Austin 360 Myf Mars vividly remembers the last night Hotel Vegas was open as a music venue. It was the beloved East Austin dive’s ninth anniversary party, traditionally a kick-off event for the South by Southwest Music Festival. Only the festival was canceled. Local promoters were working to stand up an independent event, but the world was beginning to shut down. “Everyone was talking about COVID. Everyone was like, ‘Oh, whatever. It doesn't matter. We're fine,’” Mars said. She shared the sentiment. As a bartender, facing the loss of SXSW and its influx of cash felt devastating. They were all in a collective denial of, “Oh, can we just wait two more weeks before accepting this is a reality?” she said.