The Music Venues That Are Rocking New York City

James Maddock at City Winery NY on April 11

SummerStage Central Park today announced its first live event in almost two years. Tickets will go on sale this Friday for a Dawes concert at the Rumsey Playfield on September 16.  There is a catch, however. Like most concerts being booked into large venues this year, the promoters are assuming full venue capacity. Should health and safety guidelines continue to require more limited seating capacity, tickets may be refunded or modified, and the concert may be postponed or cancelled.

When will full-scale concerts return to New York City stages? Probably not until local legislators believe that large gatherings at 100 percent capacity are Covid-safe. Presently, capacity restrictions for large and mid-sized venues are very low and financially unfeasible for touring musicians and promoters. Currently, outdoor stadiums can have 20 percent capacity, indoor arenas can have 10 percent, and mid-size venues can have 33 percent to a maximum capacity of 100 people.

Stella Blue's Band at the Bitter End on April 10, the club's reopening weekend

Fawn at the Bitter End on April 10, the club's reopening weekend

Large and medium sized venues that held concerts in the past include Madison Square Garden, Barclays Center, Forest Hills Stadium, the Prospect Park Bandshell, the Ford Amphitheatre at Coney Island Boardwalk, Radio City Music Hall, the Beacon Theatre, the St. George Theatre, the United Palace, the Hammerstein Ballroom, the Rooftop at Pier 17, the Town Hall, Terminal 5, Brooklyn Steel, Webster Hall, the Bowery Ballroom, Irving Plaza, the Gramercy Theatre, Brooklyn Bowl, the House of Yes, Elsewhere, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Stage 48, Sony Hall and le Poisson Rouge. Several of these venues have concerts scheduled as early as June and July, but these concerts were booked with maximum capacity intended. Unless capacity limits are increased, scheduled concerts may be cancelled or postponed yet again.

Another more important question remains unanswered. At what point in time would the public feel safe attending full-capacity concerts where hundreds or even thousands of ticketholders will remove their masks to eat a hot dog and drink a beer?

Pinc Louds in Tompkins Square Park on April 10

BB Y.T.K. at Tompkins Square Park on April 10

Free concerts in public parks allow the public to distance itself to desired degrees. SummerStage announced today that it will sponsor free concerts in Central Park and Marcus Garvey Park this summer, but did not announce a schedule. The Shadow Press will begin its series of eight free concerts at Tompkins Square Park on April 24 with Madball, Murphy's Law and other punk bands. On April 4, the 15-piece Eyal Vilner Big Band resumed its Sunday afternoon residency in Washington Square Park. Independently, many musicians have been bringing battery-powered amplifiers and playing in Central Park, Tompkins Square Park, Washington Square Park and Union Square Park.

John Sully at Tompkins Square Park on April 10

Scott Newman (left) sang classic rock songs at Tompkins Square Park on April 10

What Happened to the Popular Clubs?

An increasing numbers of venues have embraced the current safety guidelines and are making the best of their current potential. Most have cut their capacity drastically, many have installed partitions between tables, all have eliminated standing room and installed tables instead, and numerous safety precautions are in place.

Uncertainty hovers over many smaller venues. After a year's closure, several are struggling to regain their footing. Several smaller venues are in danger of closing. The building that houses Mercury Lounge is now for sale. Rockwood Music Hall is rumored to be experiencing landlord issues and has cancelled all concerts until September. Lola, Pianos, S.O.B.'s, Terra Blues and other clubs have not announced plans for reopening on their websites or social media. City Vineyard, the Delancey, Desmond's Tavern, Hill Country Barbecue + Market, the Manderley Bar at the McKittrick Hotel, Otto's Shrunken Head, and the Parkside Lounge are open as bars and restaurants but have not booked live performances for the very near future.

Strange Majik at Marshall Stack on April 10

Kelley Swindall at Marshall Stack on April 11

Rob Mastrianni at Marshall Stack on April 11

Ron Sturm, the owner of the Iridium, told a New York Times reporter in an April 1st article that 33 percent capacity is not sustainable, He further stated that he would not reopen the venue unless the state raised the capacity limit to 50 percent. The governor has not indicated when that increase could happen. The summer tends to be a slow season for the club circuit, so Sturm anticipates that he will reopen the Iridium for live performances shortly after Labor Day.

In Brooklyn, the rock bar scene from Greenpoint to Bay Ridge to Bushwick is starting to reawaken. The Brooklyn Firefly, the Lief Bar, Ponyboy, Skinny Dennis, and St. Mazie are among the few bars and restaurants that are featuring live music regularly. The 18th Ward will begin to have weekly outdoor concerts starting this Sunday with Shadow Monster and Pynkie. The Sultan Room will resume its concert series on the rooftop of the adjacent Turk's Inn on April 21 with Native Sun, In good weather, a variety of busking musicians gravitate to Prospect Park.

Plan your next downtown music outing by visiting The Manhattan Beat's April calendar.

CC & the Boys at the Red Lion on April 10

The Kyle Lacy Trio became a quartet at the Red Lion on April 10

20 Manhattan Clubs That Rock!

1. The Anyway Café has hosted live music every night since August 2020 and continues to do so. The shows are listed a week at a time on the venue's social media here.
2. Arlene's Grocery is hosting sporadic live stream concerts with limited audiences. The venue is pushing live stream tickets rather than in-person attendance.
3. Baby Brasa has live music outdoors almost every night but the music schedule is not always posted in advance.
4. Berlin has opened as a bar and will reopen for music performances with two shows by Beechwood this Friday night. All shows are posted here.
5. The Bitter End reopened on April 9. The venue has reduced capacity from 230 to 42 ticketholders so most shows are selling out in advance. The calendar is posted here.
6. The Bowery Electric reopened on April 2 with four sold-out shows by the club's co-owner, Jesse Malin. All concert listings are posted here.
7. Caravan of Dreams has the Underground Harmony on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights.
8. Café Wha? (downstairs) reopened in April and features the Café Wha? House Band for two sets on Friday and Saturday nights. The calendar for both upstairs and downstairs can be found here.
9. Café Wha? (upstairs) features various acoustic artists upstairs in the lobby of the adjacent Players Theatre on Friday and Saturday nights.
10. City Winery reopened on April 2 and features nationally-known headliners almost nightly. The shows are posted here.
11. The Corner Bistro has Chris Campion perform outside on Sundays at 4 p.m. and Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m.
12. Dröm just announced its reopening. The venue will re-launch its live music events on April 21 with a free concert by the Silver Arrow Band. Tickets are available here.
13. The Ear Inn will resume live music in May. The EarRegulars will launch a Sunday afternoon outdoor series on May 2 and the Christine Santelli Trio will launch a Monday night series on May 3.
14. Groove reopened in April and has live music several times each week, including afternoon sets. The calendar is posted here.
15. Joey Bats Café Lower East Side has the Nêgah Santos Trio outdoors on Sundays at 4 p.m. This is Brazilian music that rocks.
16. Marshall Stack, one of the forerunners of hosting live music by open windows to customers seated outside, has live music Thursday through Sunday evenings.
17. Paddy Reilly's has resumed its live music, but good luck finding who is playing on any given night.
18. The Red Lion reopened in March and hosts live bands every night and weekend afternoons. The calendar is posted here.
19. Rue-B remained open throughout the winter and features live music nightly. Most of the music is jazz, but some of that jazz does rock.
20. Sour Mouse NYC is a hybrid music venue/art gallery/billiards hall that stays open the latest and has live music Wednesdays through Sundays.

Xaxa at Café Wha? on April 10

Coffee Biscuits at Groove on April 10