Residents of Dutchess County are Excited Live Music is Back
In March 2020, the state of New York went into a full lockdown due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. This meant that all businesses and schools were closed, all live sports and music events were cancelled, and the state operated remotely. People went to school and work online. Music artists even began performing concerts online.
The lockdown in New York lasted until April 2020 and what followed was a four-phase reopening plan from April 2020 to July 2020. For the past year, there have been tons of setbacks that led to schools and businesses being closed for short periods of time, and then eventually being reopened because of the unpredictability of the coronavirus. However, the development of the COVID-19 vaccine in February 2021 has allowed schools and businesses to remain open. This means that live music has finally returned to Dutchess County.
Although there are no restrictions keeping music venues from opening back up, there are still some venues that remain closed. Venues like the K & C Music Factory in Poughkeepsie, Bowdoin Park Bandshell, an outdoor venue in Wappingers Falls, and smaller venues remain closed. Some of the bigger venues like the Chance Theatre and the Bardavon Theatre have opened up, much to the delight of the residents of Dutchess County.
“This past year has been extremely tough and not being able to go to in person concerts was so heartbreaking, but I’m so excited to finally be back to watching music in person,” Yvette Jansen, a resident of Poughkeepsie, said before she walked into the Chance Theatre to watch Diamonds to Dust perform Sunday night. This sentiment is shared by everyone waiting to enter the theatre. One person even showed up for the concert without even knowing who was performing. “I honestly hadn’t heard about Diamonds to Dust and the other performers before a few days ago and my friend asked me to tag along. I missed going to concerts so much that I decided to come,” Chris Roche said before entering the theatre.
Employees at the Chance Theatre are excited to be back as well. “We are beyond excited to be having people back at the theatre. Sales and bookings are even going well considering the conditions,” a box office employee at the Chance Theatre said. “Of course there has been challenges like acts canceling and things of that nature. But we have been operating smoothly for the past few months.”
Due to the development of the COVID-19 vaccine, music venues are open and ready for business and the residents of Dutchess County are excited. Although some of the smaller venues are still temporarily closed, there are still some venues open with full schedules. Venues like the Chance Theatre and the Bardavon Theatre are open and their schedules are on their websites https://www.thechancetheater.com/ and https://www.bardavon.org/upcoming-shows/.
