Show posters hang on the wall next to an empty stage at Lucky Dime in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Show posters hang on the wall next to an empty stage at Lucky Dime in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Live-music flyers are taken down again as omicron surges

With bands reluctant to play and few people buying tickets, local music venues wonder: Will we be able to stay open?

EVERETT — Marc Tachell has been behind EverettRock.com since 2009, compiling local shows, promoting events and sometimes helping his musician friends book gigs around town.

But after 13 years, he’s pressing pause. Concert flyers on the site’s home page have been replaced with static venue listings.

“It’s stupid to lead people to COVID. I can’t do that,” Tachell told The Daily Herald. “I will not be steering people to COVID infection.”

For a while, it felt like the Everett music scene was getting back into a swing. This fall, as cases declined, a new downtown venue punctuated a trifecta of spaces hosting shows within walking distance on Hewitt Avenue.

Now, the omicron variant is fueling a huge surge in infections, filling up hospitals and overwhelming testing sites.

For local venues and artists, it spells bad news. Again.

“The holiday shows all went really well,” Lucky Dime owner Amber Vincini said this week. “People were gathering again, and it felt like we were about to go into the new year and things were looking up. And very quickly that changed.”

Before Christmas, the small venue hosted local musicians performing cheery holiday tunes. “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” got the crowd singing along. But this past weekend, Lucky Dime canceled its slate of shows after a conversation with the bands.

A bar menu and poster with the Lucky Dime’s event calendar sit on a bar table at the empty establishment in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

A bar menu and poster with the Lucky Dime’s event calendar sit on a bar table at the empty establishment in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

“It was a pretty easy conclusion to make. To be like, ‘It sounds like we’re both really uncomfortable with this,’” Vincini said.

Lucky Dime crowds may be young, she said, “but of course all of us are more worried about spreading it to our families or friends.”

Historic Everett Theatre manager Curt Shriner is dealing with a similar dilemma.

“I’m canceling shows left and right as well,” he said.

It’s not that performers are calling off the dates. Shriner said nobody’s buying tickets. An upcoming show that normally sells 150 to 200 tickets so far is at 18. Two out of four events scheduled this month will likely be canceled, he said.

“We have no income,” Shriner said. Unlike other creative spaces, the theater doesn’t rely on donors.”We don’t have any. We do this out of pocket.”

Black Lab Gallery and Bar owner Isabella Valencia said she didn’t know many people who caught COVID in the past. That changed with the omicron surge, though.

“We have people sick all over the place,” she said. “I’ve never seen so much illness come up.”

Over the phone, she counted under her breath how many shows the venue has canceled since Christmas.

“One, two, three, four — we’ve had eight shows canceled so far,” she said.

On top of that, the venue’s pipes burst in the recent cold snap.

“I’ll be honest with you. Today I was just thinking — I don’t know — will we make it through this? Will we be able to stay open?” she said. “This new variant is scaring the heck out of people.”

A mask mandate flyer at the Lucky Dime in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

A mask mandate flyer at the Lucky Dime in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

It’s scaring Tachell, too. His decision to stop listing local shows came after a recent night out with his girlfriend.

“We couldn’t get away from masses of people around us that weren’t masked,” he said. “It seems like all the rules have ’laxed for the bar scene.”

Tachell will soon turn 70. He said he knows too many unvaccinated musicians who are still playing and attending shows.

“It just freaked us out,” he said. “That’s it. I’m done.”

Some shows, of course, will go on.

Guy Johnson’s band has been playing locally since 1977. That won’t stop due to COVID, he said, pointing to upcoming gigs in Tulalip and on Whidbey Island.

His less-than-optimistic take is that the music scene has been dwindling since the digital age.

As for omicron, he said, “It’s just another nail in the coffin of rock and roll.”

Claudia Yaw: 425-339-3449; claudia.yaw@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @yawclaudia.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Irene Pfister, left, holds a sign reading “Justice for Jonathan” next to another protester with a sign that says “Major Crimes Needs to Investigate,” during a call to action Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Arlington. (Aspen Anderson / The Herald)
Arlington community rallies, a family waits for news on missing man

Family and neighbors say more can be done in the search for Jonathan Hoang. The sheriff’s office says all leads are being pursued.

Jury awards $3.25M in dog bite verdict against Mountlake Terrace

Mountlake Terrace dog was euthanized after 2022 incident involving fellow officer.

Northshore School District Administrative building. (Northshore School District)
Lawsuit against Northshore School District reaches $500,000 settlement

A family alleged a teacher repeatedly restrained and isolated their child and barred them from observing the classroom.

Everett City Council on Wednesday, March 19 in Everett, Washington. (Will Geschke / The Herald)
Everett council to vote on budget amendment

The amendment sets aside dollars for new employees in some areas, makes spending cuts in others and allocates money for work on the city’s stadium project.

Bryson Fico, left, unloaded box of books from his car with the help of Custody Officer Jason Morton as a donation to the Marysville Jail on Saturday, April 5, 2025 in Marysville, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Books behind bars: A personal mission for change

Bryson Fico’s project provides inmates with tools for escape, learning and second chances.

Everett
Everett man, linked to Dec. 31 pipe bomb, appears in federal court

Police say Steven Goldstine, 54, targeted neighbors with racial slurs and detonated a pipe bomb in their car.

Everett City Council on Wednesday, March 19 in Everett, Washington. (Will Geschke / The Herald)
Everett council approves budget amendment for staffing, stadium funding

The amendment budgets for some new employees and costs for the city’s multipurpose stadium project.

A SoundTransit Link train pulls into the Mountlake Terrace station as U.S. Representative Rick Larsen talks about the T&I Committee’s work on the surface reauthorization bill on Wednesday, April 16, 2025 in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Larsen talks federal funding for Snohomish County transit projects

U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Everett) spoke with Snohomish County leaders to hear their priorities for an upcoming transit bill.

A damaged vehicle is seen in the aftermath of a June 2024 crash in Thurston County, in which the driver of another vehicle was suspected of speeding and driving under the influence. (Photo courtesy of Thurston County Sheriff Office)
Washington Senate passes bill to require speed limiting devices for habitual speeders

The state Senate passed a bill Tuesday attempting to stop habitual speeders… Continue reading

A student walks down a hallway at Evergreen Middle School past a sign displaying different values the students should embody while occupying the space on a 2024 school day in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Washington takes ‘historic’ step toward full funding for special education

The House passed a Senate bill that ditches a cap on the flow of state dollars to school districts.

Adopt A Stream invites volunteers to plant trees along Quilceda Creek

The Tulalip Tribes and the Adopt A Stream Foundation will… Continue reading

Snohomish County Council member offers new proposal for habitat ordinance

Jared Mead wrote an amendment as an attempt to balance environmental concerns and housing needs.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.