Pittsburgh-area music, event promoters bide time during covid-19 pandemic

As most southwestern Pennsylvania counties prepare to begin loosening covid-19 restrictions and reopening their economies, event producers suspect it will be a while before they can resume staging events for large groups.

“I think that the numbers of infected have to go down and the curve stays flattened and people (are) making sure they are taking the utmost precautions on staying healthy, safe, uninfected and clean,” said Brian Drusky, owner of Drusky Entertainment.

Drusky is one of the premier event promoters in the Pittsburgh area, producing about 600 shows a year at multiple venues.

He said he produced about 90 shows this year before venues were forced to close in March because of the pandemic. He has postponed more than 90 events so far.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of people have packed places such as the Carnegie Library of Homestead’s Music Hall, Jergel’s Rhythm Grille, Smiling Moose and the Hard Rock Cafe in Pittsburgh for Drusky events.

Not only do such venues remain closed, current safety and health guidelines limit gatherings to 10 people or less.

Those restrictions will be eased in most southwestern Pennsylvania counties to allow gatherings of up to 25 people starting Friday as Gov. Tom Wolf moves more parts of the state to the yellow phase of his three-tiered plan to gradually reopen the state’s economy.

Places like movie theaters, concert halls, casinos, bars and community centers are not to be opened until the green phase. It’s unclear when southwestern Pennsylvania counties moving to the yellow phase, including Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, would make it to that mark.

“I’m hoping and praying that things will be OK,” said Kelly Simon of Simon Event Management in Greensburg. “I’m not a retail store, so it’s not like I can open back up for business.”

Simon’s company has been producing trade shows, events, concerts and comedy shows for 38 years. Those shows include the Mind Body Spirit Healing Expo at the Ramada in Hempfield and the Fire Rescue & EMS Expo at the Monroeville Convention Center.

Smaller shows draw about 2,000 people while the largest have about 10,000.

“I was fortunate to be able to produce our first three shows in January and March,” Simon said. “This was a crucial part of my 2020 business plan because two of these events are the largest shows of the year. Once the shutdown was initiated, I had to postpone two events and cancel one that was scheduled for April and May.”

Other Simon events include seasonal home shows, which have been rescheduled to next year.

Many communities have reopened parks and other outdoor recreational sites.

Sal Richetti of Sal Richetti Events in Pittsburgh said those areas provide more of an opportunity to follow safety recommendations such as social distancing compared to buildings.

Richetti organizes bridal shows and other events, with the biggest being Bloomfield’s Little Italy Days in August. More than 50,000 people flock to the neighborhood known as Pittsburgh’s Little Italy every year for the four-day heritage festival.

“We’ll make everything safe with social distancing, hand sanitizers, spread vendors out,” Richetti said. “Those are the things we will do. I would like to see things get developed and back to normal. If we have a new normal, that’s OK. Let us know. If we found out tomorrow that we have this drug that makes (the coronavirus) go away I’m sure things would change, but nobody knows.”

Richetti also produces the Butler Rib & Music Festival that traditionally is held Memorial Day weekend. That event is expected to be postponed until the fall. It’s unclear what may happen to other Richetti events.

“We’re just waiting to see,” Richetti said. “Everybody’s situation is different.”

Producers said it takes at least a month if not the better part of a year to put an event together, depending on marketing, vendors, entertainers and venue availability.

“Most people may not realize the immense time, effort and expense that is invested in organizing trade shows and events,” Simon said. “This is a huge burden that has been placed on all of us in this industry who are facing disruptions and/or cancellations due to covid-19.”

Networking opportunities also are lost as a result of event cancellations. Producers declined to talk about financial specifics and how much revenue is lost due to venue closures.

“For decades, trade shows around the world have been instrumental to building brands, forging partnerships, providing education and so much more,” Simon said. “This face-to-face entertainment and educational medium has come to an abrupt halt affecting millions of exhibiting companies, sponsors and attendees.”

Drusky said business survival may come down to what’s in the savings account.

“It’s going to be hard to say how long you can sustain with no shows,” Drusky said. “(It) depends on how much each person has saved up to get through.”

Multiple calls and emails to Pittsburgh promoter Opus One Productions were not returned.

A message on its website said events through May 31 at Mr. Smalls Theatre, Club Cafe, Carnegie Lecture Hall and Byham Theater are canceled or postponed.