Hamilton’s concert venues are tuning up, but challenges remain
The music, fans, artists and venues are back, and Christian Hornby's eardrums were itching for some tunes.
I'm a music guy, and I'm a Hamilton guy," said Hornby, who frequents shows at venues in the city from the FirstOntario Centre to the granddaddy of them all," the now-closed This Ain't Hollywood.
He caught the Golden Feather show at Bridgeworks on Nov. 6, and he couldn't help but think, Man, I missed this."
It wasn't what this seasoned concertgoer was used to, though.
With COVID-19 public health protocols in place, Hornby donned his mask - and The Hilarious House of Frightenstein" T-shirt - and provided proof-of-vaccination documents at the door instead of just presenting bouncers with a ticket stub.
But even with these changes, Hornby said it was a really good vibe." More than anything, he was delighted to be back watching his favourite artists take the stage and saturate the room with their music.
Venue owners in the city are happy to be back, too, even if things look different than they did pre-COVID.
From a complete cancellation of in-person events at the start of 2020 to reduced-capacity shows, they've faced numerous challenges over the last 20 months, especially as cancelled shows didn't mean cancelled rent, utilities and licence fees.
In June, the Canadian Live Music Association found more than 100,000 people in the industry lost their jobs in 2020, and revenue catered down" 92 per cent year-over-year.
The province permitted all live music venues to remove capacity limits as of Nov. 15, but not everyone is comfortable returning to the scene - even with the vaccination and mask mandate.
Tim Potocic, the co-owner of Sonic Unyon Records - the company behind Supercrawl and venues across the city, including the newly-opened Bridgeworks - said even with capacity limits removed and public health measures implemented, he doesn't expect the scene to return to pre-pandemic levels for at least six to 12 months. It could be even longer if the pandemic worsens.
While some folks may be hesitant to return to their favourite venues, Hamiltonians are still buying tickets and bookings are rolling in.
There's a lot of opportunity, and we're trying to navigate our way through that," he said.
They're averaging around 300 tickets sold per show for the venue that can hold 500, which is fabulous," he said, and a few shows have hit capacity.
Casbah owner Brodie Schwendiman said he's busy booking acts, and it's one of his favourite parts of the job.
He's reconnecting and reaching out to new artists to book shows for eager music lovers in the city, and around five events per week are slotted.
The schedule is jam-packed, but the response from the public fluctuates, Schwendiman said.
Some nights it felt like it was pre-pandemic" - the audience size is healthy and the excitement in the room feels the same." On other nights, the turnout wasn't what they expected.
He said helping people be comfortable enough to return to the venue is at the business's expense," including buying sanitization products and scheduling extra staff to ensure they can adequately execute COVID-19 protocols.
They've tried their best to limit price increases for food and drinks, but the general uptick in prices for goods is being absorbed by the venue, too - an increase Schwendiman estimates to be around 10 per cent for everything from toilet paper to dishwashing chemicals.
Besides higher operational costs, people are rightfully cautious about being in indoor spaces," he said. It will probably permanently affect how live music is presented indoors."
- With files from the Toronto StarAlessia Passafiume is a reporter with The Spectator. Reach her via email: apassafiume@thespec.com