On Wednesday, word came that stalwart Five Points club The 5 Spot was finally able to reopen its doors after the deadly tornado tore through Nashville and surrounding areas on March 3. Today, venue co-owner Todd Sherwood has announced that the popular bar and music venue will close again and remain closed for the next month — in response to COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The move comes amid a wave of event cancellations and postponements, from major music festivals on down, as part of an attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19 by limiting public gatherings.
There's never been a generous safety net for musicians or venue staffers. (Right now, even large companies like Live Nation are having a rough time.) While it's important for everyone to take their health and safety and that of others seriously, it isn't an exaggeration to say that even those folks who make a decent living in these fields live on their earnings on a week-to-week basis. Any interruption in the flow can hurt — a lot. In light of that, Sherwood has launched a GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign with a threefold goal: to keep the bar's bills paid, keep its bartenders and other staff paid, and send some funds to bands whose shows they've had to cancel, which over a one-month stretch is about 150 acts, both local and touring.
The goal is currently at $70,000, and close to 50 people have donated more than $2,500 as of this posting. Sherwood, like many of us, is hopeful that the pandemic will be under control sooner rather than later, and that more funds will be collected than are necessary. He notes that any excess money will be donated to The Ben Eyestone Fund, established by Music Health Alliance in honor of a local musician and Five Spot staffer who died of cancer in 2017.
Meanwhile, we at the Scene will do our best to keep up with cancellations and postponements, but be sure to confirm with venues (via social media, websites, or phone calls) before you go out. As this post went live, Brooklyn Bowl Nashville announced that its grand opening, originally scheduled for this weekend, will be postponed until further notice.
