Dr. Dog, Band Set To Perform At The Metro This Fall, Has Its Own Internal COVID-19 Protocols

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Live music is returning – but when it comes to vaccination requirements, each venue plays a slightly different tune.

CBS 2's Tim McNicholas spoke with an artist performing at the Metro on Clark Street near Wrigley Field about that venue's plan to ramp up the rules.

Eric Slick has spent a decade rocking the drums for Dr. Dog – a band that thrives on their high-energy live performances. McNicholas asked Slick what the past year and a half has been like for him and the band.

"It's been incredibly strange," Slick said. "Being home for a year and a half is much different experience than the last 15 years of my life."

This fall will mark Dr. Dog's first return to the stage since early 2020.

Their tour includes a sold-out show at the Metro, a venue that just announced vaccination requirements for fans at all upcoming shows.

And Dr. Dog has their own rules.

"Everybody on the tour has to be vaccinated and we won't be allowing anybody backstage," Slick said. "It's going to be a very tight crew."

Why is it so important to have a rule like that?

"We don't want anybody to get so sick that we have to take time off from this thing that we've been clamoring to do for a year and a half," Slick said.

We heard similar thoughts last week from artists preparing for Lollapalooza.

"So many people, not just me, feel strongly that we do the right things to go through this and not go back into another lockdown," said Robert Abisi of the Lost Kings.

But the Metro takes their rules for fans a step further than Lolla. They say a negative COVID test is not an acceptable alternative to proof of vaccine.

Slick said those rules are up to the venue, but they do make him more comfortable behind the kit.

McNicholas: "What would your message be to, maybe some fans out there who feel like this is not a fair rule?"

Slick: "What I would say to them is that getting the vaccine is a lot smarter than dying of covid, and I think that's where I stand on it, you know?"

Slick played his solo album live last June at an outdoor venue in Nashville. But now he's ready to hit the road again with Dr. Dog.

"I want all of our fans to feel safe too," he said.

Slick said the band also plans to use masks, sanitizer, and COVID tests when necessary as they travel from city to city.

As for the Metro, they say if you already bought a ticket to Dr. Dog or any other show and you don't want to show proof of vaccination, you can contact them for a refund.