For eighteen months, the website of one of the city’s largest show promoters, Blue Skies Turn Black, posted just a dozen concerts, all postponed due to the pandemic. But in recent weeks, announcements have been piling up on the calendar which extends to the concert of Australian psychedelic rockers King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard on October 19, 2022. The musical performance machine has resumed purring, but the return to normal is done timidly, warns Meyer Billurcu, co-founder of the company which mainly programs underground and emerging musicians in small venues.
Taking risks by offering first scenes to groups at the beginning of their career, that’s what the promoter has been doing since 2000. “Mac DeMarco is a good example [de notre travail de développement], explains Meyer Billurcu. We are the ones who “booked” his first concert in Montreal ”in 2012, in a small venue, in front of an audience of curious people. Seven years later, the indie rock troubadour performed in Osheaga, then Metropolis the following month. We can no longer count the number of established artists, now familiar with international tours and packed theaters with thousands of spectators, who have already done business with the Montreal promoter, a crucial player in our music scene.
At the moment, we are betting on January for a return to normal, but every time I tell myself that it will come back for real, I’m wrong
Last year, the managers of Blue Skies Turn Black had planned a few special events to mark their twenty years of unearthing new talent on the small stages of the metropolis. There was no party, not even a single little show.
In fact, during those eighteen months, “we had no income,” says Meyer Billurcu. We survived thanks to aid programs and subsidies, which allowed us to stay afloat. […] Many of our concerts have been postponed, two, three, four times. Right now, 2022 looks to bode well, but the question remains: will these concerts take place? Concerts scheduled for October and November are still being canceled. At the moment, we are betting on January for a return to normal, but every time I tell myself that it will come back for real, I am wrong. “
Winning conditions
The conditions favoring a real return to activities in small venues have not yet been met. Since October 8, performance halls, theaters, cinemas and arenas have been authorized to be filled, which has given a little oxygen to the venues, artists, producers and promoters of shows. . “Yes, it’s started again full – with the obligation to wear the face cover – but it is also with an audience seated on seats, underlines the promoter. The spectators cannot stand and, for us, that changes everything. “
Blue Skies Turn Black programs its events at La Sala Rossa, Fairmount Theater, National, Corona Theater, small or medium sized venues without seats. By forcing spectators to remain seated, the capacity of small venues is reduced. The production company is also co-owner of the Ritz PDB, another small venue located on rue Jean-Talon, not far from the market.
Its capacity is normally 300 spectators; On Monday, for the concert by Toronto indie rock band Fast Romantics, capacity will be reduced to 100 seated spectators. “Our shows are sold out, but it is not yet enough to earn money, especially since the bar receipts are modest. Without aid programs, we could not organize events, ”says Billurcu.
A real return to normal, explains Meyer Billurcu, will only be possible when the small rooms can reopen “at 100% of their capacity, with a standing audience”. In Quebec, we are aware that winning conditions are needed to restart the machine. Late Friday afternoon, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) and the Society for the Development of Cultural Enterprises (SODEC) met with their customers to confirm the measures that will take place from November 15 and until ‘at the end of 2021.
The community is examining the details of these proposals which aim to “respond even better to the reality of theaters, stimulate ticket sales and ensure a transition period to promote a return to normal in these places” , argued the office of the Minister of Culture and Communications, Nathalie Roy.
Public support
However, it will also be necessary to convince the public to take advantage of these new freedoms to the full. It is therefore not a coincidence that the association of Scènes de musique alternatives du Québec (SMAQ) intends to launch during the Coup de cœur francophone festival, the # SoutenezVosScènes campaign, inviting spectators to “encourage their favorite Quebec venues” through the LaRuche.com crowdfunding platform.
After eighteen months of complete shutdown, Meyer Billurcu affirms that the halls, the producers and especially the public are ready – proof, the tickets for the concerts of Blue Skies Turn Black are flying like hot cakes. “The public is really impatient to return to see shows,” says the promoter, who only hopes that they can be presented in front of a standing audience, as before.
“We have all followed the rules since the start of this pandemic. You asked us to close our doors, we closed. You authorized small gauges, we reopened according to your rules. You asked us for a vaccination passport, we got it. You asked us to seat the customers, we did that too. All the venues, all the promoters followed the rules. If the statistics relating to contagions and hospitalizations were not good, we would understand that it is not yet the time to reopen at full capacity. But today, the situation is encouraging. All the small rooms just ask to be able to start doing their business again. “
With Catherine Lalonde