NYS Music 202​1

Tag: Madison Square Garden

  • Foo Fighters Perform First Show at MSG in 460 Days

    Foo Fighters performed the first show back at Madison Square Garden (MSG) and made New York and music history as they welcomed vaccinated fans back to the iconic venue on June 20 for the first 100% capacity concert in a New York arena since March 2020. 

    The three hour long, sold out show with no opening act marked Madison Square Garden’s first concert in more than 460 days in yet another resounding endorsement of the return of live music. The last full capacity show at MSG was The Brothers, which celebrated the Allman Brothers Band music on March 10, 2020. Since then, limited capacity events like Knicks games have taken place at the arena.

    Despite anti-vax protests, MSG required a vaccination check for entry at the show, mainly the Excelsior Pass, the NYC-only digital “passport” that provides proof of vaccination. The venue allowed attendees to mask up at their own discretion. For children under 16, a negative COVID-19 test paired with an ID could, and can, suffice in place of a vaccine passport.

     “We’ve been waiting for this day for over a year,” said Dave Grohl. “And Madison Square Garden is going to feel that HARD. New York, get ready for a long ass night of screaming our heads off together to 26 years of Foos.”

    Dave Chapelle joined the band to sing a cover of “Creep” by Radiohead. Other covers of the night include “Somebody to Love” by Queen and as a sneak peek for the new Foo Fighters Record Store Day album, they offered a cover of “You Should Be Dancing” off Hail Satin, due on July 17, a satirical take on The Bee Gees.

    The 12 time Grammy Award-winning band, sold tens of millions of records and created anthems, their globally anticipated 10th album, Medicine at Midnight, was released February 5, preceded by the chart-topping groove of “Shame Shame,” the brain-rattling “No Son of Mine,” and the epic swell of “Waiting on a War.” Since 1995, the Foo Fighters, Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett, Pat Smear, and Rami Jaffee have held the title of the last great American arena/stadium rock band. 

    Foo Fighters first headlined a sold-out Garden in February 2008 on their “Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace” tour, returning to rock the venue for another sell-out show in November 2011 on the “Wasting Light” tour. Most recently, the band sold-out two nights at The World’s Most Famous Arena in July 2018, on their “Concrete and Gold” tour. The announcement of the June 20 MSG show follows the news of Foo Fighters’ first six U.S. dates on their “25th 26th Anniversary” tour taking place later this summer.

    The June 20 Foo Fighters show, along with other recently announced shows across MSG Entertainment’s venues, are part of the company’s efforts to restart New York, which also include two sold-out events this month – the closing night of Tribeca Festival featuring “Untitled: Dave Chappelle Documentary” at Radio City Music Hall on June 19 and “Two Evenings With Trey Anastasio” at the Beacon Theatre on June 22-23.

    Foo Fighters – Madison Square Garden (MSG) – June 20, 2021

    Setlist: Times Like These, The Pretender, Learn to Fly, No Son of Mine, The Sky Is a Neighborhood, Shame Shame, Rope, Run, My Hero, These Days, Medicine at Midnight, Walk, Somebody to Love (Queen cover with Taylor Hawkins on lead), Monkey Wrench, Arlandria, Breakout, Creep (Radiohead cover with Dave Chappelle), All My Life, Aurora, This Is A Call, Best of You

    Encore: Making a Fire, You Should Be Dancing (Bee Gees cover), Everlong

  • Foo Fighters To Kick Off The Return Of Live Music At MSG

    Live music will return at Madison Square Garden as Foo Fighters will play New York City’s first full capacity concert since March 2020 on June 20 at MSG and they are certainly ready to rock.

    Foo Fighters MSG
    Photo by Andreas Neumann

    The Garden will be at 100% capacity and will require all audience members to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination for admission.

    The Garden is ready to rock. We’ve been waiting for this moment for 15 months and are excited to finally welcome a packed house of roaring, fully-vaccinated Foo Fighters fans to Madison Square Garden.

    James Dolan, Executive Chairman and CEO of MSG Entertainment. 

    Foo Fighters–Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett, Pat Smear and Rami Jaffee–are not new to headlining the Garden. They sold out the venue back in 2008 on their Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace tour, again in 2011 on their Wasting Light tour and most recently in 2018 for a two-night stint on their Concrete and Gold tour.

    We’ve been waiting for this day for over a year, and Madison Square Garden is going to feel that HARD. New York, get ready for a long ass night of screaming our heads off together to 26 years of Foos.

    Dave Grohl, frontman.

    The New York show will not only kick off performances at the Garden but will also kick off Foo Fighter’s new tour following the release of Medicine at Midnight earlier this year. All tour dates and links for ticket purchase are listed on their website.

    Tickets to the Foo Fighters at MSG on June 20 will go on sale to the general public on June 11 at 10 AM through Ticketmaster. Prices will range from $50 to $119.

  • Enrique Iglesias and Ricky Martin Set to bring Co-Headlining Tour to MSG

    Enrique Iglesias and Ricky Martin will kick off on September 25th, the 26-date tour will begin in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, and wrap up on November 20th, at the Anaheim Honda Center. Iglesias and Martin have created notable solo pop and Latin music careers, combining forces as well as bringing in special guest, Sebastian Yatra, to create an incredibly fun, yet safe, live show experience.

    To say we are going on tour has lifted all of our spirits after the profoundly difficult year the world has gone through and still is. Myself and my entire crew are very excited to bring our best live show safely all over the U.S. and Canada, and let the music bring the healing power and happiness that we all need. I’m also ecstatic to be sharing the stage with my friends Enrique Iglesias and Sebastián Yatra, it’s going to be a blast. Can’t wait! See you all very soon. Get ready to party!

    Ricky Martin

    On Sunday, October 17th, the tour will showcase at the Madison Square Garden, that being the only New York date. For more information on the rescheduled tour dates and locations, you can visit Ticketmaster.

    https://youtu.be/DvDkN9mI7Os

  • GarciaLive Vol. 16 features Jerry Garcia Band Debut at MSG

    For Volume 16 of GarciaLive, the archival series looks back at the debut of Jerry Garcia Band at Madison Square Garden (MSG) on November 15, 1991.

    jerry garcia band MSG

    GarciaLive Volume 16 finds the world’s most recorded musician in the world’s most famous arena at the midway point in one of his longest and most celebrated solo tours. While Garcia was no stranger to MSG, November 15th marked the Jerry Garcia Band debut in the vaunted venue. Though just two months removed from the Grateful Dead’s sold-out 9-night residency at the Garden, the crowd’s eruption as the houselights dimmed revealed the immense excitement for Garcia’s return.

    jerry garcia band MSG
    Poster by Mike DuBois

    The buoyant set-opening “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)” signaled the feeling was indeed mutual. Love remained a central theme throughout the evening with stunning versions of Smokey Robinson’s “The Way You Do The Things You Do,” Van Morrison’s “He Ain’t Give You None” and “Bright Side of the Road,” and Dylan’s “Simple Twist of Fate,” among others.

    A near-automatic highlight of any latter era Jerry Garcia Band set, this performance of The Manhattan’s “Shining Star” is so poignant it became the centerpiece for the 2001 compilation of the same name. The extended takes on “Ain’t No Bread in the Breadbox” and “Don’t Let Go” which followed offered the band plenty of room to stretch out with the latter yielding the deepest improvisations of the evening. Not one to treat encores as de rigueur, Garcia finds the perfect sentiment to close the night with the timeless “(What A) Wonderful World” sending everyone home walking on air.

    Included in the physical copy are detailed liner notes written by Relix editor-in-chief and Jambands.com founder Dean Budnick, which includes reflections from Melvin Seals, Jacklyn LaBranch, Dennis McNally and John Popper. Popper’s band, Blues Traveler, was the opening act for the 1991 show. GarciaLive Vol. 16 is set for a June 25 release.

    Disc One // Set One:
    1. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
    2. Struggling Man
    3. He Ain’t Give You None
    4. Simple Twist of Fate
    5. Lay Down Sally

    Disc Two:
    1. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
    2. My Sisters and Brothers
    3. Deal

    Set Two:
    4. The Way You Do The Things You Do
    5. Waiting For A Miracle
    6. Shining Star
    7. Ain’t No Bread in the Breadbox

    Disc Three:
    1. Don’t Let Go
    2. That Lucky Old Sun >
    3. Bright Side of the Road

    Encore:
    4. (What A) Wonderful World

  • Flashback: Eric Clapton Celebrates 70th Birthday at The Garden

    In 2015, Eric Clapton celebrated his 70th Birthday with a pair of sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden. Although his birthday is March 30, the shows didn’t actually take place until May 1 and 3. Clapton was joined by special guests Derek Trucks, John Mayer, Doyle Bramhall II and Jimmy Vaughan on both nights.

    eric clapton birthday

    Clapton was backed by a band featuring drummer Steve Gadd, bassist Nathan East, keyboardists Paul Carrack and Chris Stainton, and vocalists Sharon White and Michelle John. After a quick salutation to the crowd, Clapton started the show with “Somebody’s Knocking,” and “Key to the Highway.”

    The setlist was pretty much the same both nights with John Mayer being the first guest. Clapton and Mayer traded fiery guitar solos with an outstanding version of “Pretending.” Other highlights included a Billy Preston cover of “You Are So Beautiful” with Paul Carrack on lead vocals and an electric version of “Before You Accuse Me” with Jimmy Vaughan.

    eric clapton birthday

    Trucks and Bramhall helped Clapton close the main set with “Let It Rain.” Late in the night Clapton addressed the crowd “Thank you very much for helping me celebrate this wonderful gift with these wonderful friends.”

    For the encore, Eric Clapton brought all the guests back to the stage and ended his ‘birthday’ night with a cover of Joe Cocker’s “High Time We Went.”

    Setlist May 1, 2015

    Somebody’s Knocking (J.J. Cale cover), Key to the Highway (Charles Segar cover), Pretending (With John Mayer), I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man (Willie Dixon cover), You Are So Beautiful (Billy Preston cover), Can’t Find My Way Home (Blind Faith cover), I Shot The Sheriff (Bob Marley cover), Driftin Blues (Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers cover), Nobody Knows When You’re Down and Out (Jimmy Cox cover), Tears In Heaven, Layla (Derek and the Dominos cover), Before You Accuse Me(Bo Diddley cover), Wonderful Tonight, Let It Rain (With Trucks and Bramhall II), Cross Road Blues (Robert Johnson cover), Little Queen of Spades (Robert Johnson cover), Cocaine (J.J.Cale cover), High Time We Went (Joe Cocker cover)

    Setlist May 3, 2015

    Somebody’s Knocking (J.J. Cale cover), Key to the Highway (Charles Segar cover), Pretending (With John Mayer), I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man (Willie Dixon cover), You Are So Beautiful (Billy Preston cover), Can’t Find My Way Home (Blind Faith cover), I Shot The Sheriff (Bob Marley cover), Driftin Blues (Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers cover), Nobody Knows When You’re Down and Out (Jimmy Cox cover), Tears In Heaven, Layla (Derek and the Dominos cover), Before You Accuse Me (Bo Diddley cover), Wonderful Tonight, Cross Road Blues (Robert Johnson cover), Little Queen of Spades (Robert Johnson cover), Let It Rain (With Trucks and Bramhall II) (J.J.Cale cover), High Time We Went (Joe Cocker cover)

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  • 2019 Flashback: An Evening With Fleetwood Mac At Madison Square Garden

    On March 18, 2019, Fleetwood Mac played the second of two sold out shows at Madison Square Garden supporting their “An Evening With Fleetwood Mac” tour. The lineup consisted of Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie, Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Mike Campbell and Neil Finn. 

    fleetwood mac

    Originally the tour was referred to as the “Farewell Tour” with plans of having the Rumours lineup including Lindsey Buckingham, but a few weeks prior to the start of the tour, the band had announced their separation with Buckingham. 

    The reason for the separation was reportedly due to disagreements about the tour.  In a Rolling Stone interview, Buckingham later revealed that the real reasons he was fired was that Nicks took issue with the fact that he “smirked” during her thank you speech at the Musicares person of the year event, and also the way that Buckingham reacted to being introduced with Nick’s “Rhiannon.”  Vocalist/guitarist Neil Finn and guitarist Mike Campbell joined the band shortly after Buckingham’s departure.

    Despite Buckingham not being present, the show was still fantastic.  The band opened the show with three huge hits, “The Chain,” “Little Lies” and  “Dreams.”  Their set also included more hits like “Say You Love Me,” “Rhiannon,” “Gypsy” and “Go Your Own Way.”  Each of the new members also had a chance to shine with Neil playing Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over” and a cover of Tom Petty’s “Free Falling” as images of Tom and Stevie were projected on the screen behind them.  Another highlight was when they played “Black Magic Woman” which was written by original member Peter Green before Santana turned it into a huge hit.  

    In a 2020 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Nicks said she hasn’t spoken to Buckingham since his departure, but she did write him a note after he suffered from a heart attack in February of 2019.  On March 27, 2021, there will be an All Star Tribute to Peter Green available on demand that was recorded at the London Palladium on February 25, 2020, just days before the global shut down due to COVID-19.  A live album of the concert will also be released on April 30, 2021.

    Setlist: The Chain, Little Lies, Dreams, Second Hand News, Say You Love Me, Black Magic Woman, Everywhere, Rhiannon, World Turning, Gypsy, Oh Well, Don’t Dream It’s Over, Landslide, Hold Me, Monday Morning, You Make Loving Fun, Gold Dust Woman, Go Your Own Way

    Encore: Free Fallin, Don’t Stop, All Over Again

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  • Grateful Dead Return to the Garden: March 9, 1981

    Grateful Dead Garden

    Few buildings have as storied a relationship with the Grateful Dead that Madison Square Garden does. The World’s Most Famous Arena quickly became the band’s “home” arena on the East Coast beginning with their first run here in January of 1979. Their welcomed stay would last until their final shows played there in 1994. Today, we celebrate the anniversary of the Grateful Dead’s third run at the Garden and only their sixth show ever here. This would be the first of only two Dead shows here this year. But its musical impact, thanks to an incredibly well preserved AUD recording, will last forever.

    The opening tones of “Feel Like A Stranger” ring throughout the Garden to kickstart things this evening. The electricity immediately comes through the pristine recording on this one as the bands “get’s on with the show.” Guitarist Bob Weir’s voice is in fine form for the opener and throughout the rest of this show. Some typical brief, scat-like improv singing from him gives way to a short but tight little opening number. “Althea” then follows, with fellow guitarist Jerry Garcia getting his turn to serenade the New York faithful. A fierce early guitar lick sets just the right tone early as Garcia nimbly moves from singing to soloing and then back.

    This is followed by a super-bluesy “C.C. Rider” that’s fueled by some great interplay between Garcia, Weir and Mydland on keys. A raucous Garden crowd makes their feelings well known afterwards. An extended tuning break might disrupt the rhythm for any other concert, but it’s not long before the arena is back in full sway and singing along with Garcia to “Ramble On Rose.” As expected, the “Just like New York City” line is met with resounding approval. Weir seems to begin “El Paso” by himself at first, but the band soon catches up and nails the rest of this first set staple. This one sees more impressively delicate guitar fills thrown in by Garcia who sounds clean and inspired from the onset this evening.

    A return to the blues then follows, this one of the “Deep Elem” variety. After being taken off the shelf late last year in October, the vocal sections still sound a little unsure on the Dead’s take of this blues standard but the continual passionate guitar stylings from Garcia more than makes up for it. There’s nothing unsure about Weir’s vocal delivery on “Beat It On Down The Line” as the band rips through another first set staple.

    Jerry’s vocals seem to run out of steam somewhat in the “Bird Song” that comes next. But the initial lackluster vocal section quickly gives way to some dazzling improv in the jam that follows with Garcia’s guitar leading the way. This seems to infuse some life into the band and the song’s dismount is much cleaner. Weir then re-assumes command and “New Minglewood Blues” closes out a rollicking opening stanza. Whether it was planned or not, the two guitarists wind up going tit-for-tat and alternate lead vocal duties between each song in the opening set.

    But like any Dead show, the real “meat and potatoes” of the show are generally found in the second set. Tonight’s show at the Garden would be no different. After some clearly audible teases while tuning, the band takes their sweet time before launching into a majestic set-opening “China Cat Sunflower.” Garcia’s meandering guitar solos play perfectly atop a bed of fresh bass rhythms supplied by Phil Lesh. The slowly building jam eventually makes its seamless transition into “I Know You Rider” where both Weir and Garcia throw a little extra mustard on their respective parts. The second “China Cat” > “Rider” sequence ever played at MSG is certainly one to behold.

    Out of the ashes of this blistering start comes “Samson and Delilah” with drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart wasting no time at all before launching into the percussive into. The accompanying jam is played at a near-frenetic pace that seems to have carried right over from the start of the set. Things finally cool down for a bit with “Ship Of Fools” that Garcia ably leads the group through with no issues. Even a slower number like this one seems to have the Grateful Dead Garden crowd enraptured.

    Things perk back up in a big way in the second set with the two heavy hitters that follow. “Estimated Prophet” sees a fired up Weir complemented beautifully by Mydland and the signature tone of his electric keys on this number. A typically patient and slow-building jam then ensues with Jerry soon beginning to take the helm musically. When this reaches its conclusion, he switches tones and starts the opening chords to “Uncle John’s Band.” The Garden is again enthralled by these proceedings, with many clapping along in time.

    Towards the end of the second’s set traditional “Drums” > “Space” section, some familiar chording can be heard. And before long, Lesh’s bellowing bass roars once again, signaling the high-intensity start of “The Other One.” The rest of the band follows Weir’s lead on vocals with this passionate take on a classic Dead number.

    After this powerful, but fairly short “Other One,” begins to peter out, Garcia slows things down once more and the beginning of “Stella Blue” ensues. A large crowd that was in full rock mode, clapping along wildly just more than an hour ago, is now in near total silence listening to Jerry’s deliberate and soulful vocals – a testament to the emotional power of a Grateful Dead Garden show.

    It sounds like Jerry wants to revisit and possibly finish “Uncle John’s Band” at the end of “Blue,” but they instead shift towards a “Good Lovin’” closer, the second set’s only cover song. The Garden crowd, once more, shows their love and appreciation afterwards before a “U.S. Blues” finishes things out, a proper call after so much blues-inspired songs and playing this evening. The Dead would go on to play one more show at MSG the following night. And thanks to the impeccable recording by Barry Glassberg below, we’ll be able to enjoy this one forever.

    Grateful Dead – Madison Square Garden – New York City, NY 3/9/81

    Set 1: Feel Like A Stranger, Althea-> CC Rider, Ramble On Rose-> El Paso, Deep Elem Blues, Beat It On Down The Line, Bird Song, Minglewood Blues

    Set 2: China Cat Sunflower-> I Know You Rider-> Samson & Delilah, Ship of Fools, Estimated Prophet-> Uncle John’s Band-> Drums-> The Other One-> Stella Blue-> Good Lovin’,

    Encore: U.S. Blues

  • 2014 Flashback: Paul Simon and Sting hold a “Little Experiment” at MSG

    In February of 2014, Paul Simon and Sting began their ‘On Stage Together’ Tour in Houston, TX.  The tour traveled across North America, Oceania, and Europe before concluding in Amsterdam in 2015.  I was lucky enough to catch one of the shows on my birthday, March 4, 2014, at Madison Square Garden.  That made this night even more special than it was already set out to be.  The accompanying band was comprised of members of both Simon and Sting’s bands respectively. 

    paul simon sting

    “Welcome to our little experiment” Simon said to the crowd early on.  After performing the first few songs together, the duo took turns alternating throughout the night, but still sprinkled in a few more songs together before they both took the stage once again for the encore.  After the opening duets, Simon left the stage and Sting began his Police heavy solo block with “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic”, Englishman In New York”, “I Hung My Head and “Driven To Tears”.  He ended his first set with “Walking on the Moon” which transitioned nicely into Simon’s “Mother and Child Reunion”.  After that, Sting left the stage and Simon began his first solo set with “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover”.  The rest of his set were all hits from his solo career like “Graceland”, “Still Crazy After All These Years” and “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard.” 

    Before Paul left the stage again, they both did a magnificent cover of Sting’s “Fragile” from his Nothing Like the Sun album. Sting started his next set with a stripped down cover of Simon’s “America”.  “Paul has been my mentor and teacher for many, many years” Sting told the audience.  He then explained that the song reminded him of when he first came to America. Him, Stewart and Andy rented a station wagon in New York and drove across the country playing in dives and staying in shitty hotels. He said “Even though this song was written a decade before, it still reminds me of that time”. He then continued his set with some more Police classics like “Message in a Bottle” and “Roxanne” along with more solo hits like “They Dance Alone” and “Desert Rose.”

    Another highlight of the night is when Simon appeared back on stage and helped end Sting’s set with another duet cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Boxer”.  The two sounded amazing as they harmonized on the song that was recorded over 40 years earlier. 

    For his next set, Paul dusted off the title track to his 1983 album Hearts and Bones as well as his 1991’s percussion driven “The Obvious Child”.  I love this song but for some reason it is not a crowd favorite.  But, needless to say he quickly reengaged the sold out crowd at The Garden with what is probably his most popular solo song “You Can Call Me Al” to end his final solo set.  

    The encore began with “Bridge Over Troubled Water” with Sting nailing the high notes on the first verse.  Paul sang the second verse before transitioning right into “Every Breath You Take” as well as a vibrant version of “Late in the Evening”. 

    At this time the band walked off the stage and it appeared the show was about to end, but Simon and Sting then both picked up acoustic guitars and harmonized once again on the Everly Brothers “When Will I Be Loved” that they dedicated to the late Phil Everly.  

    The show was over three hours long and it was so good that I could have watched the entire performance again. This was one of the best collaborations I have ever seen between two iconic performers coming from different backgrounds and styles.  

    Paul Simon and Sting, Madison Square Garden, NYC – March 4, 2014

    Setlist: Brand New Day@, The Boy in the Bubble@, Fields of Gold@, Every Little Thing She Does is Magic#, Englishman in New York#, I Hung My Head#, Driven to Tears#, Walking on the Moon#, Mother and Child Reunion@, 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover*, Dazzling Blue*, Graceland*, Still Crazy After All These Years*, Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard*, Fragile@, America#, Message in a Bottle#, The Hounds of Winter#, They Dance Alone#, Roxanne#, Desert Rose#, The Boxer@, That Was Your Mother*, Hearts and Bones*, Mystery Train*, Wheels*, The Obvious Child*, Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes*, You Can Call Me Al*

    Encore: Bridge Over Troubled Water@, Every Breath You Take@, Late in the Evening@, When Will I Be Loved?@

    # Sting
    * Paul Simon
    @ Sting and Paul Simon

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  • New Excelsior Pass in Pilot Stage to Reopen Music Venues and Large Events

    On March 3, Govenor Cuomo announced a pilot program to test the Excelsior Pass to begin opening up businesses, starting with Madison Square Garden and Barclays Center. This follows the recent announcement of “NY Pops Up” featuring over 300 free live performances.

    Excelsior Pass
    Aeriel view of Madison Square Garden

    At the Governor’s 2021 State of the State Address, Cuomo declared the Excelsior Pass will use proven technology to confirm an individual’s vaccination or negative test results for COVID-19. Through confidential data transfer, the Governor is hoping this will help quicken the pace in reopening theaters, stadiums and more in accordance with New York State guidelines. Ticketmaster proposed a similar plan in November.

    The state tested the first pilot on Feb. 27 for the Brooklyn Nets game at Barclays Center and the second one on March 2 at a Rangers game at Madison Square Garden. The pass is like an airline boarding pass where the attendee has an app called the “wallet app.” There, they can either print it out or have admissions scan the QR code within the app.

    We’re doing everything we can to vaccinate as many New Yorkers as possible, as quickly as possible, while keeping the infection rate down and reenergizing our economy in a safe, smart way.

    Governor Cuomo

    The Governor also explained that the Excelsior Pass will get information to venues and establishments quick enough to avoid an outbreak and get more businesses to open their doors.

    Since the pandemic shut down the nation a year ago this month, many venues and restaurants have struggled to stay afloat. Although a lot of businesses qualified for the Paycheck Protection Loan and were able to maintain stability, others did not. Now that more New Yorkers are getting vaccinated and COVID-19 cases are decreasing, this is a chance to get those struggling businesses back on their feet.

    That app has been tested right now, both at Barclays and Madison Square Garden, and those tests have been successful. So, once we get the approvals, the app will be available for download on both platforms, on Google, on Apple platforms; people download to their smartphones. And that will allow someone to show the result of their test, whether it be a PCR test, which (will be) valid for up to 72 hours, or rapid test, which will be valid for six hours. In addition, though, if you don’t want to use an app, you will be able to download a paper result of your test that you can then print out and use that to demonstrate your negative test.

    Rob Mujica, New York State Budget Director

    The news on the Excelsior Pass was followed up by an announcement that beginning on Friday, April 2, event, arts and entertainment venues can reopen at 33% capacity, with up to 100 people indoors and up to 200 people outdoors. All attendees must present proof of negative test prior to entry, which can lead to a capacity increase of up to 150 people indoors and up to 500 people outdoors.

    Social distancing and face coverings will be required by all attendees, as well as strict adherence to all applicable Department of Health guidance.

    Excelsior Pass

    Additionally, Cuomo announced that beginning March 22, residential gatherings of up to 25 people can be held outdoors. Indoor residential gatherings remain capped at 10 people to reduce the continued risk of spread. Also, non-residential social gatherings of up to 100 people can occur indoors and up to 200 people can occur outdoors.

    Cuomo isn’t the only one who’s optimistic about returning the music industry to somewhat of a normal state. Live Nation’s CEO Michael Rapino believes outdoor events will be able to achieve an audience capacity of 75 or even 100 percent across the nation.

    “We might have certain states that might not be ready, but we have enough states and enough artists willing to play the open slots if we get to that level in the right markets,” Rapino said.

    For individuals wishing to use the Excelsior Pass, their information will be completely confidential and protect any personal health information. They will have a variety of passes to choose from for their own comfortability.

  • Madison Square Garden May be Opening for Live Audiences Sooner than You Think

    Madison Square Garden may be opening for live audiences sooner than one might think, according to President Andy Lustgarten. Their first in-person event will take place on February 23, 2021 for the Knicks game. 

    Madison Square Garden

    Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that arenas could open up to 10 percent capacity on February 10, 2021 using a testing- based program.  People who provide a negative PCR test within 72 hours of the live event in question would be able to attend live entertainment like musical events according to the testing- based program.

    At Madison Square Garden 10 percent capacity is about 2,000 people. Which means at the upcoming Knicks game against the Golden State Warriors 2,000 people can be cheering from the crowd. Although 2,000 isn’t that many, Madison Square Garden hopes that they “are on a path to continue to increase capacity,” according to Lustgarten. They hope that in time  attendance will be able to increase beyond 10 percent before the basketball and hockey seasons end.

     “This was earlier than we had expected,” Lustgarten told analysts on a Friday at the New York Post. And because of the fact reopening to live audiences was unexpected there are some things that are still up in the air. Like the fact there will be limited types of food for sale, but it’s unclear what types of food will be available in the upcoming events. Madison Square Garden says details will be coming soon on what options will be available. 

    Madison Square Garden

    This MSG reopening is coming just in the knick of time for the arena with its second fiscal quarter, ending in December of 2020, was down $23.1 million which is 94.1 percent from the previous year’s $394.1 million according to Billboard. The live entertainment industry has been harder than most industries by the COVID-19 pandemic. The fact that live shows are slowly but surely coming back is the light at the end of the tunnel the industry has been searching for. 

    For more information on Madison Square Garden visit their website.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BlGnzGICNQ