by Jennifer Castor, Rocky Mountain PBS
“We are on the other side, with one foot still on the line.”
It was almost exactly one year ago when Rocky Mountain PBS went hiking with Phil Hiester and his wife, Deborah outdoor gatherings and social distancing were the norm. A stagehand for more than three decades, his future at the job he loved was in jeopardy.
“In our industry there are no stagehands working in the country. Our industry has been shut down entirely. It s very unsettling because we don t know when we ll get back to it,” he said in July of 2020.
Colorado music venues planning their comebacks Jennifer Castor, Brian Willie
April 6, 2021
DENVER Local music and performing arts venues are starting to reopen slowly. With warm weather returning and some pandemic restrictions lifting, the sun is starting to shine on an industry hit hard during the past year.
Revenues down and jobs lost
Performances by the bands Three Dog Night & Firefall wrapped the 2019 concert season at Levitt Pavilion Denver. Heading into the off-season, the outlook industry-wide for the new year was impressive.
“Year over year there’s been a tremendous amount of growth in live music. 2020 was supposed to be this major breakthrough year. Almost everybody was on tour, venues were filled up, our projections were looking really, really strong. And, then COVID hit and it all fell apart,” said Chris Zacher, Executive Director for the Levitt Pavilion Denver.