WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — There won't be a performance on the stage inside Wilkes-Barre's Karl Hall until at least January 25.
"We were supposed to have a show on (January 4). We were supposed to have a show on (January 7). We're supposed to have a show on the 15th, the 22nd. So all these shows are postponed or canceled until further notice," said owner and general manager A.J. Jump.
Jump says the venue here has been fighting its way through the pandemic, but with the recent rise in COVID-19 cases and acts canceling shows left and right, he feels up in the air.
"It's kind of like when the captain comes on over the intercom of the airplane, and he tells you that we're going to be circling for a while," explained Jump. "And then 20 minutes goes by, and you're still circling. You're still taking those turns, and then an hour goes by, and you're still taking those turns, and it's like bad. What are we going to stop turning?"
Jump says it was easier in 2020 when everything was shut down, but the way things are going now, he says it's more harmful for the venue's reputation in the long run.
"The strongest thing you can do in promotion in this business is to hammer people over the head with it and be consistent. But this takes the consistency away from it. And that's what really hurts," said Jump.
He says consistency is everything in this business.
"It's like, 'Well, he's not having shows right now.' But wait, we're trying to. 'Well, you're not.' But we don't have any power over that," added Jump.
Jump says the venue did everything right. It asked for proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test. So now he has to wait and hope for the best.
"I hope it's like a band-aid. I mean, at first for this wave. I mean, we are hearing some positive things about that. But you don't know. You hear so many different things, and you just don't know. I really hope we don't go majorly backwards," said Jump.
If you want to stay up to date on the happenings here at Karl Hall, you can find information on its website by clicking here.
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