OLD NORMAL IN NEW YORK

8/10 AMBER

If there was ever a sure sign that New York was pulsing back to life it was the packed-out Foo Fighters gig last weekend. Some 20,000 vaccinated fans crammed into Madison Square Garden for the first fullcapacity concert in the city for more than 15 months.

“It’s times like these, you learn to live again,” frontman Dave Grohl sang – an upbeat message that seemed to resonate with the crowd. I remember getting the train out of Penn Station this time last year when the streets were completely empty. The city that never sleeps seemed to be going to bed at 9pm. We are a far, far cry from that now.

In recent months the once-ubiquitous late-night ambulance sirens have been replaced by the sounds of raucous revellers stumbling out of clubs – a noise I had almost come to miss.

The Empire State has been slow and steady in its reopening – and it has paid off: infection rates are now at an all-time low and vaccination rates are among the highest in America.

Unlike in the UK, Covid rarely makes the news here anymore. Except for having to put on a mask in shops – which is less a state requirement now than a social norm – it’s often easy to even forget we are living through a pandemic.

Governor Andrew Cuomo has given the green light for a full reopening on July 1, just in time for the July 4 Independence Day weekend. That means 100 per cent capacity on all sports and concert venues, as well as the longawaited return of Broadway.

Open-top tour buses are back too, for now just filled with Americans – but the Big Apple is hoping to soon welcome back the millions of international tourists keen to feast on its many delights.

like these: Madison Square Garden roared back to life with Foo Fighters hosting the first concert since March 2020