After over a year of empty stages, music lovers finally have something to look forward to. Last month, Governor Ralph Northam lifted all social distancing and capacity restrictions, meaning live music will soon be back at several Charlottesville venues.
On June 18, the newly renamed Ting Pavilion will reopen with the return of Fridays After Five, featuring performances by Chamomile and Whiskey and Shagwüf. The free outdoor concert series will run every Friday from 5:30-8:30pm through September 17.
“We’re hopeful that it’s going to be the same experience that people have always remembered,” says Kirby Hutto, general manager of the venue, which now has a five-year partnership with Ting. “It’s an opportunity not just to hear live music, but also to socialize and meet your friends.”
The Jefferson Theater and The Southern Cafe & Music Hall are also “scrambling” to open up their doors as quickly as possible, says booking manager and show promoter Danny Shea.
“We’re trying to rebuild with a new ticketing system, new staff, new everything,” says Shea. “We had hopes of being able to open this month, but I don’t know if that’s going to happen or not.”
Like venues across the country, the coronavirus completely “paralyzed” the Jefferson and the Southern, says Shea. With no end to the pandemic in sight, all in-person shows had to be postponed indefinitely, forcing the two theaters to lay off employees to stay afloat. “Uncertainty has been the only thing we can count on,” says Shea.
The pavilion hasn’t hosted any shows since the pandemic started. Hutto considered a partial reopening with socially distanced pods this summer, but plans quickly changed when Northam lifted pandemic restrictions on May 28, two weeks earlier than anticipated.
“I don’t think any of us expected [the lift],” says Shea. “It just accelerated a lot of things, and we’re working through other projects to try to get ready.”
In addition to Fridays after Five, the Ting Pavilion will host the Charlottesville Opera for the first time ever on June 24 and 26. More show announcements will roll out over the next few weeks—from August through November, the plan is to have around 10 shows, according to Hutto.
John Paul Jones Arena has also started announcing events, with country duo Dan & Shay on the calendar for September. (JPJ did not provide comment for this story.)
Shea says there are likely “a ton” of acts who would love to perform at the Southern or the Jefferson soon, but it has been harder than expected to find performers who haven’t already booked shows at outdoor venues, under the previous coronavirus restrictions.
The biggest challenge for the venues, though, has been bringing on new staff members.
“Some of the folks who’ve worked with us for years and years in the past have either moved elsewhere, or taken other positions,” says Hutto.
Once all three venues reopen, only unvaccinated people will be required to wear masks and social distance, in accordance with Centers for Disease Control guidelines.
That won’t be easy for venues to enforce, however. “If we can’t verify somebody hasn’t had a vaccine it’s hard for us to institute anything,” says Shea.
“But I hope that anybody who comes has gotten the vaccine,” he adds. “You can’t love live music and not opt in for the vaccine right now.”