Between the Save Our Stages Festival — which featured unique performances from Foo Fighters, Miley Cyrus, Phoebe Bridgers and many more — and the high-profile Biden-Harris campaign ad that highlighted Michigan’s legendary nightclub the Blind Pig, it was a big weekend for America’s independent concert venues. The Democratic presidential ticket and one of the world’s biggest companies, Google — which, via YouTube, presented the #SOSFest with the National Independent Venues Assn. — came out strong for the venues, which are facing dire circumstances as the pandemic heads into its eighth month.
While the $10 billion Save Our Stages Act is part of the larger Heroes Act, Congress and the president have been playing politics with it for weeks and it seems unlikely to pass any time soon — and some 90% of America’s independent music venues expect to shut down within the next few months if they do not receive federal aid, according to a NIVA poll conducted in June.
But there are several ways that you can help — and while you’re helping, watch these on-demand performances from #SOSFest, including Foo Fighters, Miley Cyrus, Dave Matthews, the Roots, Brittany Howard, G-Eazy, Leon Bridges, YG, Finneas, Phoebe Bridgers and many more. (On-demand #SOSFEST Performance Links: FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY)
- Buy #SOSFEST Merch: HERE To commemorate this weekend’s event, #SOSFEST commissioned vintage-style concert posters for each of the 35 performances created by local artists from each city.
- Donate to the NIVA Emergency Relief Fund on YouTube and SaveOurStages.com.
- If a show is canceled or postponed at an independent venue, don’t request a cash refund. It’s better to ask for a credit for a future show or just donate it to the venue.
- Buy gift cards to your favorite venues.
- Donate to independent venues directly here: https://lyte.com/covid19relief/
- Donate to NIVA’s general operation fund here: https://www.nivassoc.org/support-niva
- Buy merch here: https://www.nivassoc.org/merch