NEW ORLEANS — NEW ORLEANS - For music venues, the past year has been a bit off-key to say the least. Many along Frenchmen Street have been shut down because of COVID-19. The music may have stopped, but the desire to bring it back has never been stronger.
Life is coming back to Frenchmen.
"It's wonderful," said Jeanne, a New Orleans resident.
On Saturday, live music filled the street as people listened, smiled and danced.
"Two of my favorite bands here, right here on a beautiful day," she said.
Despite the celebratory atmosphere though, signs of the pandemic are still very much present.
"I've actually kind of avoided coming here for the longest time because it was very disheartening," said Cheryl Abana-Emmer.
Abana-Emmer is the General Manager at The Spotted Cat Music Club, where for almost one year to the day, doors have been closed.
"It was Sunday, March 15th was when we decided to shut down," she said. "We had musicians here, and it was like alright I think this is it, we can't hold out much longer, it's not safe for my musicians, my staff or even the guests that come here."
It's been a journey since. Management and staff have come back to clean and renovate a bit, but with tight restrictions and high case counts, Abana-Emmer says it just didn't feel like it was a good time to open.
"It would still be a risk to the staff to be honest," she said. "To me, my husband, we care for my mom she's 85 there's no way I would've done that to anyone. It's tough, I think the toughest thing was letting my employees and musicians know, hey I can't provide for you right now. That's the toughest thing."
Now with loosened rules, the lively atmosphere people are so fond of and love, will soon return.
"I know we've come a long way," she said. "And there'll be bumps, but I think at this point we're ready to open. I've talked to my husband and some of the staff, we're going to do baby steps and if we have to pull back we're okay with it."
Details are still being worked out, but knowing the club will have life again, brings Abana-Emmer joy.
"The decision was made honestly about Thursday," she said laughing. "It wasn't solidified until yesterday as we started talking about it, and saying okay here are the regulations what can do about this? What can we do about that and this, and we go down the list and see what we're capable of doing.
It also brings a smile she can't wait to share with others, when they're welcomed back with open arms.
"There will be music, what is the Spotted Cat without music?" she asked. "We're very eager to get our musicians back at work. What we're looking at is not a revolving door, it'll be controlled. It'll be a form of ticketed-type event where only an x amount of people can be in at a time."
"I don't know if it's the weather, but we are feeling some form of relief," she said. "People want to see some semblance of what New Orleans used to be, what they know and love."
It's possible doors could open within the next week or so. In addition to music, there'll be indoor and outdoor seating. Social distance guidelines and other restrictions will be enforced.
