Q&A With Tucson's Rialto Foundation Board President Kip Volpe

TUCSON, AZ — Uncertainty abounds for Arizona's live music venues in the aftermath of Gov. Doug Ducey's COVID-19 rollbacks on Thursday.

The orders, which ended capacity constraints on businesses, in addition to reopening bars to normal operations and ending local mask ordinances, leaves venues in the lurch regarding how they should safely reopen.

That's the takeaway at least from Rialto Foundation board member Kip Volpe, who talked with Patch over the phone on Friday to discuss how Ducey's orders impact the state's live music scene.

Below is a transcript of that conversation, edited for clarity and continuity.

Q: How do Gov. Ducey's orders on Thursday impact venues like the Rialto in your opinion?

A: It's not going to be as impactful as it is to other industries like the restaurant industry in its immediate impact. The Rialto's still at the mercy of the touring bands. And if they are going to tour — people are still canceling tours for 2021.

We're also probably at the mercy of California, because for touring bands, California's the destination typically, not Arizona. So, if California remains closed that could affect us. We're also, of course, we're waiting on the Shuttered Venues Operators Grant money, which hasn't rolled out yet and probably won't roll out for another couple of months.

And then, of course, people's behavior in general, how are they going to accept things? Are they going to still stay away because they're afraid? Just because Gov. Ducey made a policy change, I think it was more intended to save restaurants than it was venues like the Rialto.

But there's a lot of things to work through. Obviously this is new. The Rialto's different than say a baseball game or even an outdoor music festival, because our gathering's indoors. And we're still subject to local jurisdictions' restrictions.

I saw in the paper today that Tucson is going to ignore Ducey's order, and what is going to be required of the Rialto to admit people, what kind of diligence is going to be required? Masking may still be required. I'm sure hand sanitizing and other things are going to be required. Is there going to be a capacity limit?

So those are all the things that are still in the hopper. It really hasn't changed us very much, at least in its infancy, this lifting of the order.

Q: How would you describe your sense of optimism right now versus where you were a month or two ago?

A: Oh, it's definitely progress. Ducey's order is progress in some effects, because it's a consciousness. I did see the quote in the paper by [Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego], saying it's like spiking the ball on the 5-yard-line. But it does give you hope. Even though it may not directly impact us immediately. It will impact us in the future.

But as far as our timetable, we're still probably looking at late summer, early fall before we're opened and doing things, for all the reasons we spoke of.

Q: How do you see the next few months going for the live music industry, with or without Thursday's orders from Gov. Ducey?

A: The first step would be the application for the Shuttered Venues Operators Grant. I'm positive that's not going to be an easy application. And to see how that's accepted in the pipeline and how efficient they are in getting the money out to these venues.

Once that happens, once the money does get to the venues, then it would be a rehiring of staff and kind of revving up the business again. Then from there it would be putting on shows.

And there's a lot of things that need to happen to do that. With any building, things aren't going to work when you turn them on. And so there's a lot of lead time needed to put on a show or multiple shows.

So does the lighting still work? Does the roof need to be repaired? Is the soundboard still working? All those things.

And that's what the Shuttered Venues money is for. But it's not going to be immediate. I want to emphasize that.

I think our timetable's still solid as late summer or early fall.

Q: What would you want people that read this story to know, in light of yesterday's announcement by Gov. Ducey, from the Rialto Foundation?

A: We're still going to continue our diligence, with social distancing and masking, with the Gallery Project. And it's going to be interesting to see people's behaviors and their acceptance of Ducey's lifting of the policy and just how compliant they are and how willing they are to mask up.

So I think it's all positive. Every step is a positive step. I just want to let people know that it's not an immediate thing. Opening's still going to be a transition, not immediacy.