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Live music in Tahoe T R I U M P H A N T LY R E T U R N S S TO RY BY S E A N M c A L I N D I N
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fter 458 days of silent anticipation, live music and entertainment as we know it has returned to the Tahoe Sierra. On June 15, the State of California officially reopened from the coronavirus pandemic. For the first time since March 15, restaurants, bars, casinos and resorts throughout the region were allowed to operate at full capacity. It has been 15 months to the day since music venues had been able to conduct live concerts the way they used to: without masks, social distancing or limited crowd sizes. Nevada rescinded similar restrictions on June 1. After entertainment suddenly shut down on both sides of the state line, producers and venues tried to hold on to hope for a swift return, but all public gatherings of more than a few dozen people continued to be banned. Crystal Bay Casino managed to pull off one socially-distanced “Loud as Folk” show on Oct. 24 before being forced to postpone its December and January concerts. Some artists rescheduled two or three times as nationwide restrictions persisted. Beginning in April, whispers of hope began to resonate in the mountains. Crystal Bay Club brought back canceled artists for three-night runs, two shows a night, for 150 people in pod seating. That’s what it took to sell 900 tickets and meet the sales of one typical night at the 750-person Crown Room. Audience members were required to have their temperature taken, conduct a brief survey prior to entry and wear masks during the performance. “There were a lot of regulations we had to abide by, but at least we got music back,” says former general manager Bill Wood. “We were able to have music when everyone else went dark. The bands were anxious to play and we were anxious to have them. We really have to thank the artists because we couldn’t have done it without them understanding the situation.” The casino’s first full volume concerts since March 2020 are happening July 2 and 3 when Bay Area folk-rock stars The Brothers Comatose and Reno’s Americana quintet Six Mile Station take the stage to a max capacity in the Crown Room. More concerts are expected to be added this summer now that venues are feeling confident their reinstated freedoms will remain intact and bands are finally able to route national tours to major West Coast cities. “It’s like night and day,” says Wood, who retired on June 18. “I can’t tell you how difficult it was to try to maneuver around all those restrictions. Our staff really took a beating from people who refused to wear masks. The whole idea of masks being taken off the agenda was such a breath of fresh air, so to speak.” On South Shore, Harvey’s Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena in Stateline, Nev., is gear24
The Brothers Comatose perform on July 2 and 3 at Crystal Bay Casino’s first full-capacity concert since March 2020. | Courtesy Bradley Cox
ing up for its first full-capacity, reservedseating shows with up to 7,500 in attendance. On July 10, retro-soul band Earth, Wind & Fire kicks off the celebritystudded schedule. Award-winning country superstars Old Dominion rock the house
Bon Vivant on July 5 and 6 on an outdoor stage. It is a socially-distanced, seated show with dinner reservations required — a far cry from the raucous revelry once seen inside the downtown Truckee restaurant and venue.
“ To have everything I created for the past 22 years here in Tahoe taken away from me was quite a blow. Moving forward, I think people are ecstatic about it. They can’t wait to see their favorite band again. I think we all realized how much we took live music for granted.” on July 23 and 24. On Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, perennial jam band kings Phish will return to a standing-room-only, sold-out crowd of 9,300 people at the outdoor venue representing the largest gathering planned in the Tahoe Sierra this summer. Harveys Lake Tahoe was contacted from this story but declined to be interviewed.
TAKE IT FAST, TAKE IT SLOW Throughout the Tahoe-Reno area, a region long associated with entertainment, the news of reopening was met with a distinctive mix of relief, exuberance and cautious optimism. In spite of the excitement, or perhaps because of it, not all area venues are rushing full steam ahead into massive live-music gatherings. Moody’s Bistro, Bar & Beats will host New Orleans indie jazz ensemble Bon
–Billy Drewitz “I just want to wait until it feels right all around,” says managing partner JJ Morgan. “You know what it’s like when it’s packed in here. I would rather wait until we can take it right from where we left off.” Brass Mafia and Shotgun Wedding Quintet will play similar shows on Aug. 15 and 29 respectively, but Moody’s beloved Jazz Camp and Truckee Craw Thaw Festival are both postponed until 2022. “I always knew what music did for me,” says Morgan. “This solidified how important it was in my life. It was a challenging time to survive. No music was definitely a big part of that.” Alibi Ale Works was one of a handful of area venues that continued to host live music throughout the pandemic, even as it adjusted on the fly to constantly changing regulations. In order to keep business
alive, the restaurant and brewery first pivoted to take-out orders and canned beer, before installing a beer garden with heaters at its locations in Truckee and Incline Village, Nev. The outdoor space made hosting music a possibility. “The musicians were just dying to play,” says owner Kevin Drake. “It was important to me that they had a place. I know the people there listening we’re stoked to hear music played by humans. Everyone in society needed it.” Now that restrictions have been lifted, Drake isn’t rushing into hosting the any of the late-night concerts Alibi Ale Works once did. For a variety of reasons, he’s sticking with daylight solo and duo acts for the time being. “We are looking forward to the bigger bands and the party environment, but we’re going to ease back into it,” he says. “Right now, we’re focusing on what’s working and there are lot of people coming in earlier.” Like many small businesses in the area, Alibi Ale Works has struggled to maintain the staff team required to run into the wee hours of the night. “Housing is definitely an issue,” says Drake. “We’ve lost people who’ve hit their breaking point. Also, a lot of people who were happy working at bars and restaurants are shifting industries. They’re fearful of being shut down again and not feeling that it’s the stable job it once was. We’ve focused more on retention than recruiting. Our No. 1 priority is making sure the people who work for us are happy.” As Tahoe opens for the summer, the pandemic continues to be an era of reinvention for venues and artists alike. “Covid forced us to take stock of who we are and to do less things better,” says Drake. “Coming out of it, we are a stronger business than we were before. There is no shortage of bands knocking on the door, but we’re trying to take it a month at a time.”
ADAPT AND PLAN FOR THE BEST Rather than cancel its summer concert series in 2020, North Tahoe Business Association (NTBA) took Music on the Beach virtual, broadcasting live performances of popular local bands on its website and on 101.5 FM Truckee Tahoe Radio. “We wanted to keep it going one way or another,” says community relations manager Kerry Andras. “It was a little weird playing without an audience, but it we got a great response. Moving into this year, we started laying the groundwork for both options. When the Governor
