A lifeline came Monday for Chicago’s iconic concert halls and performance venues that have been crushed by the pandemic for more than a year now.
CHICAGO (CBS) — A lifeline came Monday for Chicago’s iconic concert halls and performance venues that have been crushed by the pandemic for more than a year now. A total of $16 billion in federal relief money is opening up after for venues around the country after months-long waits and technical delays. CBS 2’s Tara Molina checked in Monday with local venue owners applying for that help. These owners said they have been holding on, with no income, for more than a year. It was also more than a year ago when the city divvied up grant money to 100 venues. But we are told that was not enough to sustain them this whole time. Owners said this federal relief will be the make-or-break for many of your Chicago favorites. “Our biggest fans, some of them are saying: ‘You know what guys? I can’t come to a show. Not for a year. Not until there’s a vaccine,’” Tim Tuten, owner of The Hideout at 1354 W. Wabansia Ave., said on April 24 of last year. Now a whole year has passed, and there is now a vaccine for the novel coronavirus. But stages are still bare, and seats are still empty across Chicago. And despite no income, no revenue, and no crowds, venue owners have still been on the line for rent, utilities, insurance, and other such expenses. That is why they say the new federal Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program means everything right now. Click here for the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant portal. “We’ve needed this for a long time,” said Chris Bauman of Zenith Music Group – which operates the Avondale Music Hall at 3336 N. Milwaukee Ave. and several other venues, festivals, and promotion companies.
