SEATTLE – Seattle concert halls are making a comeback after 15 months in the dark.

“It’s hard to describe, it’s amazing, there’s a lot going on,” said Ari Dimitriou, manager of Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley.

Over a year later, the corner of 6th Avenue and Lenora Street is buzzing again.

“We’ve been closed for 15 months, so there was a lot of atrophy that we had to take into account,” Dimitriou said.

The doors to Jazz Alley were closed for its 40th anniversary. On Thursday, the music was finally played for a crowd eager to be entertained.

“I think it’s been pretty deep, a creative outlet, art and music, those are essential, we need them to heal and just be people,” Dimitriou said.

Dimitriou says he had to lay off 65 employees when the pandemic started. Since then, he has been able to bring back half of these employees.

As the doors were closed, the music seal made several Covid updates. Plexiglass dividers were installed, HVAC upgrades and air purifiers were added.

“It’s been a lot of work, so I think it paid off,” said Dimitriou.

Jazz lovers will only take up half of the space. The fifty percent capacity rules are still in effect until the state’s scheduled reopening on June 30.