Overview
It has been a tumultuous 18 months for Cherry Bar. After closing and then reopening temporarily in its original AC/DC Lane digs, and then closing for good back in July and reopening in new (permanent) digs on Little Collins Street, Melbourne's legendary live music hot-spot Cherry Bar was forced to close (again) when COVID-19 hit. Now, with restrictions easing, it's set to reopen its doors on Wednesday, June 24.
It won't quite be business as usual, however, with the live music venue welcoming just 28 people into its band room and 30 people downstairs — 22.3 percent of its licensed 260-person capacity. Because of this, Cherry Bar has launched a 'Back in Black' Pozible campaign to help it see out the end of COVID-19 restrictions.
Hoping to raise $75,000 by Sunday, June 28, the bar is offering incentives to donate: $100 will get you a plaque on the Cherry wall, two tickets to a gig and a Cherry tea towel; $500 will get you three tickets to a gig, Dinner at Tazio's with Cherry Bar owner James Young and cocktails before a gig at the Andy Bar.
"We can't survive on just 28 patrons... but we think it's important to create momentum for this re-opening process by being one of the first bars to let punters back in to see live local music," Young said in a statement. "To survive the three-month lockdown and income freeze, and to be able to reopen in some form for just 28 punters we are going to need a financial injection."
It's not the first time the bar has asked the public for a financial leg-up, with the bar successfully crowdfunding a refurb back in 2014, which was required to comply with strict noise regulation.
When Cherry Bar reopens, it'll be after the Melbourne's June 22 easing of restrictions, which means you'll no longer be required to purchase a meal with your drinks, but you will need to be seated at gigs — no dancing just yet. The live music lineup for the opening week is set to drop on Cherry Bar's Facebook page this week.
Cherry Bar will open at 68 Little Collins Street, Melbourne from Wednesday, June 24. You can contribute to the 'Back in Black' Pozible campaign over here.
Top image: Jake Roden for Visit Victoria