‘Just want to play music’
With no shows in nearly 10 months, performers have been searching for income and answers — here’s how some are getting on
With no shows in nearly 10months, performing musicians have been searching for income and answers.
TheCOVID-19 pandemic hit “pause” on the entire Chicago music scene, and performing musicians have spent the last nine monthswondering when they’ll be able to starting playing again.
Music has not come to a stop, however. Artists have still been creating— even performing in newways— throughout the year, in spite of the pandemic. That’s the reality of being a creative— especially when being a creative is howyou collect a paycheck.
With live performances on hiatus, this year has forced performing musicians to mine their creativity for both inspiration and income streams. The types of gatherings that often hosted live music have now become cruel intersections of pandemicrelated risk: whether it’s a birthday party, a bar or Lollapalooza, all of the usual venues for live music nowseem to double as potential super-spreader events.
In the meantime, musicians have contorted their creative energies to make ends meet and, hopefully, sustain their music through the pandemic until they can make a living once again as a performer. Their adjustments showcase the toll the lingering pandemic and restrictions have had on the city’s entiremusic culture and remind us of howmusic fills up some of the most intimate moments of our lives.
RicWilson, singer, rapper and producer
Like most of us, Wilson had amuch better summer last year. The Chicago funk-R&B-hip-hop maestro spent his 2019
summer on stages, rocking them for thousands of fans. This year, he spent his summer at home.
Thatwasn’t the plan, of course: Wilson had actually been in the middle of a spring tour when a pit stop at home in Chicago turned into an extended stay.
“We played a sold-out showat The
Crocodile in Seattle, and thenwe came home. We had tour dates (intoMay),” Wilson said.“Wewere in the pub, and all of a suddenwe looked at the screen andwe sawthat theNBAgot canceled. Wewere like ‘Oh, (expletive).’ ”
With that, large gatherings such as live performances screeched to a stop. Wilson and his band canceled the rest of the tour and put an indefinite hold on the rest of their gigs. Wilson said he had signed up to play at least one summer festival in Chicago andwas hoping for more.
The onset ofwarmweather is normally a ripe time for performing musicians, but this year those chanceswere rare.
“Performing musicians make a lot of our money off touring,” Wilson said. “Iwasn’t really making any money. I did a fundraiser, and the fundraiser gave me a couple hundred dollars.”
“Everyonewas just kind ofwaiting and seeing, praying to God and crossing their fingers that itwould slowup byMay, which it did not obviously.”
Royalty payments fromsyncs or placements sustained him during those months, he said, but those checks are inconsistent and don’t stand up next to tour revenue. Eventually, hemoved in with his family, in part as away to save money.
“Thank God Imoved out ofmy apartment and Imoved in withmy family. I