Vanilla Ice holding Friday concert on Lake Travis despite rising coronavirus cases

AUSTIN (WFLA/KXAN) — Vanilla Ice is still planning to hold a concert Friday on Lake Travis, even as the state is reimposing coronavirus restrictions amid an uptick in COVID-19 cases.

The concert is scheduled to take place on Friday at the Emerald Point Bar & Grill on Lake Travis. Another concert, featuring 90s band Color Me Badd, is taking place Saturday.

Though Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced last week that the state will be closing bars to help stop the spread of the coronavirus, the business is allowed to remain open as a restaurant because a majority of its earnings come from food.

KXAN called a manager at Emerald Point, who declined to comment about the concert. The Texas Tribune reports the venue’s organizer has said only 84 tickets had been sold as of Wednesday night and that the maximum capacity for the event is set at 450 people.

For Friday, many of the more expensive tickets are sold out, but ones described as “standing room only” on the beach and upper deck are still available.

Under Abbott’s order, all outdoor gatherings of 100 people or more must get approval from local governments. It’s unclear how this rule applies in this case because people are able to watch both inside and outside the venue.

Vanilla Ice has promoted the event and shared a couple of posts on Instagram saying fans should reminisce about the fun of the 90s despite the rising cases.

“I can’t wait to get back to this,” he captioned a video showing screaming fans at a concert. “The 90s were the best. We didn’t have coronavirus, or cell phones, or computers.”

On Wednesday, the City of Austin sent out emergency text and phone call alerts to residents warning them to stay home, wear face coverings and social distance over the holiday weekend. The City and County also closed all parks and recreational facilities over the weekend.