Over the weekend (February 16th), beloved NYC metal venue Saint Vitus Bar was abruptly shut down in the middle of a show they were hosting for hardcore mainstays Mindforce.
According to accounts by both the show's promoter, Miles to Go Presents, and now the venue itself, the city's Department of Buildings stormed the building during opener Balmora's set and issued an immediate shut-down of all Saint Vitus operations.
Mindforce didn't get to play that night, and their headlining set the following evening was sadly canceled.
Today (February 19th), Saint Vitus, located in Brooklyn, have issued an official statement on their temporary closure that provides some clarity on the incredibly unfortunate circumstances.
"On Friday February 16th in the middle of a scheduled show, the DOB shut down all operations at Saint Vitus," the venue wrote on Instagram.
"We are saddened and deeply frustrated by the circumstances and are working to remedy the situation as fast we can. This closure is temporary, but we want to address everything that directly affects our community of artists and fans alike. Please be patient as we work through this, and thank you for your continued support."
In a series of Instagram stories, the venue answered several of the most frequent questions they've been getting since the halt of operations. For people who have tickets to or are playing a previously-scheduled Saint Vitus show, they said:
"We are announcing venue changes for the immediate upcoming calendar as they come in. We are sorting each show in chronological order-artists are already in contact with our team and will be updated ASAP, and public announcements will also be rolled out shortly.
"You will not need to do anything if you have an advance ticket, just keep an eye out on the email associated with your DICE account and our Instagram for continued announcements."
For people wondering how they can support Saint Vitus Bar at this time, they said:
"For now, do what you do best: show up to see live music. Buy your ticket in advance. We are continuing to announce Vitus Presents shows at our partner venues, and again, will reopen for business as usual as soon as we are able to.
"We'll be rolling out ways to support our onsite staff who have been affected by this closure soon, and if you want to help on that front, continue to let us know. Our online merch store was unfortunately undergoing a relaunch when this occurred, but we're working on next steps. Watch this space for updates.
"If you live in Greenpoint, reach out to your local representatives and let them know how much SV matters to you. We deeply appreciate everyone who has reached out, posted in support-even worn our merch out in solidarity."
Check out screenshots of the posts below. We're sending good vibes to the whole Vitus team and hoping that they're able to pull through ASAP.
