Continuing NYS Music’s look at the venues of New York State, we are now more than a year since music venues were forced to shut down, and signs of life are visible everywhere this spring.

While venues await relief from the Small Business Administration (SBA), who administer Shuttered Venue Operators Grant to eligible entities, there are some venues that have returned to live music. Restrictions are lifting, allowing for greater capacity at venues, as well as Drive-In shows and socially distanced concerts continuing well into August.

Once New York State has 70% of the population receiving one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, most remaining restrictions will be lifted, based on a statement from Gov. Cuomo last week.

Our March installment of ‘This Darkness Has Got to Give’ showed venues across New York State that started to come back to life with socially distanced shows. Now in June, we have crowds returning to venues, a summer of live music ahead in various arrays and a brighter 2021 in the making.