09/04/2020
WELCOME BACK STUDENTS!
Despite what it looks like if you’ve seen the mural covering our front entrance, we are still hanging in there and hard at work!
We’ve been totally closed since mid-March due to the virus and will remain closed for the time being given the Dane County/City of Madison “Forward Dane” public health order that restricts indoor gatherings. While closed, our focus has been on 1) preserving and preparing for our PACKED fall/winter show lineup, and 2) continuing to support and showcase the many talented local & regional DJs/Producers with a new series of virtual shows streaming live from Liquid. While we miss having everyone together to enjoy their performances in person, we’ve had great feedback on the streaming sessions (both from the public and from participating artists) and we’ve really enjoyed learning from and working with our live stream partners Voyage Virtual and Scotify Studios. Even after we open back up, we will be sure to continue utilizing this new technology in creative ways.
We’re doing all we can to save our PACKED fall semester lineup of shows. Realistically we don’t expect to be able to present any of the shows this month, so we have postponed September’s shows to early 2021. But we still hope to be able to save the rest of our 2020 lineup if Wisconsin and the rest of the country can get the virus under control much better than it is now.
We are posting all this now because we see this coming holiday weekend and the next few weeks, the beginning of the UW fall semester, as the key to whether or not we can save the rest of our 2020 show lineup. If infections rise in the coming weeks, or even stay at the same elevated levels where they are now, we expect to be forced to reschedule the rest of our 2020 lineup to early next year. Of course, that would be no fun.
One last closing thought for you to consider:
The many fine local/regional venues that have deep pocketed corporate “parents” (with billions of dollars in available cash reserves) can ride out this storm no matter how long it lasts. But for the nearly 3,000 indie venues across America that are part of NIVA - National Independent Venue Association to survive, including the handful of independent venues left in the greater Madison area: Liquid & Ruby Madison, The Barrymore Theatre, The Bur Oak, Cafe CODA, The Sh*tty Barn, and Mineral Point Opera House, we are totally dependent on everyone’s collective help to get this very real public health crisis under control so we can get back to doing what we love – welcoming all of you back to enjoy events at our venues!
