It’s time for our look back at the year that was in arts and entertainment, 2020. Every day between now and New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31, we’ll be posting a story painting the big picture on the year. Some days will have multiple stories, some days there was so much going on in one month we just stuck to that one. We hope you enjoy the look back, and let’s all hope for a happy new year and a much, much, much, much better 2021! Here’s today’s installment, months January and February, the two most normal months of the year. During this time, coronavirus was just a news story for the... Read More

The long awaited “Save Our Stages” bill is part of the $900 billion that’s expected to be approved by Congress, providing economic relief to those affected by Covid-19. Congress has agreed to a new bipartisan relief package that allocates $15 billion in funding to independent movie theaters and concert venues. According to USA Today’s Nicholas Wu, the relief package incorporates the Save Our Stages Act. First introduced by Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota over the summer, the act calls for six months of financial support to “keep venues afloat, pay employees,... Read More

MOLINE, IL – Storm owner John Dawson announced this morning that former Director of Communications and Operations Brian Rothenberger has been promoted to the role of Team President. “Brian has a proven track record of success in every position he has held, both with the Storm and previous companies he has worked for,” said Dawson.  “He has proven his abilities in managing our day-to-day operations through all the challenges of the pandemic, and now with our season being canceled for 20/21.  I am proud to promote Brian to President of the Quad City Storm and have complete confidence that... Read More

EXCLUSIVE — Illinois Quad-Cities businesses have been notified by the state to begin preparing for a shutdown and covid mitigation procedures beginning Wednesday, multiple sources who asked not to be identified told QuadCities.com today. The sources are all local small business owners, and were notified last night so they could begin preparing. An official announcement from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker will be forthcoming Monday. According to the sources, there will be a number of mitigation actions put in place, including no indoor dining, limits to the number of people gathered in any... Read More

Storm hockey will not return to Moline’s TaxSlayer until at least fall of 2021. Due to restrictions on mass gatherings put in place by the State of Illinois as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic the Quad City Storm will be sitting out the 2020-2021 SPHL season.  The State is currently in Phase 4 of the “Restore Illinois” plan, which prohibits individuals from attending large gatherings without a proven vaccine or cure for COVID-19.  The current mandate would allow just fifty people to attend a Storm game. According to a press release just put out by the Storm: “We are incredibly... Read More

The TaxSlayer Center in Moline will join with live-music venues across the U.S. Tuesday to literally or virtually light their facilities in red to promote passage of more federal financial assistance, covering lost income due to the pandemic. Spearheaded by the #WeMakeEvents coalition, the #RedAlertRESTART campaign seeks to bring awareness to the dire situation live music faces if Capitol Hill does not supply support for venues that have been shuttered since mid-March to slow the spread of Covid, according to a recent piece in Billboard. On Tuesday night, the venues are encouraged to be lit red... Read More

Saturday In The Arts is a comprehensive weekly feature looking at a trend, personality, or major subject involving the Quad-Cities arts and entertainment scene.   When Davenport jazz pianist and singer Freddy Allen returned July 25 to perform at The Grape Life Wine Store & Lounge, it was the first time the former regular played there since Feb. 28. It was a bittersweet occasion for the 50-year-old full-time musician, who has seen his livelihood decimated due to the raging Covid-19 crisis. “It was emotional, it was hard,” Allen said recently. “I’ve been one of those people, during... Read More

Could there be some hockey this year after all? Maybe, but it’ll be late this year. The league of the Quad City Storm, the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) today announced that it is targeting mid-to-late December for the start of the 2020-2021 regular season. “With the continued spikes in COVID-19 throughout the country and the challenges other sports are facing in their attempts to resume play, delaying our start to December gives us the best chance of completing an entire season with all 10 teams,” stated Commissioner Doug Price. “In addition, various state restrictions... Read More

Saturday In The Arts is a new regular feature running every Saturday on QuadCities.com! Saturday In The Arts offers an in-depth, comprehensive and extensive look at a subject, trend or issue on the local arts and entertainment scene. In our debut feature, Jonathan Turner looks at the major concert venues and outdoor fests in the Quad-Cities and how they’ve been impacted, and could continue to be impacted, by covid-19.   If the Iowa State Fair is canceled, can the Mississippi Valley Fair be far behind? The Davenport fair – which would mark its 101st year Aug. 4-9, at 2815 W. Locust... Read More

For many, this will be their first summer without an outdoor concert. The first year in a long time without a festival. The first stretch without them going to see their favorite artist. When will we turn that around and get to see those touring acts, get to go to those big concerts and shows? We have no idea. Cautious optimism. That’s the best description of where we’re at right now in regard to the covid-19 situation and its impact on not just the Quad-Cities arts scene, but the economy of the entire country, especially in regard to live performances, and most particularly in regard to touring... Read More