South Philly’s Indie Rock Bar, Boot & Saddle Closes Their Doors and Cites The Pandemic!
South Philly’s Indie Rock Bar, Boot & Saddle Closes Their Doors and Cites The Pandemic!
The Philly music venues have been hit the hardest during this pandemic and although the “Save Our Stages” movement has garnered lots of attention there have still been casualties. The latest venue to fold is the South Philly indie rock bar Boot & Saddle.
Citing the pandemic, Boot & Saddle has been closed for over 8 months and just could not weather the storm. In their social media posts they stated, “Hey Everyone. Hope everyone had a joyous weekend like we did! With that said, we have some bad news to share. After seven years and 1,500+ shows, we are now forced to close Boot & Saddle. Please see our full statement in the attached graphic and at the link in our bio. Thank you for everything.- xo B&S 🖤”
Although Boot & Saddle was only a 150 capacity venue it was a staple in the indie rock community. Originally a dive bar, Co-owner Sean Agnew re-opened it as a live concert venue back in 2013. Since then Boot & Saddle showcased almost 2,000 shows and provided a platform for many rising stars in the music world as well as stand-up comics.
However, due to the pandemic the space has lost tons of revenues due to canceled shows and having to provide refunds. Although the Save Our Stages $10 billion rescue plan was passed by the House of Representatives this past October the funds have yet to be distributed and is currently being tied up in the U.S Senate. Pennsylvania has their own Save Our Stages legislation that has been introduced in the Pennsylvania state house. It is not clear if and when aid will be distributed.
