Feld Entertainment prepares to ramp-up live event offerings, starting with Monster Jam

PALMETTO, Fla. - As the coronavirus spread across the globe, the lights at Feld Entertainment nearly went dark. But Feld is coming back to life seven months after laying off thousands of staff members worldwide.

It starts with Monster Jam.

The show's senior director of operations, Jayme Dalsing says there's a lot riding on the monster trucks.

"We have to go out and prove not only to Feld Entertainment that we can put on a really really good show, but we have to prove to our fans as well that it’s safe to come out," Dalsing said. "We started putting into motion what our first event would be. How do we get back there? How do we make sure our family -- meaning our staff and fans -- are as safe as humanely possible?"

When Monster Jam kicks off at AT&T Stadium in Arlington Texas, the stadium will not be packed. The center has a capacity of 80,000, but only 18,000 fans are expected for two shows starting October 24.

They'll follow a safety plan based on recommendations from epidemiologists, professional sports teams, and other entertainment companies.

"Everybody in the stands will be wearing masks, we will do social distancing, we are selling tickets in blocks so we can keep it pretty spaced out," explained Dalsing.

Tickets are all contactless and sold online. Feld is working to keep staff in their own bubbles. They hope to cut down any COVID-19 infections and keep crews together.

"'Disney on Ice' is actually in full rehearsals here at Feld Entertainment. They are going through those same steps," said Dalsing.

It will be a test-run -- one Dalsing and others hope is successful in bringing back a bit of entertainment to a dark year.

"It's a small step to get back to normalcy. We are really planning on putting on a lot of events next year in 2021. This event will kind of catapult us into 2021. We will start to get more and more staff back," he said.

For more information visit https://www.feldentertainment.com.