What is the Future for Live Music in Mankato?

If you are craving a musical experience but have a hard time locating live performances, there are other means of filling that void. Before the world of COVID-19, some locations such as the Wine Café and the Coffee Hag hosted live music shows for the customers while they enjoyed their delicious food and beverages. 

Nowadays, many locations aren’t allowing such performances anymore, but rest assured, there are other options to choose from. 

While live music is relatively hard to come by in today’s climate, due to social distancing guidelines, restaurants such as Busters Sports Bar and Grill work to keep the live music scene alive. 

“I love the relaxing and soft music that’s played,” commented MNSU student Leah Johnson when asked about her overall thoughts on live music performances in bars and restaurants. 

Despite the lack of live performances for everyone to enjoy, there are streaming services such YouTube and iTunes that are available to almost anyone. One question that plagues some people’s minds is how these things can be found. 

Artists can continue to entertain their fans through Spotify and Twitch, which is typically used for gamers to live stream their games. Twitch has also partnered with SoundCloud to help provide easier access to the tunes we crave. 

There have even been rare instances where people stumble upon live performances when they’re not even looking. This was the case with MNSU student Troy Springis. 

“We happened across it a while ago but I loved watching the blues performances at Famous Dave’s with my family,” said Springis, “You just never know what to expect sometimes.”

Places around the country are trying various different means to bring people socially distant alternatives to live music performances. One option being used is a “Concert in Your Car” platform. 

At these events, the stage offers a sound system similar to that of a drive-in movie theatre. The music would then come out through the speakers of the individual cars with massive LED video monitors picking up what’s going on up on the stage. 

While there may be a drought of live performance in the Mankato area, students are eagerly awaiting more viewing opportunities. 

“I miss the live music around town,” said Madison Railton, a student at MNSU,  “I’m excited to see how it’s going to come back to ’Kato.”

Header photo: Mankato musician and world record holder Tanner Peterson performing in Downtown Mankato in September 2019. Due to COVID-19, live music isn’t as common as it used to be. (File photo)