State Theatre Blasts Out Of Pandemic As Live Music Returns To Falls Church

FALLS CHURCH, VA — The State Theatre found creative ways to make it through the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic and is now back to booking crowd-pleasers like '80s tribute band The Legwarmers and Scottish musician KT Tunstall, who plays Sunday at the Falls Church concert venue.

Formerly a movie theater, the State Theatre provides a stage for Virginians to see top acts without crossing the Potomac. And like Jammin Java in Vienna and The Birchmere in Alexandria, the State Theatre also attracts fans from the District and Maryland who want to see acts on their only visit to the D.C. area.

As with these other entertainment venues, though, fans of the State Theatre worried about its future when the pandemic hit.

Meredith Johnstone, COO and primary talent buyer for the State Theatre, said the entertainment venue was hit hard financially by the pandemic.

“We were lucky in that we were able to stay in business through some creative endeavors," Johnstone said in an email to Patch.

The State Theatre, on N. Washington Street in the middle of Falls Church, became a carry-out restaurant for a short time to generate revenue and then decided to put a stage in its parking lot where it put on small outdoor shows.

"It was just enough to help us get through until we could open again," Johnstone said. "We are still trying to get back to the stability we had pre-COVID, and I imagine we will be for some time, but thankfully people continue to support live music and that has put us on a good path forward."

With musical acts going back on tour, Johnstone has found it easier to bring them to the venue over the past couple months.

"Rescheduling a year and a half's worth of shows was a nightmare, and now that we are finally through most of that, the strain on the schedule has lifted a little and given us more opportunities to bring in the new tours," she said.

On Sunday, Tunstall, who grew up in St. Andrews, Scotland, will be playing solo, though the singer-songwriter's use of a loop pedal will make it sound like she has a backing band.

Tunstall rose to fame in the mid-2000s with the release of her debut album that included hits like “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" and “Suddenly I See.” Since then, she has released five more studio albums.

Music fans who show up at the State Theatre on Sunday night will need to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test result that was taken within 72 hours before the show in order to enter the venue. No face masks will be required, though.

Jammin Java and The Birchmere have the same vaccination and COVID test policies for their customers.

"Our vaccination requirement will remain in place for as long as needed to keep people feeling safe about coming out to our shows," Johnstone said. "Our customers have been overwhelmingly supportive and appreciative of this policy from the beginning."

The State Theatre was finally getting on track when the delta variant surge hit the nation last summer, and was sidelined again by the omicron variant in late 2021.

"At his point, I think everyone has been trained to hope for the best but prepare for the worst. But right now we are cautiously optimistic about the year ahead for live music," she said.