Because of his regular gigs at the Tuscany’s Piazza Lounge and Neonopolis piano bar Don’t Tell Mama—popular places for nonticketed live entertainment—Kenny Davidsen was one of the first Las Vegas entertainers to get back to work when some restrictions were lifted and the state moved into Phase 2.

Now that bars have been forced to close again, his schedule has been reduced from three weekly shows to one, Friday nights at the Tuscany. Don’t Tell Mama is shuttered after doing sparse business for about six weeks.

“They did a really good job of taking care of us and making sure we felt safe,” Davidsen says of the Downtown bar, which relocated from Fremont East to Neonopolis last year. “There was tons of plexiglass on the piano, and I was at least six feet away from any [open mic] singers. Anyone making a request would write it down and put it under the partition, then I’d use hand sanitizer and grab it. And all the staff was wearing masks all the time.”

He said one busy Saturday night at Don’t Tell Mama saw up to 40 people, but typically there were between 15 and 20 patrons on the Wednesday and Saturday nights he performed there.

A Brooklyn native, Davidsen came to Las Vegas in 2011 and has been hosting his Bow Tie Cabaret show with multiple guest stars at the Tuscany’s bustling lounge for more than seven years. Since the Piazza Lounge is an extension of the off-Strip resort’s Tuscany Gardens restaurant, it has been able to maintain operations even while bar venues have shuttered for the second time.

Plexiglass has been added to the small stage at the lounge, and even though the circumstances are much different for the four-piece band, Davidsen sounds happy to be singing and playing piano again.

“The first night was weird, but after that it was fine, once we got used to it,” he says. “The Tuscany stage is small, so having us spread out like that is actually very comfortable. When my bass player came back for the first time, he said, ‘Welcome to the Kenny Davidsen Bow Tie Cabaret and penalty box.’”

Davidsen’s months-long break from live performance was his lengthiest span away from the stage in 19 years. Returning to work has been a different struggle for the many different types of casino workers that power Southern Nevada’s economy, but for entertainers who have built their lifestyle around live performance, it has been harrowing.

“For me, I feed off an audience. Even trying to do something virtual like Facebook Live at home, I just couldn’t get into it,” Davidsen says. “I can’t see my audience or feel their energy, so that didn’t compute to me. A lot of my colleagues have done that online stuff, and I applaud them and I’m glad they could do it.”

Davidsen has an extra layer of anxiety attached to his work life right now because his parents, ages 79 and 80, live with him. He needs to work, and he needs to stay safe.

Above all, Davidsen says he’s grateful to have caring employers providing him the opportunity to return to work as soon as possible. But he’s worried about the many other Vegas performers who have no idea when they’ll return to work and to the lifestyle they love.

“It’s not easy,” he says about getting back onstage with the constant flood of anxiety. “When I get to the gig and see my bandmates and those familiar faces, all of a sudden that feeling of being down in the dumps changes. It’s like, you’re one of my closest friends and I get to play music with you now, so that is a great feeling and a positive energy. But … the uncertainty of not knowing when things might get back to normal is taking a toll on people.”