Arts
Live music venues in and around Asheville are back to hosting shows, but it's anything but business as usual. Amid evolving Covid-19 restrictions, venues have adopted their own safety protocols on top of local requirements and those required by the artists, affecting audiences, backstage crew and event staff. Still, behind the scenes, venue managers are sweating it out. "Our biggest lesson learned here is being mask police with 2,000 people in a big, open crowd is really, really hard," said Chris Corl, general manager of Harrah's Cherokee Center. He was among a half-dozen venue managers and directors in a recent online town hall hosted by the Asheville Area Arts Council. Forum speakers reported a range of concerning realities. Among them, many touring artists are postponing or canceling appearances. About a quarter of people who purchased tickets in advance are asking for refunds and another 25 to 30 percent simply aren't showing up, further cutting into food and drink sales.