Bring the music back to Waltham’s nightlife

To the editor,

As I was driving down Moody Street recently, I passed the site of the old Rendezvous lounge, and it struck me that Waltham no longer has any regular live music venues. The Rendezvous, Shopper’s Café, Joco’s, Franco’s, Joe Sent Me on Main Street, and others used to have live music. I’m sure there are others that I have forgotten. To the best of my knowledge, only Tempo occasionally offers some live music. If Waltham wants to improve its reputation for restaurants and nightlife they should bring back live music. It won’t be easy. Since COVID-19, fewer people are going out to restaurants. Money is tight for many, and entertainment is often one of the first things to be scaled back. And some people may consider live music a nuisance.

I don’t know City Hall’s position on the subject, but there are some steps they could take to promote a livelier music scene while respecting residents’ wishes for quiet nights. For example, the city could issue licenses for acoustic performance that limit the amplification of vocals and acoustic instruments, thereby promoting dinner music and earlier performances. It would help if these licenses were inexpensive and easy to obtain.

The Boston Metro area has a wealth of musical talent, including one of the world’s premier contemporary music schools, Berklee College of Music. Waltham should make use of these resources to further support the arts in Massachusetts.

Sincerely,
Francis Butch Black