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The summer season usually boasts a wide variety of outdoor concerts and performances – from the weekend guitarist at the local farmer’s market to Chicago’s annual Lollapalooza. In the wake of COVID-19, however, musicians in Chicago and around the world continue to postpone tour dates and churn out online performances to combat quarantine with no returns to the stage in sight.

Musicians Hit Hard

One group of performers has taken a hit much harder than expected: local musicians. The farmer’s market guitarist, your friend who moonlights in a cover band, the evening DJs – all of them have suffered. In a new era when bars and venues are holding under capacity to adhere to social distancing, musicians who haven’t gone global and aren’t raking in millions are now back to their day jobs and wondering if they will be able to grace the local scene any time soon.

Twenty-twenty was setting up to be a banner year for Chicago pop-punk band Til Morning, with two tours in the early spring and studio time in June. Now, all of that has been postponed. Frontman Devin Parker admits that while they would never want to put their friends and fans at risk, not playing shows has been very difficult:

“It’s been really tough not to play shows and connect with our audience in a live setting. I think that there’s a feeling you get when you play live, and you just can’t get that in a livestream. I miss the feeling of landing a huge show, promoting it the best we can, rehearsing, loading in, warming up, setting up the merch, performing and making new friends.”

While venues and stages outside of the country have begun to reopen with new restrictions, the United States continues to lag behind in keeping up with mask mandates and social distancing. Because of this, the local bars and venues that bands like Til Morning would be headlining are remaining closed until further notice, some even shuttering entirely or turning to crowdfunding to be able to pay their employees.

Live Shows Not Worth the Risk

Freelance musician Michael Sinclair would normally be performing on cruise ships and in musical theatres during the summer. Since the travel and tourism industry has taken a hit, he has been working his day job and doesn’t plan to return to live music until the pandemic has subsided. In an online interview, he explains:

“It’s really not the restrictions that affect my ability to perform; it’s the pandemic. The work will be there when people start to take this seriously. People may not like masks and social distancing but you have to do it. You can’t operate music theater or concerts or even a restaurant with social distancing.”

He added that COVID-19 infection rates have been going up since the bars opened in Chicago, and that he’s not sure he’d want to work anywhere that didn’t feel safe.

Chicago Musicians Finding Inspiration in a Crisis

A number of artists have found that a crisis can lead to newfound inspiration and love of their work. With no tours and a quarantine, this has become the prime time to write and record new music. In fact, three of the four local performers I spoke with are already working on new material to be released later this year, and have begun to line up possible tour options for 2021.

Like Til Morning, Hobart pop-punk trio The Region had to cancel what would have been an exciting summer tour due to the ongoing health crisis. Amid reschedules and concerns, lead singer and guitarist Jacob Cyprian has remained positive – and creative:

“We are still staying busy with writing, recording, and releasing music. Labels have relied heavily on touring in the past to generate income, but this pandemic has proven that touring cannot be the only thing doing the heavy lifting.”

Cyprian also believes that shows will return in 2021, but that would mean that everyone would need to adhere to the restrictions and safety measures in their states, something that our country is still struggling with six months later.

With no visible end to the pandemic at this time, some artists have turned to alternative methods of performing. Some states with outdoor dining have begun to allow patio performances, while other bands have turned to platforms like Twitch, Facebook, and radio to make themselves heard. Just this past week, The Region released a new song on an alternative Chicago radio station and have more material coming out later this year.

Livestreams Are a Silver Lining for Chicago Musicians

Josh Andrews is a guitarist in the punk band Spineless, Heartless. Prior to the pandemic, his band had bar gigs every weekend in Northwest Indiana. When COVID-19 hit and the state closed down, he turned to Facebook Live for some online shows.

As he began playing more often, he was pleased with the overwhelmingly positive responses to his music. He even admitted that the Facebook shows “got a lot more of attractions than some of the live shows I’ve played, to be honest.” Between his day job and raising a family, Andrews has also been writing and continues to discover inspiration from the confines of quarantine while he waits to perform again.

A common theme between all of these artists is not just concern for the future, but hope for the unknown. While it continues to be a strange time that we are living in, so many of Chicago’s local musicians remain devoted to their work, striving to share it with those around them while times are tough. While the stages are closed, their passions and talent have not wavered. They have instead become more innovative, patient, and creative, waiting for the day that their audiences will return to the local dive to watch and sing along with them once more.

Devin Parker (Til Morning) sums up the feelings shared by many: “I think it will be a very long time before concerts are back to “normal,” but I’m very much looking forward to that day.”