State offers concert tickets to encourage more vaccinations

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont on Friday unveiled a new promotion - a concert ticket giveaway - to encourage residents, especially younger adults, to get vaccinated for COVID-19 throughout the summer and fall.

The “Rock the Shot” campaign will offer people two ways to win tickets to see some popular pop, country and hip-hop artists in person, including Luke Bryan, Lil Baby and the Jonas Brothers, when they come to perform in Connecticut.

First, anyone 18 and older who has received at least one vaccine shot can enter an online drawing for a pair of premium seats to one of several concerts. Weekly drawings throughout the month of July will begin July 8. Winners will be contacted once their vaccination status is verified. Second, the first 24 people to get vaccinated at select clinics will receive a pair of tickets.

“Getting vaccinated is incredibly important to protecting your families, friends, neighbors, and communities as a whole, and we are launching this Rock the Shot campaign to stress – especially to the youngest adults in our state – just how important and safe getting vaccinated is,” Lamont, a Democrat, said in a statement. The website includes a list of available concerts and locations of the clinics where tickets will be available. More concerts will be added throughout the month.

This week, state officials reported that more than 2 million residents in Connecticut have been fully vaccinated. Lamont said he wants to “keep the momentum going.”

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