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Concerts return to Coastal Credit Union Music Park

It's been a while, but big concerts are finally back at Coastal Credit Union Music Park.

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By
Nia Harden
, WRAL reporter & Leslie Moreno, WRAL multimedia journalist
RALEIGH, N.C. — It's been a while, but big concerts are finally back at Coastal Credit Union Music Park.

Back-to-back shows will bring thousands of people to Walnut Creek starting on Friday night.

On Friday, Dave Matthews Band took the stage, and on Saturday, country music star Luke Bryan is here.

Thousands of music fans drove from across the country on Friday for their first concert in over 15 months.

"It's been tough. It just sucks," said Jay Yee, who came from Detroit, Mich.

Yee said Friday's concert was his 206th Dave Matthew's concert since 1994.

He added that the coronavirus pandemic took away a big part of his lifestyle.

"This is the biggest break I've seen them. It's been 583 days," he described.

But, for others, an event with that many people was still quite worrisome.

"He's just afraid. We have tickets, we made the plans and the week before, he was like, I can't do it," described Cyndi Feigl.

Feigl and her son flew in for the concert from Chicago. Feigl said their family has been going to concerts since her son was in high school. Friday's concert was their 78th.

While Feigl said her husband was supposed to join them for the concert, the fear of COVID-19 kept him inside his hotel room.

While concerts are back at Costal Credit Union Music Park, the concert experience has changed.

Some safety protocols were in place for Friday's concertgoers.

Only mobile tickets were honored, as the venue used a cashless payment system. The park followed CDC mask recommendations, but did not require masks be worn. Some busy areas were checked by venue staff every 30 minutes.

UNC Health infectious disease specialist Dr. David Wohl said even outdoor events can be dangerous when factoring in the thousands of people in close proximity, and coming and going from all across the country.

"Listen, now there is a new virus in town and it's called Delta. It's better because there's more of it in your nose and that means you're more infectious and [it] probably lasts longer," said Wohl.

He added that a mask is still the best ally for preventing the risk of transmission.

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