Colorado concert venues light up “red alert” for relief funding
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- From the Black Sheep to Red Rocks Amphitheater, there was a splash of color at concert venues across the country Tuesday night to raise awareness of a lingering problem since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Without live music and art, venues have seen business drop drastically. Most venues had to close outright for several weeks or months, and other venues have only recently reopened in extremely limited capacity.
We've highlighted this issue before, and the National Independent Venue Association has called on legislators to support the RESTART Act, which was introduced by Republican Sen. Todd Young and Democratic Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, and the Save Our Stages Act, which was also a bipartisan effort.
Tuesday night, venue organizers called attention to the problem with a "Red Alert," and the venues lit up with a red spotlight starting at about 9 p.m. Participating locations ranged from smaller rock 'n roll venues like the Black Sheep to bigger ones like the Broadmoor World Arena.
"[It's] really saying hey guys, red alert to the world. Pay attention to us. We need help. If we don't get that help, a lot of us aren't coming back," said Dot Lischick, the general manager at the Broadmoor World Arena.
Organizers say there has been little federal or state aid that can help venues. Because of the gig-style economy surrounding concerts and the arts, the Paycheck Protection Program didn't have the same impact to save concert venues as it did to help other businesses.
