Op-Ed: Has The Pandemic Changed New York City Nightlife?

New York City may be considered one of the best global cities for nightlife. The city that never sleeps boasts world-renowned talent on a regular basis, whether it’s techno, house, dubstep, hardstyle, drum’n’bass, trance and much more. From parties on rooftops to castle-looking venues, intimate settings, warehouses and parties located in Central Park, New York City proves to cater to many palettes in dance music. Has covid changed that, though? There have been some differences, though they may not all seem obvious.

One of the most notable is how venues are marketing themselves. I’m witnessing clubs that used to only offer the sounds of the underground now hosting some of the most commercial names within the industry. Sure, those events do sell out—who doesn’t love radio hits? However, names such as Alesso, Nicky Romero and David Guetta, who are considered among the most mainstream names within the industry, are taking over warehouses in New York City.

In addition, venues have seemingly become more packed. Dance floors are typically crowded, don’t get me wrong, but there appears to be more fighting for space, leaving me questioning if venues are overselling their shows to recover money lost during the pandemic—which may also explain why massive, commercial names are being booked at what’s typically underground-reserved venues. To note: there is nothing wrong with trying to recover from the pandemic—the live events industry desperately needs it—but are overpacked shows part of the new norm? One would have thought the opposite would be true due to covid’s social distancing.

With oversold shows comes more concert-goers. Who doesn’t want to party after being in lockdown? Dance music, though, has always been known for its substance culture, and I’m seeing more of it now than I did pre-pandemic. People can choose to let loose however they want, but it sometimes shows who the real music fans are versus those who just want to party, and the latter seems to be more true these days.

Interviewing artists has changed, as well. Face-to-face interviews are no longer as common. Who needs to do that when there’s the convenience to connect via Zoom? This is ideal in situations when the interviewee and interviewer are far away from one another, but do we really need this when the person is a thirty minute subway ride away? No.

You can absolutely still party on a rooftop overlooking Manhattan, feel like you’re in Ibiza as you dance around palm trees, get down to some of your favorite genres, boogie at an after party until noon and more. However, there’s a little something that makes it feel different, both as a raver and as someone in the industry. Is it for better or worse? We may have to wait and see.