For live music lovers in Shanghai, it’s gonna be a cold, cold winter. The cities two best live houses will be closing soon as things change up a little.
Crowd favorite Yuyintang will spend January and February 2011 under renovations, as they open up the venue to accommodate more people. YYT has always been prone to bottlenecking – the bar is conveniently placed that it is impossible to have people buying drinks, entering the venue and getting into the main room simultaneously when busy. The other way in is best known for having to stand on the stairs or crane your neck for a view of the stage through the small doorway. However, this lowly blogger generally finds a bit of pushing normally results in being thrust into the middle of the main room, where there is often space. A redesign would most certainly make sense, although the stage space might lose a bit of intimacy, particularly on less well attended shows. YYT aims to reopen in early March 2011.
As has been widely reported elsewhere, the Red Town developers are putting the building that houses Mao Live to more lucrative uses. Shanghai’s largest venue has served its purpose and is being cut loose just over a year since it opened. Mao’s owners have located another venue on the ChongQing Lu (next to the southern part of the N-S gaojia) and will reopen sometime in late March/ early April.
It’s going to be a long winter people. We recommend complete hibernation.