“We Are Here to Stay” - Blue Note Hawaii Charts Their Future

Anuhea and her band marked Blue Note’s reopening in November 2020 with a series of Thanksgiving shows. Photo: Blue Note Hawaii

Though we’re almost at the end of January, it still feels as if we’re struggling to fully cast off the dregs of the previous 366 day cycle and find a way to make the best of where we are today. Iconic Waikīkī venue Blue Note Hawaii is no exception, having survived perhaps their most devastating year financially, but they’ve already taken several, promising steps on what looks to be a long, shaky road to recovery.

After experiencing not one, but two shutdowns last year due to COVID-19, Blue Note Hawaii is advancing a promising slate of shows, albeit cautiously. “It's so it's so sad because 2020 was looking like it was going to be our best year yet,” says Martha Seroogy, Blue Note’s Director of Sales & Marketing. “We booked a lot of acts that typically would play like the Blaisdell Arena or the concert hall for week long residencies, like Tower of Power; we were going to bring Macy Gray back, Kool and the Gang.”

A state-mandated stay-at-home order forced Blue Note to shut down in March, but they were permitted to reopen in July with very limited capacity. “We honestly weren't sure people were going to come out,” says Seroogy. “We didn't know what it was going to look like, if people were ready to venture out in July. We saw some other restaurants opening that were getting a lot of bookings, so we tried it.” The response wasn’t as good as they’d hoped, a fact Seroogy attributes to people possibly wanting to take a “wait-and-see” approach. The venue stuck it out for about a month featuring popular acts like Hapa before a second stay-at-home order forced them to close again in August.

They planned to reopen in November with a series of performances by local favorite, Anuhea, who by this time hadn’t performed live with her band in over nine months. While there was still wariness on the part of everyone involved ahead of these shows, there were a few positive signs. Namely, ticket sales. An overwhelmingly positive response from Anuhea’s fans led to her entire residency – eight shows over four nights – selling out. “Then it just kept rolling. Comedian Tumua Tuinei kicked off December with six sold-out shows. We featured Mike Love, Beat-Lele, Gunhild Carling of Postmodern Jukebox and Jake Shimabukuro for New Year’s Eve among others.”

A masked Jake Shimabukuro at one of his New Year’s 2021 performances. Photo: Blue Note Hawaii

But those sell-out crowds come with a large caveat: Because of social distancing requirements, Blue Note can only seat their venue at 27% of their normal capacity. While that’s certainly a blow to their bottom line, it is a relief for patrons who are wondering whether or not its safe to head out and watch a show at Blue Note. For further safety, all tables are distanced at least six feet apart, and positioned 10 feet away from the stage. There is plexiglass across the front of the stage to separate the performers from the audience. The entire staff wears face masks and face shields, while all attendees are required to mask up, and all attendees, artists and employees are temperature checked upon arrival. By now, these are not uncommon practices at many businesses across the state, so a night out at Blue Note shouldn’t be any more jarring an experience than a visit to the doctor or mall. But these precautions do come with costs, diminished ticket sales among them.

Social distancing, plexiglass barriers and temperature checks are among the new protocols Blue Note uses to ensure the safety of their patrons, staff and artists. Photo: Blue Note Hawaii

Live streaming of performances is a new strategy Blue Note has taken on to help make up for the loss of physical seating. Tickets to many of their performances can be purchased online allowing fans anywhere in the world to watch in the comfort and safety of their own homes. And while live streaming is not necessarily a way forward, it does give Blue Note a bit of an added boost in lieu of an outright loss. Meanwhile, fans who aren’t aren’t yet comfortable stepping foot inside a club, or otherwise unable to make it to Blue Note, can still enjoy their favorite acts live on stage.

Nothing can beat the feel and energy of a live performance, though. Upcoming shows at Blue Note include Johnny Helm, The Elevations, return engagements by Anuhea and Tumua Tuinei, Paula Fuga, The Peter Apo Band. And, just recently announced is the Blue Note Hawaii return of the legendary Tiffany.

“We’re hopeful that things will get better in 2021, but it’s going to take us some time to get back to where we were. Many international acts are canceling or postponing tours to 2022. I don’t foresee our capacity increasing for several months. All we can do is keep pushing forward and try to support our local artists as much as possible.

“And the outpouring of support since their reopening has helped make this a reality. While things won’t bounce back to normal right away, Martha wants to make one thing clear: “We’re not going anywhere. … We're able to hang on, we have great partnership with Outrigger Resorts. A lot of our media partners are helping … because nobody wants to see us go anywhere. We don't want to go anywhere. So we are here to stay. And we just can't wait to be able to reopen fully and be part of a vibrant music scene again.

Blue Note Hawaii is located at 2335 Kalakaua Avenue, within the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort. Visit their website to learn more about their upcoming shows.