Live music venue The Hideout is closing permanently, a month after shutting down temporarily due to the pandemic.
The space first opened on Queen West in 2006, before moving to College in 2017 after the original building was sold.
In a statement published to the venue’s website on Saturday, Hideout founders – brothers Dan and Jimmy Good, and their cousin Phil – offered “a solemn goodbye for now” in the wake of the “crushing blow” of the coronavirus pandemic.
“The Hideout has been a resilient business over the past 13 years, overcoming many difficult hurdles and challenges,” the statement reads. “We have been able to do this for one reason and one reason only the love and support of our crew, our community and our regulars. Somehow YOU have always managed to keep the music alive. Unfortunately, this is different, it’s a crushing blow, the drums are broken, the guitars smashed and the amps are burning… there can be NO encore.
The statement goes on to note impact of the closure of non-essential businesses on the city.
“The forced (and necessary) closure of bars and other non-essential business throughout the country has taken a toll on many, many lives and the long-term effects are, and will be profound,” the statement reads. “We send our heartfelt thoughts and love and support to any and all small businesses in a similar boat to us right now, and to the entertainment industry and crews as a whole.”
The statement thanks the Hideout crew, community and regulars who kept the business a “resilient” one for over a decade, and also honours the memory of co-founder Ted Good, Dan and Jimmy’s brother, who died in 2009.
“The Soul of The Hideout has always come from the amazing and talented musicians we have been lucky enough to host. Their energy, excitement, enthusiasm and talent have filled our room with a positivity and vibrancy that is such a pleasure to be exposed to time and time again. Thank you all for the music.”
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