The Corona / Covid-19 Blues

As we are all aware of by now, the pandemic has only slightly lost its grip on Michigan and the rest of the country. Under a new epidemic order that will last through February 21, restaurants and bars will be allowed to offer indoor dining at 25% capacity with up to 100 people, and they must close by 10:00 p.m. each night. Tables must also be six feet apart with no more than six people per table. Jazz at Shields / Greater Detroit Jazz Society have cancelled all concerts until seating capacity is raised to 50% and several clubs have followed similar policies. On the other hand the Dirty Dog Jazz Café decided to open for live music as you can see in our calendar. The Blue LLama in Ann Arbor has closed down live music for the indefinite future.

So the immediate future looks bleak and might remain so until vaccinations have an impact some time this spring or summer. Fortunately, many venues have put resources in beefing up their digital presence. Kerrytown Concert House and UMS in Ann Arbor and the Dirty Dog and Orchestra Hall in Detroit are some of the relatively lucky ones, and we hope and pray that the less fortunate venues will survive this rolling disaster. But the end result for musicians who rely on live music has been very difficult, so please when you consume their art online please be as generous as possible with your donations.