Live music is coming back to a few Milwaukee clubs
Live music has come back at bars, restaurants and campsites around Wisconsin, and there have been drivein concerts in Grafton and Hillsboro.
Now live music is returning to a few small Milwaukee venues for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic triggered a statewide shutdown in March.
“How will coronavirus affect the thought of seeing live music? Up to this point, it’s unexplained, untested, unproven,” said Jim Linneman, owner of Linneman’s Riverwest Inn, 1001 E. Locust St. “But (live music) is going to be happening coming up.”
This weekend, Linneman’s — along with the Jazz Estate, 2423 N. Murray Ave., and Story Hill Firehouse, 407 N. Hawley Road — will be hosting concerts for the first time at 25% capacity, in compliance with the latest requirements for bars and restaurants that went into effect in Milwaukee June 5. Caroline’s Jazz Club, 401 S. Second St., which had its first shows in three months last weekend, has more scheduled for this Thursday through Saturday.
For the Jazz Estate, the cozy East Side institution, 25% capacity is just 15 people. After accounting for employees and the bands this weekend, the club can host just seven guests at each of its two shows Friday, with local singer Marcya Daneille, and just nine guests for each of its two Saturday shows with Chicago group the Soul Message Trio.
Hosting shows with such limited capacity isn’t financially lucrative, said owner John Dye. “But this is taking it to the next step,” he said.
The club has already opened its patio, with spaced-out seating on a firstcome, first-served basis, and has been selling to-go cocktail kits. It’s also streamed a few shows on Facebook for donations; the four shows this weekend will also be streamed.
“It keeps the musicians working and it keeps all of us thinking of and enjoying the music,” Dye said. “Part of it feels really good, but these are weird times. … Right now, we’re just following (Centers for Disease Control) guidelines to keep everyone safe.”
‘Tough days, and sad nights’
The Jazz Estate has been certified by the U.S. National Restaurant Association’s SafeServ program, and there will be extra sanitation, Dye said. Employees will wear masks, and concertgoers will have to wear masks when they’re not at their tables. Advance reservations are required at exploretock.com/jazzestate.
Tickets, $44 each, include two cocktails.
Marcya Daneille, Friday night’s Jazz Estate act, is also performing at 2 p.m. Sunday with bassist Ben Titus at Story Hill Firehouse. There will be a deep cleaning of the space before the show, employees will have their temperatures checked, and they will be wearing masks and sanitizing the space throughout the show, said Giselle Oliva, with the show’s promoter Wisconsin Music Ventures. Advance tickets are required and include individually packed light snacks. Tickets are limited to 70, and are selling for $15 each at
A cash bar will be on site during the show.
Caroline’s hosted some live music last weekend for the first time since
March, and will feature the Cody Longreen Band at 8 p.m. Thursday, the Sam Belton Jazz Experience at 9:30 p.m Friday, and the Paul Spencer Band at 9:30 p.m. Saturday. Cover is $13 for each show.
“We are grateful and excited to be open again, to see all of you, and to celebrate good times and great music,” owner Caroline Rubitsky posted on the bar’s Facebook page. “These have been tough days, and sad nights, especially for the musicians, who live to play.”
Guests will have their temperatures scanned at the entrance, will be required to use hand sanitizer at a station near the entrance and to wear masks when they’re not seated. They’ll be spaced apart, with employees with masks sanitizing surfaces throughout the night.
Cameras a permanent fixture
Linneman purchased a three-camera system to film shows to stream on the Linneman’s Facebook page for donations, which he’s already used for a few private shows.
“I foresee this going on for a while, and it gives people an opportunity to sit at home and watch some music,” Linneman said. “It will be awhile until we have a vaccine, and people will be apprehensive about going out.”
Linneman is also streaming Saturday’s show — a Tom Petty tribute, “Sweaty for Petty,” featuring local acts Orlando Peña, Wolves with Virginia and J.R. Trio — but it will be the first Linneman’s show to have a live audience since March. One-quarter capacity for the building is 40 people, with admission on a first-come, first-served basis for $10. The show is a benefit for local nonprofit Team Havoc.
Plexiglass shields have been installed at the bar, and bar stools and tables have been removed to enforce social distancing, Linneman said. Guests will have their temperatures taken at the door, there are two hand sanitizer stations at the bar and drinks will be served in single-use plastic cups. Linneman and his partner Marty Hacker will be wearing masks.
Most music venues remain closed
While a handful of Milwaukee music venues are opening up, most — including Shank Hall, the Miramar Theatre, the Cactus Club, Potawatomi Hotel & Casino’s Northern Lights Theater, the Rave and the Pabst Theater Group’s four venues — remain closed.
The live music industry has largely been at a standstill since mid-March, prompting more than 2,000 venues and promoters to join a new group — the National Independent Venue Association, co-founded by Pabst Theater Group CEO Gary Witt — that’s lobbying Congress for aid. According to a recent NIVA surveys, 90% of its members said they will have to close in the next few months without support.
The owners of two Milwaukee venues, Fire on Water and the Underground Collaborative, announced earlier this month that they were closing permanently because of the pandemic.
Contact Piet at (414) 223-5162 or plevy@journalsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter at @pietlevy or Facebook at facebook.com/PietLevyMJS.
Piet also talks concerts, local music and more on “TAP’d In” with Jordan Lee. Hear it at 8 a.m. Thursdays on WYMS-FM (88.9), or wherever you get your podcasts.