University Union, Syracuse music venues implement alternate concert formats

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When The Westcott Theater closed its doors after a concert March 11, Dan Mastronardi had a feeling it would be the last time for a while that the music venue would host a large crowd.

“I saw the writing on the wall: this is the last time we’re going to be open for a very long time,” said Mastronardi, owner of the Westcott Theater.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has upgraded all regions of New York state to phase four of the reopening process, allowing indoor gatherings to take place at reduced capacity. As students and faculty return to campus this month, concert planners in Syracuse are preparing for the music events to take on a different form.

The Westcott reopened in July, this time hosting a virtual concert for Billy Strings, a guitarist and Bluegrass musician. While Strings livestreamed from Nashville, Tennessee, about 100 people watched from the theater, Mastronardi said.

The theater’s staff also enforced social distance guidelines, requiring everyone to wear a mask unless they were seated at their table. Food and drinks were delivered to patrons’ tables after they were ordered through an app.

Mastronardi cited a few instances of audience members disobeying the social distancing measures. But with the overall success of two livestreamed concerts, he’s hopeful The Westcott can continue to host more concerts this fall with small, intimate crowds.

The thought of opening the venue up to the normal capacity of 700 people is a distant thought without a vaccine for the coronavirus readily available, he said.

Adam Gold, the owner of restaurant and musical venue Funk ‘n Waffles, is similarly concerned about hosting events without a vaccine.

Funk ‘n Waffles’ capacity is 200 people, and having 50 to 80 people inside makes the venue “feel cozy,” Gold said.

“That used to be a good thing,” he said. “But I’m worried about how the stigma of this illness is going to (deter) people who don’t want to be crammed into a space.”

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On campus, University Union is preparing for multiple event options that fit within the Syracuse University’s policies on social distancing.

“We are working closely with school administration to ensure that our events are both safe and enjoyable for students. Our social media pages will be routinely updated with the latest information,” said Annelise Hackett, UU public relations director.

Whether concerts are in-person or online, Slater Ward-Diorio, president of UU, said his top priority is to organize and host shows that “please students and give them good experiences.”

Earlier this week, UU announced that rapper and singer Smino will perform a virtual concert Aug. 22, during Welcome Week, for SU and ESF students. Smino will be the third artist to perform a UU virtual concert since March, following singer-songwriter King Princess and DJ Kaytranada.

UU and the artists encountered some technical difficulties before both performances, like making sure Kaytranada’s audio from his soundboard worked on the livestream, but the outcomes outweighed the difficulties, Ward-Diorio said.

Ward-Diorio believes that the virtual concerts allowed UU to host high-quality artists that they normally would not have been able to host on campus. The artists UU hosted adapted well and made the best of the circumstances, he said.

The live chat feature during Kaytranada’s show allowed the audience to interact with each other and with Kaytranada.

“We all loved seeing students commenting throughout the show,” Hackett said.

Ward-Diorio also appreciated the instant feedback, which can be used for satisfying students’ interests in the future.

“We want to make (the students) as happy as we possibly can,” Ward-Diorio said. “For the Kaytranada show, it was really great to see that students were appreciating it and definitely feeling that it was worthwhile what we were doing.”

Asst. Copy Editor Gavi Azoff contributed reporting to this article.