Music fans line up to enter Lollapalooza on the first day of the festival, which returns to Grant Park from July 29 through Aug. 1, 2021. (WTTW News)
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As thousands of music lovers flocked to Grant Park for the first day of Lollapalooza, a surge of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Chicago and the suburbs prompted Gov. J.B. Pritzker to reimpose a mask mandate in state facilities for everyone, regardless of their vaccination status.

The digital rollout of the Shuttered Venues Operators Grant program to assist venues with payroll, rent and other financial obligations is delayed nearly two weeks after its planned launch due to an onslaught of demand and applications. (WTTW News)
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A recent bungled federal aid rollout worth 16 billion dollars for music venues and theaters across the country is adding more strain to a stressful situation.

(WTTW News)

Late last month, Congress allocated $15 billion to music venues, movie theaters and other cultural institutions under the Save Our Stages Act. What it could mean for Chicago’s independent music and performing arts venues.