In a time where many are in need because of COVID-19, Saint Vitus, one of America’s best metal venues, is asking fans everywhere to help them stay in business.
The world is changing faster than most people imagined possible a month ago. Every day brings news about coronavirus developments and its widening impact on the global economy. The music business is resilient, but with artists off the road and venues forced to close, the stress put on everyone involved with live music is increasing by the day. It seems probable that venues will close, but New York’s legendary Saint Vitus refuses to go down without a fight.
The Brooklyn mainstay and renowned metal venue recently reached out to its large community to keep its operations going during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. A newly launched Kickstarter seeking $15,000 launched this week, and fans responded en masse. In just a few days the campaign raised close to $50,000, and the venue is hoping that number continues to grow. An update posted to the Kickstarter page reads:
“Holy shit. So, we were planning on posting an update tomorrow with new rewards (we still are, stay tuned, one of the rewards rhymes with “midi-oh bum dressin’ with Willie Lymer”) but for now, we want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who has backed us so far. Your support means a ton to us. We’d initially picked a pretty modest goal to make sure we funded this project (Kickstarter is all-or-nothing), so we were always hoping we’d surpass it, but your initial outpouring of support is … yeah, it’s really dusty in here all of a sudden. Have you noticed how dusty it is?!? Under three hours, guys!!
We’ll be posting updates twice weekly with new rewards. If you see something you like but you’ve already backed us, you will be able to change your reward by following these instructions. And if you have a question, please message us (we’ve already added a tee bundle because a couple of folks were interested in both t-shirts). “
Saint Vitus secured some pretty amazing rewards for contributors, including limited edition merch, stickers, access to live streams, and tickets. Also, on Tuesdays and Fridays, they are rolling out unique rewards that will include everything from video music lessons from some of your favorite musicians to signed memorabilia from Vitus shows, photos, posters, and even a musical score for your favorite cute animal video from a bonafide NYC metal legend!
If you have money to spare, please consider donating to Saint Vitus or a venue in your area. Similar scenarios are happening across the country at businesses and venues of all sizes. We cannot save everyone, but we have to fight with everything in us to save the ones we love.
Please send other venue Kickstarter campaigns and fundraising goals to james@haulix.com for inclusion on our blog.
