After months of being deprived of live music, residents in Regina won’t have wait much longer.
Revival Music Room is kicking off its reopening weekend with a couple of shows beginning on Friday night.
Melissa Mannett & Brad Papp play Friday night, while Diamond and the Rough play Saturday night.
“This is hard times for everybody and I think that music and the arts soothes people’s souls. I think people need to get out and socialize a little bit,” said Jason Gervais, Revival Music Room owner.
Live music might not sound different during a pandemic, but with a number of safety protocols in place, it will certainly look different. .
Bands must be at least 12 feet from the audience while musicians have to physically distance.
“This is interesting territory…being on stage with your bandmates, it’s always been interactive. You’re up there having fun and dancing around,” Gervais said.
Gervais is encouraging guests to wear masks and will have people sign in to make contact tracing easier.
The dance floor is closed, but Gervais strongly encourages dancing in your seat.
“That part is going to be hard. Musicians get energy off the dance floor from people dancing,” Gervais said.
“You’re not allowed to be up there, so it’s going to seem a little different.”
Gervais has owned Revival Music Room for about six months. He said the coronavirus pandemic turned his business upside down.
“When I first started the business, things were going not to bad and you get all excited,” Gervais said.
“For something like this to hit…I mean, I have been playing music for 40 years and I have never seen anything like this. I’m looking forward to (getting) things going.”
The venue is built to accommodate about 250 people. Gervais said current capacity will be about a third of that.
Gervais is asking people to reserve tables ahead of time.
Doors open at 7 p.m. both Friday and Saturday.