Vicar Street on reopening: ‘We can’t start until we get exact information’

After 18 dark and difficult months, music venues will be permitted to open their doors to customers from next week. But how will the restart work for them?

Vicar Street, the venue on Thomas Street in Dublin 8, is taking a cautious approach. Bren Berry, senior booker with Aiken Promotions, says he cannot make plans until they have “actual Government guidelines” on reopening.

Vicar Street wants “to get open as soon as possible but we can’t switch the business on overnight”, he says.

“It’s going to take time to book things and get them on sale and get everything ready to go, get staff organised. We can’t do anything instantly. We’ve no staff, we’ve no information, we don’t know what we have to do to open our doors.”

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Rumours doing the rounds on Monday night about music gigs returning as soon as permitted from September 6th were ridiculous, Berry says, as venues would need about three weeks notice to get going.

“As the person who books Vicar Street, I made a very strong decision that I wouldn’t book anything. I’m sick, sore and tired of rescheduling shows three, four or five times for the last year and a half.”

With a Live Performance Support Scheme grant to “work behind closed doors for 10 days”, they produced Vision at Vicar Street, a series of online events that ran over Christmas.

“Great and all as it was, it’s ultimately pretty heartbreaking to open the doors and close them down again, and not be open since.”

Building a team

On any given night before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, up to 50 people, generally self-employed, worked at Vicar Street, including crew, bar, security, performers. Harry Crosbie runs the bar, Aiken Promotions the venue and they hire security.

Berry says the venue has been done up and “looks fantastic”, but “we have to build up a whole team again to get Vicar Street open”.

“We can’t start until we get exact information. We’ve lots of things in mind we might do. Most important is to get our doors open in such a way that we remain open, because it’s been a horrific year for our business.”

In seeming contrast, well-known Wexford Street music venue Whelan’s has some gigs advertised on its website from September 10th. But venue manager Dave Allen still needs to confirm dates with the bands.

“It’s very short notice, and some bands are wary of selling tickets for shows with only a few days until the concert. Some are looking to push back their shows,” he says.

Some have sold to more than 60 per cent capacity so would have to be rescheduled. Whelan’s hopes to announce “a raft of new shows from September 6th onwards, and we believe people will be keen to attend”.

He foresees no logistical issues if vaccination certs are required, as they already scan people coming into the bar.

“We still have more questions than answers but are hoping the Government announcement will lead to some clarity on numbers and procedures,” says Allen. “Staffing is also an issue, particularly if we have to sell tickets as pods/tables and table service is required. But it’s great to be finally looking at the prospect of seeing and hearing music being created and reacted to in the fantastic atmosphere a gig in Whelan’s generates.”