Eighteen long months ago, Chicago area music stages went dark and remained silent for more than a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, after mostly reopening and experiencing about a month or so of semi-normalcy, club owners and managers are taking steps to guard against the prospect of any new COVID spread.

With delta variant cases on the rise, local independent venues are leading the charge for requiring proof of vaccination from patrons. In doing so, many find themselves thrust into more unfamiliar roles — public relations managers and health spokespersons — amid a pandemic that continues to breed divisiveness.

Though Chicago and the suburbs lack an overall mask mandate or proof-of-vaccination requirement to enter businesses such as bars, gyms, performance halls and cinemas — New York City will enforce a limited requirement in September — you’ll likely need to be fully vaccinated if you want to see live music indoors. Some local restaurants and bars have enacted similar rules, as have many of Chicago’s nonprofit theaters and arts venues such as Symphony Center.

But in comparison to the dining industry, many neighborhood live-music locations that were the first to close and last to reopen are addressing the issue as a united front.

As of this week, nearly 20 Chicago music clubs — Metro, Empty Bottle, the Hideout, Sleeping Village, Thalia Hall, Schubas Tavern, Lincoln Hall, City Winery, Kingston Mines, Hungry Brain, Constellation, Winter’s Jazz Club, Beat Kitchen, Subterranean, Concord Music Hall, Gman Tavern, Cole’s, Golden Dagger, Radius plus Evanston’s Space and Arlington Heights’ Hey Nonny — will require proof of full vaccination for admittance. (As an alternative, Empty Bottle, Thalia Hall, City Winery, Concord Music Hall, Beat Kitchen, Subterranean, Radius and Space also accept proof of a negative COVID test within 72 hours prior to entry.)

At many of the aforementioned venues, concertgoers are also required to wear a mask during the show. When they reopen later this year, Patio Theatre and Avondale Music Hall will require proof of vaccination or confirmation of a negative test. Some venues are even extending their policies to outdoor events.

Last Friday at Out of Space at Canal Shores Golf Course in Evanston, attendees who arrived to see Patti Smith play her first concert since March 2020 showed their ticket and vaccine card (physical, photocopy or picture) or proof of a negative COVID test 24 hours prior to entry to staffers who took the time to check. Those procedures — and a relaxed, roomy setup that held firm even when approaching storms brought the show to a premature end and prompted an evacuation — might prove instructive for future gatherings, such as for Pitchfork Music Festival and Riot Fest in Chicago, and the second phase of Out of Space in Evanston, all slated for September.

Lollapalooza in Grant Park in late July also required proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID test.

Space partner Dave Specter says the meticulous screening that greeted showgoers at Out of Space is by design. “It’s definitely a priority. We want to be as responsible and conscientious about that as possible. Especially at a large outdoor event with more than 4,000 people.”

Bucktown’s venerable Hideout, which has staged all its shows outside, instituted a proof-of-vaccine policy when it reopened in early July. “We’ve always requested for every single show verification of vaccination for customers, artists and staff — and masks when people come inside to use the bathroom,” says co-owner Katie Tuten. “People have been wonderful. They’ve told us that’s one of the reasons they are coming.”

Tuten believes that as more clubs adopt a proof-of-vaccination policy, it will get even easier since showing vaccination proof is fast becoming the norm. The large number of venues that have adopted admittance policies isn’t coincidental; many belong to the Chicago Independent Venue League (CIVL).

“Chicago Independent Venue League is committed to creating a safe environment for our patrons, staff and performers,” says a statement provided by CIVL. “Our members have done what they can by instituting safeguards, social distancing and sanitation protocols. Chicago Independent Venue League strongly urges everyone who is able to get vaccinated to do so immediately.”

While none of the club representatives who spoke with the Chicago Tribune approached their decision lightly, all deemed it necessary for the safety and well-being of everyone involved.

“We needed to put public health first,” says Metro, Gman Tavern and Smartbar owner-founder Joe Shanahan. “It started with a conversation with my staff. They are my stakeholders. We said, ‘What are we going to do?’ It was resoundingly positive. From bartenders to DJs to security, everyone’s on board.”

Empty Bottle took a similarly democratic approach. The Ukranian Village outpost, which reopened in June and kept capacity lower than allowed until its first Lollapalooza after show in late July, polled the staff to determine a course of action — or whether it should do nothing. The majority decided on requiring patrons showing proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test within the past 72 hours. Empty Bottle venue and bar manager Tim Gurnig notes that all staffers will be masked, and that the club keeps masks available at the door. But like several others in his position, he wishes the experts provided clearer guidance.

“You can’t win on this,” Gurnig says. “It is frustrating that the government at every level is slow. We would have loved to have seen the decision come down from the government. We’re not immunologists, doctors or scientists. We are rock people. Some people don’t think we are going far enough and that we should drop the proof of a negative test. But sometimes, people cannot get vaccinated for medical reasons, and it is not our place to know or judge.”

But judgment on social media has become a popular pastime for some angered by the clubs’ policies. Of course, it’s likely nobody objecting to the requirements has to navigate the challenging, fluid environment — or was faced with furloughing employees and a year-plus of income loss — confronting venue owners. And while many patrons have voiced approval for proof-of-vaccine policies, the negative reactions seem louder.

For Hey Nonny owner Chip Brooks, whose northwest suburban venue offers outside dining options for everyone, the decision to require proof of vaccination generated a firestorm. “We’ve gotten dozens of emails,” he says. “We got complete scorn on social media. For a few moments at least, we became the poster child for the anti-vaccination community. It was ugly; it became threatening. They turned it into politics.”

Brooks, who notes many of the dismissive comments came from people who have never patronized his venue, adds: “We’ve gotten a lot of support for the policy, too. We want to do the right thing and survive; that’s all we’re trying to do.”

Other venues have had a smoother experience, though pockets of blowback exist. “A majority of comments are in the middle and say, ‘This is good, you’re doing what’s right,’” says Gurnig. “Some are along the lines of ‘I’m not going to patronize your business’ and then you click on their profile, and the person lives in Texas. One guy called and said, ‘I’m really sad you’re participating in medical apartheid.’ He hung up before I could tell him what that actually means.”

At Space, Specter affirms that he has received an outpouring of positive feedback. Still, the nastiest criticism strikes a nerve. “It’s unpleasant and unfortunate,” he says. “There is a lot of misinformation out there. And that information comes from misinformation sites.

“We’re most concerned about everyone’s safety — that means patrons, the staff and the artists. We’re following CDC guidelines. They say to mask up indoors. It’s the obvious decision and the right decision. We’re looking out for everyone’s health and well-being.”

Echoing those thoughts, Shanahan espouses a common-sense perspective that renders any debate moot. “We want to be on the right side of history, the right side of science,” he says. “There is no them. It is all us. We are all in this together.”