It comes as no surprise that major outdoor music events and festivals that were going to be taking place this summer are impacted by COVID-19 and limits on social gatherings even as restrictions are lifted and we move to different phases of re-opening. Shows at our space still aren’t happening, and we still aren’t anywhere near being able to plan for them happening again.

Last week the Levitt AMP Music Series, which our city received a grant for for the second year in a row, announced that the series is going to be postponed until 2021. The concert series was going to be taking place every Thursday this summer out on the Y-block once again, just through the alleyway from our downtown location. The Springfield Levitt AMP page made a full stagement last week. Here is some of that:

Given the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the status of large public gatherings in Illinois due to the COVID-19 pandemic — and out of concern for the health, safety and well-being of our community — the organizers of the Levitt AMP Springfield Music Series, in consultation with the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation, have made the difficult decision to postpone the second season of the popular ten-week music series to 2021.

“This concert series is about bringing all of Springfield together, and we’ll put on an amazing series at the Y Block when we can once again gather in large groups safely,” said Lisa Clemmons Stott, Executive Director of Downtown Springfield Inc., one of the partner organizations.

Added Scott Troehler, President of the Board of Directors of the Downtown Springfield Heritage Foundation, “This decision did not come easily, as it impacts many people in our community, including our dedicated volunteers and crew, artists, presenting partners, community partners, vendors and sponsors, in addition to the thousands of friends, families and neighbors who were looking forward to free Levitt AMP concerts on the Y Block this summer.”