At St. Petersburg’s Palladium Theater, Hough Hall can pack in 850 when COVID-19 isn’t a thing, but the venue is only selling 181 of the 831 available seats.
In September, Executive Director Paul Wilborn said that concerts and comedy shows will also have no intermission, a decision which he said will prevent lines at the bathroom and concession windows. Masks are also required when entering the Palladium and moving about the building.
On Friday, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay photographer Dave Decker said users were enforcing the mask rule during an Americana concert with Have Gun Will Travel, Geri X and Will Quinlan.
On Monday, Wilborn told CL that 122 people attended Friday night's show at the Palladium.
"Every individual, couple or group had a six-foot distance in all directions between them and an adjacent party. Because there were three groups, there was a semblance of an intermission, but we are trying to do all shows without an intermission to prevent lines at concessions and crowds in the lobby," Wilborn added. "And our focus is on hiring and paying local bands and musicians."
CL reached out to Wilborn to get an official attendance number, but across the Bay, a Dallas Bull concert by Tyler Farr turned heads in the wrong way. —Ray Roa
UPDATED: 11/09/20 11 a.m. Updated to include attendance figures.
