NYC Venue Operators Struggle to Find Ways to Stay Open During a COVID Surge

Music at Joe's Pub (Photograph courtesy of Joe's Pub)

Entertainment venue operators in New York City are struggling to find ways to combat the current surge in COVID rates and keep their staff and customers safe without having to close their businesses. At least two venues are asking for negative COVID test results in addition to proof of vaccination. At least one venue will ask for proof of a booster in the new year. Other venues are simply closing for a few nights to see if the surge peaks and declines.

Last Friday, the Public Theater, which includes an off-Broadway theater, a restaurant, and Joe's Pub, a concert stage, began requiring its patrons to provide proof of vaccination plus proof of a negative COVID-19 test. The venue accepts negative results from a PCR test taken within 72 hours of arrival or a rapid antigen test result from earlier in the day. The policy will remain in place until January 30. This will impact ticket holders attending performances by Yemen Blues this week, Sandra Bernhard next week, and numerous concerts in January.

City Winery NYC enforced a similar "vaccine + negative test result" policy on its customers this past Sunday, then closed suddenly, cancelling concerts by Los Lobos on Monday and Tuesday and David Broza last night. The venue did not announce an end date to this policy, so presumably it remains in effect until the venue informs its ticket holders otherwise. The Chelsea location will reopen on December 25 with Uncorked Presents: Modi’s Holidazed Show.

Ari Hest at the Loft at City Winery NYC on October 29 (Photograph by Ehud Lazin)

Christian Lee Hutson at City Winery NYC on October 29 (Photograph by Ehud Lazin)

Will Boosters Be Required Next?

The Metropolitan Opera announced on December 15 that, beginning on January 17, the venue will allow entry onto the premises to both its staff and its audience only upon showing proof of a booster vaccine. Those not yet eligible for a third jab will receive a pass until they are eligible. The Met is the first New York City institution to announce a booster policy.

"Following current CDC guidelines for booster shots, and in an effort to keep its large community of artists, orchestra, chorus, staff, and audiences safe, the Metropolitan Opera announced today (December 15) that it will mandate a Covid booster shot for all those eligible to receive it, beginning January 17, 2022," reads the announcement. "On that date, entry to the Met will be restricted to those who have received the booster shot, if eligible. Those not yet eligible will be able to continue to enter."

So far, the Metropolitan Opera is the only venue that will mandate a booster vaccination. The question is whether other venues will follow the example.

Chris Botti at his month-long annual residency at the Blue Note (Photograph courtesy of the Blue Note)

More Postponements and Cancelations

The Manhattan Beat listed many of the concerts that were canceled earlier this week. Many other musicians are keeping their commitment to perform. These include Chris Botti at the Blue Note, who annually plays every night for the entire month of December.

Cirque du Soleil and MSG Entertainment announced yesterday the cancelation of three days of shows for Cirque du Soleil's “‘Twas the Night Before…” at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden. The December 22-24 shows are canceled. The production resumes on December 26 and concludes on December 17.

Lenny Kaye was to celebrate his 75th birthday with guest performers at the Bowery Ballroom on December 27. That concert has been moved to February 27. The next concert at the Bowery Ballroom will be the Aberdeen on January 7.

Patti Smith and Her Band, in which Lenny Kaye plays guitar, was scheduled to perform at Brooklyn Steel on December 28. That concert has been moved to February 22. The next concert at Brooklyn Steel will be Lupe Fiasco on December 29 and 30.

Last night, Damien Escobar announced apologetically on social media that he will not be performing at Sony Hall tonight "due to an unforeseen emergency." He wrote that the show would be postponed to a later date to be determined. The next concert at Sony Hall will be the Harlem Gospel Choir on December 25.

The following live music performances were scheduled for tonight. They are all either postponed or canceled.

• The Sleeping at Irving Plaza
• David Broza at City Winery NYC
• Damien Escobar at Sony Hall
• Scott Sharrard at Rockwood Music Hall, Stage 2
• Adam Lytle at Rockwood Music Hall, Stage 3
• SunDub at Mercury Lounge
• Evan Kremin at the Bitter End
• Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co. at Otto's Shrunken Head

David Byrne at the St. James Theatre (Photograph courtesy of American Utopia_

Live Tonight

At press time, the following are among the recommended live music performances still on schedule for tonight.

• David Byrne's American Utopia at the St. James Theatre (5 & 9 p.m.)
• Tal Yahalom at the Anyway Café (5 p.m.)
• Chris Botti at the Blue Note (8 & 10:30 p.m.)
• Anthony Raneri, Vinnie Caruana at Mercury Lounge
• Ms. Maybell & the Jazz Age Artistes at the Anyway Café (8 p.m.)
• Fiddler and the Crossroads at the 11th St. Bar

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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 December 2021 calendar.