COVID-19 concert: Fewer fans but still a rocking good time

November 05, 2020 11:00 pm • Last Updated: November 07, 2020 7:09 pm

By Kristina Dorsey
Features Editor

Foxwoods’ Grand Theater was jolted by the raucous sounds of rock ‘n’ roll Thursday, as Almost Queen powered through some of Queen’s classic songs: “We Will Rock You.” “Bohemian Rhapsody.” “I Want It All.”

While everything on stage was as you’d expect, everything in the audience was decidedly different. The fans singing along sounded muffled; masks will do that. No one was standing up and dancing, although there was some seated shimmying. And these concertgoers sat in small clusters spread throughout the 4,000-seat Grand Theater, leaving swaths of empty chairs.

This is COVID-19-era concertgoing.

But the good news for live-music devotees was this: Foxwoods Resort Casino has reopened its Grand Theater for socially distanced shows. The Almost Queen gig was its second one, after comedy gigs by stand-up Bob Marley on Oct. 16 and 17.

Foxwoods says it is one of the first destinations in the country to resume live entertainment in a large-scale theater.

Fans have missed seeing live concerts — people jammed into the same space, everyone filled with joy as they listen, sing along and move to the enveloping music. And while folks weren’t crowded together on Thursday, there was plenty of jubilation. Theatergoers clapped overhead to the traditional choreography for “Radio Gaga.” They headbanged to “Bohemian Rhapsody.” They whooped during the occasional quiet between songs.

Joe Ross and Carly Cammarano came from Milford to see the show. They’ve missed seeing concerts, particularly, Cammarano noted, that feeling of “just being around people who like the same music as you and the camaraderie around that” as well as the sense of escape a concert provides.

Ross said you just can’t get the same raw sound over, say, radio or TV that you can live. He said he appreciated the fact that the band had so much energy, even with a socially distanced audience.

Cammarano said, “I think we’re all just excited to be out. It's so worth it, so worth it.”

A new way of doing things

With COVID-19 safety in mind, Foxwoods has instituted a number of new protocols for these socially distant shows.

The seating is limited to 25% of capacity — so 1,100 people maximum.

Every group is spaced at least three seats apart in every other row. The front row is now 15 feet from the performers. The artists are the only ones without masks, and that was only when they are onstage.

There is no food or drinks inside the theater.

And then there is the “dancing is not permitted” edict — that was the toughest one during the Almost Queen set.

After the show, everyone had to stay at their seats until told they could leave; the crowd was allowed to head out section by section, so folks would be socially distanced rather than packed together, as happened pre-pandemic. As the encore came to a close, ushers fanned out to various aisles, and the DJ who played tunes before Almost Queen came out returned to announce which color-coded section was allowed to depart next.

It seemed that patrons on Thursday were abiding by the rules, and everything looked orderly and calm.

And while it looked odd with so many empty seats, the amount of applause and level of the crowd’s energy hardly felt lacking.

Vanessa Kristie was one of the people excited to be back at a concert and said she was looking forward to “the feeling of the music, the live amplifying — and I love Queen.”

She added, “I’m someone who’s not a huge indoor person. I’m ready to get out and get life going again. I’m not going to go against the rules and not wear a mask. But I’m over it. I’m ready to get back to normal life. ... So, that’s why I’m at a concert tonight.”

Meanwhile, the Almost Queen show was the first concert ever for Worcester resident Megan Quinones, 24, and the second for her brother, Jacob Bahnan, 16. They both became huge Queen fans after seeing the 2019 movie “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Bahnan said it was nice to be out at a show, especially since there hasn’t been a lot to do during the COVID-19 shutdowns. When they saw there was going to be a concert, he said, they were excited about the prospect, particularly since it was Queen music.

But how was the band?

Almost Queen doesn’t just play Queen songs; they portray the persona of the band’s iconic figures. Steve Leonard wore what is presumably a wig of long, Brian May curls. Joseph Russo has a ’stache like Freddie Mercury’s.

Of course, when it comes to singing or performing, no one can replace or replicate the legendary Mercury. But Russo captured Mercury’s signature moves and peacocking stage persona to give a sense of the icon. He tossed in Freddie-like “darlings” when he spoke to the crowd. His singing voice isn’t perfectly Mercury-esque, but it’s close; its flexibility and range made each song sound pretty damned good.

Leonard, along with John Cappadona as Roger Taylor, and Randy Gregg as John Deacon, provided fantastic instrumental work and stage performances. Almost Queen has been around for 16 years, and that experience showed.

The band noted that a few songs were particularly resonant during this time. They dedicated “Under Pressure” to front-line workers.

k.dorsey@theday.com