Live Music in NYC: What Is Allowable Now?

Irving Plaza has been closed for two years; is a reopening imminent?
(photograph by Francesco Marano)

On any given night, music now plays live and loud in dozens of bars, restaurants, music venues and public spaces in New York City. Governmental restrictions seem to change almost weekly, and can be confusing. In essence, all venues are loaded with COVID-era restrictions to ensure the safety of staff, customers and musicians. Here is where we are now.

Dry Clean Only at the Bowery Electric on April 30; The Bowery Electric reopened for music in April

Bars, Restaurants and Small Music Venues

Most live music in New York City is happening now in bars, restaurants and music venues. Last fall, many of these music spots opened but were prohibited from advertising the music acts or charging admission. City Winery NY, for instance, booked name talent several times each week from October until early December, but few people knew about these free-admission shows. That has changed. More than 20 smaller music venues reopened in Manhattan in April, notably Berlin, the Bitter End, the Bowery Electric and dröm, and many venues now post shows on their websites and sell advance tickets. More venues will open in May; Ear Inn opened this week and the Cutting Room tentatively will re-open later in the month.

New York State will end curfews for outdoor dining areas beginning May 17 and for indoor areas beginning May 31; until then, the curfew is midnight. The maximum capacity for indoor spaces will increase to 75 percent on May 7. Indoor tables must be separated by a minimum of six feet in all directions; wherever distancing is not feasible, tables must be separated by physical barriers at least five feet in height. Bar seating is permitted again, providing that a distance of at least six feet can be maintained between groups of customers. All customers must be seated, as standing room and dancing are not yet allowed. New York City's municipal government issued new guidelines today for indoor restaurants.

City Winery NY is unique in that it has adopted a COVID-free policy for all new shows. Everyone attending these newly-announced concerts, starting with the Teddy Thompson show on Sunday, must either be vaccinated or must show proof of a recent negative COVID test.

Petting Zoo at the Bitter End on April 30; the Bitter End reopened in April

Concerts at Outdoor Stadiums

Starting May 19, large-scale outdoor event venues in New York State will be limited by the space available for patrons or parties of patrons to maintain the required social distance of six feet, according to Governor Andrew Cuomo today. This will apply to outdoor sports, performing arts and live entertainment, and horse and auto racing venues statewide. Appropriate social distancing, masks and other applicable health protocols will apply.

Cuomo also announced that in large-scale outdoor event venues, fully vaccinated attendees may be spaced next to one another, instead of six feet apart, in assigned, seated sections that are designated solely for fully vaccinated individuals. To be seated in these sections, ticketholders will have to provide proof of full immunization status, which can be provided through paper form, digital application or the State's Excelsior Pass. Young adults and children under the age of 16 who are not yet eligible for the vaccine may accompany and be seated with a vaccinated adult in a fully vaccinated section.

Event promoters have booked the following concerts with the expectation of 100 percent capacity. If maximum capacity continues to be prohibited as the dates approach, the concerts may be postponed or cancelled. Citifield is scheduled to host Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe in July and Green Day in August. Forest Hills Stadium has booked Bright Eyes in July and Wilco with Sleater-Kinney in August. No concerts are slated yet for this summer at Yankee Stadium.

The Kyle Lacy Band at the Red Lion on April 30' The Red lion reopened in March

Concerts at Indoor Arenas

Large-scale indoor event venues will operate at 30 percent capacity starting May 19, an increase from the current 10 percent capacity limit, the governor announced yesterday. This would apply to arenas like Madison Square Garden and Barclays Center. Social distancing, masks, and other applicable health protocols will still apply, including the requirement of attendee proof of full vaccination or recent negative COVID-19 test result.

After months of cancellations, Madison Square Garden is scheduled to return to concerts in September with headliners Banda MS, Dan + Shay, and a Pet Shop Boys/New Order double bill. Barclays Center has Marc Antony booked for September. As with all other venues, events at these locations may be postponed or cancelled if 100 percent capacity remains forbidden.

The Silver Arrow Band at drom on May 5; drom reopened in April

Large-Scale Outdoor Entertainment Venues

Large-scale outdoor event venues, defined as a venue where full capacity is 2,500 or more, can operate at 33 percent starting May 19. The outdoor venues are restricted to 500 people outdoors. Capacity can be increased beyond those numbers only if all attendees over the age of four present either proof of full COVID-19 vaccination status or recent negative test result and the required social distancing can be accommodated. These regulations would apply to SummerStage in Central Park, the BRIC concerts at Prospect Park, and similar events.

SummerStage intends to return to concerts after a two-year hiatus with concerts by Machine Gun Kelly and Dawes in September. Prospect Park has Glass Animals booked for August.

Miss Maybell & the Jazz Age Artistes at Rue-B on May 5; Rue-B remained open throughout most of the pandemic

Large-Scale Indoor Entertainment Venues

With Cuomo's blessing, Broadway theaters this week begin selling tickets at 100 percent capacity for shows in the fall, even without knowing with certainty when their productions would be ready or what governmental restrictions will be in place at that time. The governor has not yet clarified if this innovation also applies to non-Broadway theaters like the Beacon Theatre, Carnegie Hall or the United Palace. If the Broadway theater model is not extended beyond Broadway, large-scale indoor event venues, defined as venues where the capacity is 1500 or more, will operate at 30 percent maximum capacity. This might apply to venues as large as Radio City Music Hall and as small as the numerous non-restaurant music halls including Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn Steel, Sony Hall and Terminal 5.

At present, the first concert back for the Beacon Theatre would be a Pimpinella concert in June. Alicia Keys, Ana Gabriel and John Legend are among the music artists scheduled to perform at Radio City Music Hall in August. The United Palace booked Thomas Sanders & Modern Talking Band for a show in August.

The Typsy Gypsy Girls at the Anyway Café on May 5; the Anyway Café has remained open since August 2020

Free Concerts in Parks and Public Spaces

The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation rescinded the permits at least temporarily for a concert series that began in Tompkins Square Park in late April. NY PopsUp continues to have concerts in many parks that are announced at the last minute to reduce potential crowds. Calendars have not yet been published for the Lincoln Center's Restart Stages series, Bryant Park's Picnic in the Park series, or Little Island. Meanwhile, however, an increasing number of musicians are performing for tips and without permits in many local parks. For instance, the 15-piece Eyal Vilner Big Band performs orchestrated swing music for dancers every Sunday afternoon in Washington Square Park, weather permitting. For New Yorkers, nothing beats "free."

***

The Manhattan Beat covers New York City's live music developments as they happen. All photographs are by Everynight Charley Crespo, except when noted otherwise. For a list of Manhattan venues that are presenting live music regularly, swing the desktop cursor to the right and click on the pop-up tab "Where to Find Live Music." For a listing of  upcoming concerts for live audiences, visit The Manhattan Beat's  May 2021 calendar.