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Precautions intended to slow the spread of COVID-19 have resulted in the widespread cancellation of concerts and the temporary closure of the great majority of Chicago’s music venues. Many people working in live music–artists, road crews, promoters, venue staff–are losing most or all of their income during this crisis.
Because every concert the Reader intended to cover this week has been called off, we’ve converted our show previews to record reviews where possible. We hope this will drive sales of music or other merch and help artists compensate for lost gig income. We’ve included links on each review page where you can make such purchases.
Several local venues have already launched fundraising campaigns to help their employees stay afloat while operations are suspended, among them the Hideout, the Empty Bottle (and Bite Cafe), Metro (along with Smart Bar and Gman), the Hungry Brain, Reggies’, Sleeping Village, the Whistler, Cole’s, SPACE in Evanston, Cafe Mustache, and Tonic Room. Please consider donating, especially if your job still exists. And please e-mail [email protected] to let us know about campaigns not on the list below.
Venue names, alphabetized below, link to the relevant fundraising pages.
Constellation No fundraiser at this time, but patrons who bought tickets for canceled shows can donate their refunds to the staff.
Empty Bottle (and Bite Cafe)
Four Entertainment Group (includes the Owl and AliveOne)
Metro (and Smart Bar and Gman Tavern)
Reggies’ Rock Club (and Music Joint)
SPACE in Evanston
Thalia Hall (plus Dusek’s and Punch House)
Whistler v
