{"id":79388,"date":"2020-07-17T12:42:18","date_gmt":"2020-07-17T17:42:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/urbanmatter.com\/chicago\/?p=79388"},"modified":"2020-07-21T15:24:27","modified_gmt":"2020-07-21T20:24:27","slug":"lincoln-hall-hosting-bands-for-live-shows-to-empty-venues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/urbanmatter.com\/chicago\/lincoln-hall-hosting-bands-for-live-shows-to-empty-venues\/","title":{"rendered":"Lincoln Hall Hosting Bands for Live Shows to Empty Venues"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lincoln Hall<\/span><\/a>, one of Chicago\u2019s premier venues for music and entertainment, has reopened their doors for the first time in the last couple of weeks to host live shows from bands again. The catch? The bands aren\u2019t performing to an audience, at least, not to one that\u2019s physically in the venue.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo Credit: Lincoln Hall – Schubas Tavern<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In a linked effort, <\/span>Audiotree<\/span><\/a> and Lincoln Hall have teamed up to create a semi-virtual concert series titled \u201cStaged.\u201d In the series, bands play on stage as they normally would have before all the COVID-19 restrictions were in place. As mentioned above though, aside from the bands and the crew, no one else is in the venue.<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead, fans can \u201cattend\u201d (i.e. watch) the show via a high-quality livestream put up through Audiotree. While some might feel skeptical about the quality of these streams, anyone familiar with Audiotree\u2019s platform and sessions should have no doubts about crystal clear audio and video coming from the company.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"LincolnShane Bradley, the promotional director for Lincoln Hall, <\/span>said in a statement to the Chicago Tribune<\/span><\/a> that the team is trying to get the platform of the stage back. “We can\u2019t really replace the large gathering aspect of these shows, but we can replace the engagement and that connection for people. The whole idea is that if we can make it a huge upgrade from the other livestreams you\u2019re seeing right now, it will be something that people can really enjoy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Many online and digital performances were free at the start of the pandemic, asking fans to support artists or use crowdfunding to garner donations. The performances coming from Staged, however, do require tickets (usually $10 in advance or $16 day-of-the-show from what we\u2019ve seen so far). While not an outrageous price by any means, Bradley noted that many operators had trepidation about if people would want to pay for a performance they wouldn\u2019t be seeing in person, even if the quality of the stream was upgraded.<\/span><\/p>\n