Concert at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood marks return to large-scale events in Los Angeles

INGLEWOOD, CA - SEPTEMBER 08: Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers hosted the official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new SoFi Stadium on Tuesday September 8, 2020 ahead of the inaugural first game as the Rams as hosts to the Cowboys this Sunday September 13, 2020, followed by the Chargers versus the Chiefs on September 20. The ceremony included Rams Owner/Chairman and SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park developer E. Stanley Kroenke, Chargers Owner/Chairman Dean Spanos and the City of Inglewood's Mayor James T. Butts. The stadium is the first football stadium to be built within Los Angeles in Nearly 100 years. "We are in the team business, and you can't get to a moment like today without a great team. I would like to thank the 17,000 people who have worked on this project over the past four years," said Rams Owner/Chairman Stan Kroenke. "During a period of unrest and change in many parts of the country, it's been our deepest privilege to work on a project this special with such a diverse workforce. Thank you for making our vision a reality." SoFi Stadium is the first indoor-outdoor stadium and seats approximately 70,000, expandable up to 100,000. SoFi Stadium is located at Hollywood Park, a near 300-acre sports and entertainment destination being developed by Kroenke in Inglewood and at 3.1 million square-foot SoFi Stadium is the largest stadium in the NFL. SoFi Stadium on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020 in Inglewood, CA. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times
SoFi Stadium. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

A star-studded concert at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium on Sunday will be one of the first major in-person events in Los Angeles County since the COVID-19 pandemic forced a pause on such large gatherings.

Vax Live kicks off at 6 p.m. and will be hosted by Selena Gomez, chaired by Prince Harry and Meghan and features performances by Jennifer Lopez, Eddie Vedder, Foo Fighters, J Balvin, and H.E.R., according to event organizer Global Citizen, an anti-poverty nonprofit.

The event is intended to celebrate the U.S. vaccination campaign as well as help ensure people in other countries get vaccines. The audience will be made up of fully vaccinated healthcare and other essential workers, and they’ll be required to show proof of vaccination, according to the organizers.

Global Citizen representatives say they have worked with county and state public health authorities to ensure multiple layers of safety precautions. Attendees are required to wear double-layered disposable or cloth masks when they’re not eating or drinking. Neck gaiters and bandannas won’t be permitted, and security guards will enforce masking rules, organizers say.

Capacity will be limited, and people will be assigned a seat after going through security. Current county public health guidelines limit outdoor events to 67% of a venue's maximum occupancy, if admission is limited to fully vaccinated people. SoFi Stadium has about 70,000 seats and can be expanded to seat 100,000.

There will be hand-washing and sanitizing stations, and crews will follow robust cleaning protocols put in place by the stadium.

Other measures include temperature checks and on-site rapid testing for crew members, who also underwent regular testing before the concert, according to Global Citizen. Crew members, performers and Global Citizen staff will be restricted from general audience areas to minimize social interactions during the concert, organizers said.

Though the concert will be taped Sunday night, it won’t air until May 8, on ABC, CBS, Fox, YouTube and iHeartMedia broadcast radio stations.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.