Is Baltimore’s Live Entertainment Scene Making a Comeback?

Live entertainment came to a halt during the COVID-19 pandemic. Safety concerns and lockdowns led musicians and artists to stop touring and playing shows. Most did not start touring and playing shows again until early 2021.

Theaters and other performance spaces also shut down. Even when venues remained open, restrictions or lack of restrictions led some artists to cancel shows when conditions seemed too risky.

On the cusp of Summer 2023 major artists are touring again and venues that survived the shutdowns have reopened. But are attendance numbers back to pre-Coivd levels for local live music and entertainment, or has the pandemic caused a loss of interest?

Joshua Smith is a local musical theater buff, one happy to return to the live performance. “Since theaters have reopened I have seen eight shows,” he said. “I often go to the Hippodrome Theater in Baltimore where I have a subscription.”

He’s not alone. Smith said that since safety restrictions for most theaters in Maryland have lifted, he’s noticed a big surge in attendance.

“Many people have returned to seeing shows! I recently went to see a production of Into The Woods in March and I think the audience was nearly full then,” he said.

He’s also noticed that those audiences tend to be younger than pre-Covid. “I feel safe as a young person going to shows without a mask, but I understand that many older people and people with health complications are more cautious when going to the theater, and some haven’t been back at all,” he said.

When it comes to live music, a similar prognosis can be made. Nicole Renn, goes out to many concerts in Baltimore and will go to photograph her fiancée, local Baltimore musician David Hoover of the project Chasing Mice.

Hoover performed regularly before the pandemic. “He (David) played a lot of open mic nights prior to the pandemic,” says Renn. After a break lasting a bit over a year and a half, in November 2021, Hoover played his first show since the pandemic. Lately, Renn says, “It really varies depending on the show, but it seems like more people have been coming out in the last year or so.”

Hoover is still a bit nervous about playing in public, Renn said. “He (David) is definitely still worried about it. He's very cautious about COVID in general and still wears a mask in public for the most part. He knows it's a risk to play shows but it's really the only way to make money as a musician so he just stays as safe as he can.”

Baltimore-based singer-songwriter Catherine Savage has played at many local venues since she began performing in 2019. After a two-year break during the pandemic, she started performing live again in spring 2022 and recently played The Crown, Charm City Meadworks, and the Ottobar.

“It seems like many venues are back to their pre-COVID capacities. In my experience, people are eager to see and support live music now that venues have reopened,” she said.

Savage is excited to get back into playing especially now that people have begun coming back out. She said that COVID is sometimes still a concern but she feels very safe performing, “I still bring a mask around but rarely feel the need to use it.”

The owner of the indie club, the Ottobar, Tecla Tesnau, expressed that it was at first difficult to get people back to the club, but in 2023 they have been very successful in getting people to attend their shows again. Tesnau said, “Initially it was difficult, but it seems now that COVID is in the rearview mirror to be easier. …currently, it seems that most patrons are eager and ready to get back to shows.”

Many bands and artists feel safe playing as well, “Most bands we've booked are excited to get back into a touring schedule and connect with fans again. …interest seems to be renewed,” Tesnau said.

It appears that local venues, fans, and artists alike have seen a return to the live music scene, and many artists and fans feel safe, willing, and excited to be able to go out again.