NYC CLUBS START TO REOPEN

A day after Major League Baseball opened to limited capacity across the country, New York entertainment venues are allowed to start reopening today at 33% capacity.

Saxophonist Jay Rodriguez will lead an ensemble at the new City Winery in New York City. Rhett Miller will play two shows nightly on Saturday and Sunday; Rufus Wainwright, Patti Smith and Steve Earle are booked over the next two weeks.

To get in the door, patrons must fill out a pre-arrival health screening and, upon arrival, have temperature check and answer a wellness questionnaire. Tickets are being sold in quantities of two to six.

Singer and cellist Kelsey Lu is the reopener at The Shed with THIS IS A TEST being performed for an audience of 150 instead of the usual 1,200-plus. (Renée Fleming, Bill Frisell, Christian McBride, and Dan Tepfer are booked for 4/21).

Manhattan comedy clubs such as New York Comedy Club, Stand Up NY, Broadway Comedy Club and The Comedy Cellar are opening en masse their doors with mask requirements, temperature checks and distanced tables.

Music clubs, however, remain on standby. Mercury Lounge and Bowery Ballroom are waiting for social distancing requirements to be cut; Iridium is waiting for capacity limits to rise to 50%. The Village Vanguard and Smoke jazz clubs continue to livestream shows, and have targeted early fall for any potential reopening.

Brooklyn Steel continues to livestream on Twitch but they have faith that concerts will return this year: Tickets are on sale for Rina Sawayama in October and Dinosaur Jr. in November.

From the land of truly hopeful thinking, tickets are still on sale for Justin Bieber at Madison Square Garden in July and Rage Against the Machine in August.