Cedric Burnside will perform Tuesday at Volcanic Theatre Pub in Bend.

With the Omicron variant of COVID-19 spreading quickly and a January calendar jam-packed with good shows, Bend’s Volcanic Theatre Pub announced a new policy for entry this week.

Now required for all VTP events: Proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test taken within the previous 24 hours. “Thank you for understanding,” wrote venue owner Derek Sitter, as we navigate through another surge and variant.

The new policy is worth knowing, given that VTP has a busy month of high-quality concerts on the horizon. Over the next three weeks, the Southwest Century Drive space will host rising Texas rock band the Unlikely Candidates on Jan. 11, popular heavy metal-meets-mariachi act Metalachi on Jan. 19, funk giant Karl Denson and his Tiny Universe on Jan. 22, killer blues double-bill Black Joe Lewis and Cedric Burnside on Jan. 25 and folk-punk fave Possessed By Paul James on Jan. 27.

More info on those shows and more is at volcanictheatre.com.