By Mike Romero
Last March, Velour owner Corey Fox came forward about his struggle with kidney disease. He announced possible venue closures over the summer months due to health concerns. After the announcement, the friends and family of Corey Fox began raising money and awareness about his health and the impact a venue closure would have on Velour financially. The Provo music community was incredibly responsive, with many volunteering for kidney screenings and some artists hosting benefit concerts on his behalf – including some of Provo’s most successful acts like Imagine Dragons, Neon Trees, The Moth & The Flame, and Fictionist.
Since that time, things have been relatively quiet. After a month of sparsely booked shows and private events left many wondering if Velour was already closing for the summer, the venue has announced that instead they will be booking for the summer months. “We weren’t sure until recently on the timeline for everything, so we have been a little reserved about booking for the summer,” Velour said in an official statement.
They’ve announced that they will be hosting their annual Summer Battle of the Bands in June. Additionally, they’ve stated that they are open to lineup suggestions and have a host of open nights for shows in the coming weeks. Open dates include May 19th through May 21st, May 26th through May 28th, and the months of June and July. It looks like they’re ready to rock.
“There has been an outpouring of support from the community as we’ve been looking for a live kidney donor to #FixTheFox and the transplant clinic is feeling positive about the chances of finding one soon,” says Velour. “They have advised us it will likely take another 3-4 months at this point to screen potential candidates, which means we will be keeping Velour open as long as we can until Corey goes in for a surgery.”
If you are interested in signing up for Velour’s Summer 2016 Battle of the Bands, click here. If you would like to book a show at Velour Live Music Gallery, email booking@velourlive.com. As always, we will provide information on weekly shows every Tuesday. Make sure to check out “Hand So Small” by LOW – filmed at Velour Live Music Gallery – below.
Provo Music Magazine 