Big concerts might be a thing of the past, but many cities
are still allowing music venues to hold live performances. For cities like Memphis,
Chicago, and even Los Angeles, live music events are still widely attended. The
music scene in New Orleans not only keeps thousands of people employed, but
also puts much-needed money into the city's economy. The positive Covid test
rating in New Orleans is no worse than some of the other cities that are still
holding live performances, but what is it that makes it the last holdout?
Some people tend to believe that if venues are allowed to feature live music,
it would automatically lead to a rise in cases. But if we look at cities such
as Los Angeles, we can see that that isn't necessarily the case. The Mint in L.A. has taken to holding
"sidewalk sessions" to comply with government restrictions while still giving
people a chance to have a safe outing that they can enjoy. The bands perform on
the sidewalk, while nearby tables, where guests can dine, are spaced to adhere
to social distancing. Not only is the venue hosting musicians, but also standup
comedy performers.
In New Orleans, however, nearly all music venues are closed
right now to public events.
Even NOLA staples such as BB King's Blues Club are open in
other cities. The original BB King's
Blues Club in Memphis is still operating with dine-in and live music. The
Beale Street venue reintroduced live music June 17, following the March 11
shutdown, with the P.S. Band being the first performers. The venue has been
making moves to present itself as a getaway by boosting both their menu and
their music. Meanwhile, the BB
King's Blues Club in New Orleans is closed until further notice, even
though they are also a restaurant. This brings up the question of what it is
about New Orleans that causes this community to still remain relatively shut
down, even when there are some cities whose rates are worse than ours?
Although there are still a growing number of coronavirus cases
in New Orleans, the restrictions on bars and restaurants are causing more problems
for people than good. Local music venues like Tipitina's and the House of Blues have been
struggling to stay afloat since the initial shutdown. Both of these venues are
completely closed, and both have been presenting livestreamed performances.
"Right now, we're focusing on streaming shows as our main
way of putting out music, since we aren't allowed to be open," said Brian "Tank"
Greenberg of Tipitina's. "We launched tipitinas.tv as the new platform for
hosting the streams. There are six episodes per season, and customers have the
option to purchase the whole season or each show à la carte."
"Live music in front of a crowd will always be what we
do best, but until we can bring people into Tipitina's for the music they want,
we are trying to bring Tipitina's into peoples' homes," he continued. "That's
our long-term goal with tipitinas.tv. When we are
allowed to start hosting live music for an audience, we plan on continuing the
online platform for the people all over the world who want to recreate the
feeling of hanging out at Tip's."
The current positive Covid test rate in Orleans Parish is
barely above one percent (1.1 percent) according to covidactnow.org, whereas
places like Chicago are hovering at a nearly four-percent positive test rate. And
yet, music venues such as the Jazz
Showcase in Chicago are open limited days with live music available.
When considering the atmosphere of New Orleans, it is
confusing as to why there couldn't be more outdoor performances with regulated
areas or even just the occasional waterfront show. Is the closure of music
venues meant to keep tourists away and natives safe, or is it meant to exhibit
some sort of control over the largest source of revenue for the city? Either
way, we're all looking forward to the day when we can enjoy local artists in-person
instead of behind a screen.
"No one's ever accused me of being an optimist, but I
cannot fathom a world without Tipitina's," said Greenberg. "So, until there is
no tomorrow [for Tip's], I'm going to keep pretending like there will
be."
For more information on these venues, please visit their
websites:
The Mint, 6010 West Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, (323) 954-9400,
themintla.com
BB King's Blues Club, 143 Beale St., Memphis, TN, (901) 524-5464,
bbkings.com/memphis
Jazz Showcase, 806 S. Plymouth
Ct., Chicago, IL, (312) 360-0234, jazzshowcase.com
BB King's Blues Club New Orleans, 1104 Decatur St., (504)
934-5464, bbkings.com/new-orleans
Tipitina's, 501 Napoleon St., (504) 895-8477, tipitinas.com
House of Blues New Orleans, 225 Decatur St., (504) 310-4999,
houseofblues.com/neworleans
