Quiet Riot are planning to lay down a socially distanced Fourth of July concert in Arkansas.
Frankie Banali discussed the plan during his appearance on Sirius XM’s Trunk Nation. I am told officially through e-mails that the city has approved the date and they’ve approved it for as much as a 3,000 capacity,” the drummer explained.
Even though he’s carefully hopeful that the concert will proceed as scheduled, Banali realizes how soon things can change. “I’m still waiting to see what’s gonna happen,” Banali noted. “Because you don’t know if two weeks out, or a week out, before the show, all of a sudden, that part of Arkansas gets shut down, locked down, the show is canceled or postponed to another date. And in the meantime, you have expenses — flights and hotels and all this kind of nonsense that you have to deal with.”
Banali additional detailed that there are “two noncompeting opinions” within Quiet Riot when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic. “You have [bassist] Chuck [Wright] and I, who pretty much read everything that has to do with coronavirus and listen to everything that’s on the news. And then you have [singer] Jizzy [Pearl] and [guitarist] Alex [Grossi, whose perspective] is, ‘Put me in coach. Let me in now. I’ll kick those Nazis’ asses,'” he said. “They’re gung-ho to get out there on the road.”
The Fourth of July performance will take place at the Magic Springs Theme And Water Park, located in Hot Springs, Ark. The park’s website insists that “social distancing guidelines of six feet will be enforced” at all of their upcoming events, including the Quiet Riot show. These precautions are particularly important for those with preexisting medical situations, including Banali. The drummer has been battling stage IV pancreatic cancer for more than a year.
“We just really haven’t been out of the house with the exception of going into my doctor’s to get treatments,” the 68-year-old rocker explained, admitting that he’s been sheltering at home during the pandemic. “I have to be very, very careful, because I’m in the age group, and because of serious underlying conditions, I’m at the top of the list that if I did get coronavirus, I probably would not survive it.”
Banali has continued to be positive through his ongoing treatments, constantly updating fans of his development on social media. Now, it appears he’s ready to go back to the stage, even with the risks involved. “The plan is to play [the Arkansas show],” he said. “Unless the powers that be tell me otherwise.”