Photo credit: Ross Monagle
Chicken Wire Empire
UPDATED: Friday, July 10, 2020 at 10:05 a.m.: The Pabst Theater Group has released a statement that the #ReviveLiveMKE shows have been cancelled due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin. Chicken Wire Empire's show will still be streamed online.
As the city of Milwaukee begins to slowly reopen, the Pabst Theater Group is bringing their live music schedule back, albeit with limitations in the interest of public safety. Beginning on Friday, the #ReviveLiveMKE music series will feature three concerts at Turner Hall Ballroom from local music acts Chicken Wire Empire, Kia Rap Princess, Kaylee Crossfire and Trapper Schoepp. The shows will be open to a limited capacity, as well as streamed online via the Pabst Theater Group website and Facebook page.
Inside the ballroom, what would normally be a general admission standing crowd will give way to tables of four distanced at least six feet apart. Concertgoers will be required to wear masks, with both temporary and branded masks available in the event a patron does not bring one. Temperature checks, plexiglass dividers at bars, and touchless bathroom amenities will all be the standard for these shows. In addition, a sanitation captain will be on-site for each show to make sure protocols are followed.
Proceeds from the shows will benefit the Pabst Theater Group venues, as well as the artists involved. While many public locations are more suited for a phased reopening, live music venues were amongst the first businesses to shutter their doors, and due to the nature of concerts, will have to be some of the last to fully reopen. In that time, the Pabst Theater Group has also become a founding member of NIVA, or the National Independent Venue Association, which looks to provide aid and regulation for concert halls throughout the country.
Bluegrass act Chicken Wire Empire takes the stage at Turner Hall Ballroom on Friday, July 10. Kaylee Crossfire and Kia Rap Princess are scheduled for Friday, July 17 and Trapper Schoepp will round things out on July 31. Event information for each of the shows are currently available on the Pabst Theater Group website.
