approval from the State Fire Marshal and the City’s Department of Safety and Permits. Singing, karaoke, and wind-blown instruments are prohibited indoors and alcohol sales are limited to the hours of 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• Street Performers and Buskers shall be allowed to perform on public rights-of-way. Street performers and buskers are encouraged to maintain small audiences that are wearing face coverings and social distancing. Face coverings must be worn by performers unless speaking, singing or using wind-blown instrument as a part of the performance.

Note: The Phase 3.2 COVID response regulations have not been lifted since they were put into effect on October 15. Phase 3.3 is scheduled to be announced by Mayor Cantrell on November 9.

The Music and Culture Coalition of New Orleans (MaCCNO) retweeted Musician Mia Borders, calling out the Mayor for not holding Daigle and Feucht accountable for their crowd’s behavior. Social media was buzzing with questions about why this event was allowed to take place, especially by local musicians, who currently have not been able to work due to COVID. All of the city’s outdoor festivals have been cancelled or made virtual as a result of the COVID risks.

As of press time, the CDC reports that there are 5,020 “probable” cases of Covid-19 in Orleans Parish as of November 4.

UPDATE Sunday, November 8, 8:45 p.m. CST: Bryn Stole of the The Advocate/Times-Picayune got a statement from New Orleans City Hall saying, “The City is aware of the event, and of the concerns around it being raised on social media. Code Enforcement is reviewing the available information and will make a determination as to fines and penalties, as appropriate. The images circulating depict  what appear to be clear violations of public health guidelines. New Orleans has bent the curve and stopped the spread twice and this kind of irresponsible behavior is absolutely unacceptable. No permit was issued for the event.”

OffBeat will update this story as more information becomes available.