I am loath to write another “this bar I loved is closing/has closed”-type of column, and given that The Cicada has not yet shuttered, I suppose this piece is not that. Fact is, though, the tight margins inherent to the bar business and factors like decreased foot traffic and shifting trends in leisure activities mean the lifespans of live music venues are often brief even in the best of times, and we do not live in the year 2015. The Cicada, which took over the space vacated by another defunct venue, Main at Southside (MASS), announced via its social media channels that it is itself on the ropes. But all is not yet lost. The venue is throwing a Save The Cicada Benefit on Sunday, June 8.
If you’re going out, you might as well go out with a big party, right? But I’d rather think on the bright side and view such an event as the first step in a new era of prosperity, so please come so you can say you were there on the day when The Cicada really started taking off.
Starting at 2pm, the Sunday benefit show will feature food and merch vendors, adoptable dogs, and a silent auction. Of course, being a venue and all, The Cicada will also showcase a stellar lineup of local music, starting at 4pm with a song-swap among Levi Ray, Jakob Robertson, and Katie Robertson. At 7pm, power-pop band Darstar kicks off an evening bill also with Nirvana tribute Oatmeal Pizza at 8, Americana band Sheprador at 9, and party rockers Son of Stan closing the night out at 10.
Supporting a local business is obviously the main reason to show up, but by showing up for The Cicada (and its staff, who would also prefer to not be out of their jobs), you’re also showing up for a creative community — not just musicians but a ton of local artists working across a variety of artforms. Since it opened in May 2023, The Cicada has been a haven for local performers and creatives. There have been burlesque shows and comedy open-mics, D&D happy hours and boardgame nights, plus a bunch of painting classes and art hangouts in between. In her post about the benefit show, owner Tyler Stevens wrote, “The Cicada has always been more than just a bar. It’s been home to poetry nights, DIY workshops, live shows, plant swaps, karaoke chaos, and late-night jukebox singalongs. Sadly, the reality is we’re struggling.
“A 25% rent hike this year, rising costs, and a slow decline in foot traffic have pushed us to the edge,” Stevens continued, “so we’re throwing a benefit! Not just to raise money but to rally our community around the space we’ve built together.
“From now until June 8th and far beyond, we need your support. Whether you swing through for a mocktail, attend a paint night, or just play a game of pool … you’re helping keep this place alive. Let’s come together, make it weird, and keep the magic going.”
I mean, what else can I add to that? Only that The Cicada, above all, is a “third space,” a place where humans can interact with other humans outside of their homes and jobs, and that, in 2025, I think in-person interaction is more important than it’s ever been, which includes the 2020 lockdown. Even though people are no longer separated via a quarantine, personal connections feel worse than ever. I just looked at my screentime last week, and I averaged seven hours a day, and if yours is close to that, we both need to put the phone down and talk to a face that isn’t inside a palm-sized pane of glass. We give up about a fourth of every day to our phones. Why? Is it because it is less effort than joining other people for a shared experience at a specific place and time? Meeting friends for a poetry night or open-mic at a bar might sound weird and even a little awkward, but surely that is more meaningful to your existence than watching seven hours of TikTok, right? I know that sounds facetious, but it’s a question you have to ask yourself, because before you know it, the phone (or whatever new time-sink device Jony Ive and Sam Altman are thinking up) will be the only option.
That Tyler Stevens is trying to rally a community at the Save The Cicada Benefit is kind of what she has been doing the whole time, anyway. I think it’s one of the reasons why her venue is decorated to look like a memaw’s living room. Two years ago, fostering a creative community around a live music venue was a great idea, but in 2025, when the CEOs of companies that profit from keeping us sedentary, divided, angry, and sad are sitting behind an incredibly divisive president at his inauguration, coming together in person as a creative community feels integral to our collective mental health, not to mention that it also functions as a direct response to the people who would prefer for all of us to sit at home and angrily stare at our phones. If you would prefer not to do that, come to The Cicada this Sunday, so you can have the option to come through again in the future.
Save The Cicada Benefit
4pm Sun w/Son of Stan, Sheprador, Oatmeal Pizza, Darstar, Levi Ray, Jakob Robertson, Katie Robertson at The Cicada, 1002 S Main St, Fort Worth. Donations encouraged. 817-882-9504.
