Machine Head still have dates on their tour schedule for late summer in Australia and recently rescheduled shows in Europe for the fall, but the band is well aware that the current global pandemic could force even more changes.

Speaking via "The General Journals" on the Machine Head website, frontman Robb Flynn addresses the current debates on how to proceed that many bands are having right now, especially with health experts predicting the possibility that large gathering events may not return until late 2021 at the earliest.

"This pandemic, like nearly all pandemics, will last 18 to 24 months. It's going to come in waves. We're gonna be hunkered down for a while, then we're going to be able to lighten up some of the restrictions. Then it's going to kick back in and we're gonna have to hunker down, quarantine, shelter in place, social distance. Only to then will free things up, again at least to some degree, and then a third wave will probably come ... and by then we will have the routine down so it will likely be under control, with the vaccine that's wildly available to the general public," says Flynn.

He adds, "Concerts will be the last thing that are allowed to happen. The large public gatherings that we've grown accustomed to? These things will never be the same. And like what happened during the Spanish flu of 1918, even when it ends, people are not going to be ready to go back to normal anyway. Rock Clubs and Venues will have to cut down capacities by at least half."

Flynn says, "Metal fans will be the most resilient of all the fan bases. I have zero question that they will be the first to return, determined to go back to shows, maybe to a fault (LOL), and for that I'm unbelievably grateful."

The singer says there is a false notion that everything will go "back to business," leaving many acts already thinking ahead and trying to plan out their future beyond how they would normally proceed.

"I myself have been able to keep a far more positive mindset knowing that Machine Head shows will probably not resume until summer of 2022, and that we will likely not get fully back on track until 2024, if we ever get back on track AT ALL," says Flynn. "We've gotta plan far ahead. We've got to figure out other ways to pay the bills."

"Let's face it, most music industry folks (record biz, crew, promotion, etc.) will most likely change jobs entirely and do something else for the rest of their lives. This of course happens as the record business takes another hit. Clubs, venues, promoters, a lot of life as we knew it… it's all going to be decimated. Look at all the Euro festivals that have already been cancelled," continues the singer. "I'll say it here, I hope I'm wrong about the length of time. I would love to be wrong about this. But listening to people like Dr. Anthony Fauci and Ezekiel Emanuel…. It makes me think otherwise."

Machine Head did recently reschedule their European tour to the fall, but did so with a statement that they would be "monitoring the situation closely to ensure the reality of doing them." They added that they would not put the health and safety of their fans at risk and that the rescheduled shows were made in the hope that everything will be sorted out by the time the dates come around.

Stay up to date with Machine Head's touring here.

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