The Encore

Rapper Bow Wow and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner Trade Barbs After Club Concert Controversy | Eater Houston

"I've seen Cle repeatedly make headlines during the pandemic for flouting basic COVID-19 safety guidelines; over a recent weekend it hosted rappers Bow Wow and Meek Mill despite a tweet from Houston mayor Sylvester Turner urging the club to reschedule, and viral video from inside showed a huge, mostly maskless, not socially distanced crowd. Bow Wow initially defended his presence—saying he was hosting rather than organizing, that he wore masks at times, and that he tested negative twice—then later apologized and said he was at Cle to celebrate a birthday and that he understands the time we're living in. The venue has been able to operate under a Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission loophole that reclassifies it as a “reception hall” instead of a nightclub, and its owners insist they are following rules such as keeping capacity to the 50% permitted by Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order, but city officials (including Turner, who noted Houston had reported 2,000 new COVID-19 infections the day before the show) have called Cle a “community spreader” and urged the TABC to crack down and rescind some reclassifications." - Amy McCarthy