(Photo by Jason Nabb for the Nebraska State Dept. of Tourism)
Compiled by Michael Todd
COMSTOCK
Comstock Music Festivals
Comstock Rock, Aug. 11-13 | Countryfest, Aug. 18-20: Bands yet to be announced.
(See Comstock's Facebook for updates.)
Now that central Nebraska's Comstock Music Festivals Countryfest has been postponed, people who bought tickets for the event can either get their money back or wait another two months for the music to begin.
The Grand Island Independent reports that the festival had been scheduled for June 2-5, but has been pushed back to Aug. 18-20. Festival organizer Bill Kann says the purchase of the land for the festival, about 80 miles east of North Platte in Comstock, caused the postponement. But a release from a festival talent buyer says a now-resolved funding issue caused the date change.
The June concert lineup had included Tanya Tucker, George Jones, Sara Evans and Dierks Bentley. Kann says the change means different acts, but the entertainment will be "on the same level or better."
(From the Associated Press)
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GERING
Oregon Trail Days
Saturday, July 16: The Nacho Men
7 p.m. at Five Rocks Ampitheater.
The unique combination of dance music, costume changes, choreography and humor makes The Nacho Men Colorado's favorite musical performance group. The band has played from coast to coast in the U.S. and in Europe. From Las Vegas casinos to luxury cruise ships, from Mile High Stadium to the Red Rocks Amphitheater (where they opened for The Doobie Brothers), The Nacho Men are a hit.
“They combine their famous vocal harmonies with a rocking back beat, solid rhythm and sizzling hot horns. All of the members play several different instruments, and each musician brings his own distinct brand of humor to the performance (in other words, they're all a bunch of hams!)’ So I thought, why not do something that's dance-related?”
(From the Oregon Trail Days website)
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GRAND ISLAND
Nebraska State Fair
The following concerts require a purchased ticket:
Tickets went on sale Wednesday, June 22 at 8 a.m. Tickets for these concerts can be purchased at the Heartland Events Center Box office, any Ticketmaster location, online at ticketmaster.com or by phone at 800-745-3000. For questions, you may call Fonner Park General Office at 308-382-4515.
Willie Nelson and Family
Sunday, September 4, 2011, 7:30p.m.
Heartland Event Center
$20 plus gate admission, facility fees, and Ticketmaster fees
The following concerts are free with paid gate admission:
Free concert entry process:
Wristbands are required for entry into all free concerts. Each concert's wristbands are available and valid only on the day of that concert. They will be distributed at noon. Crystal Gayle wristbands will be available at 8 a.m. Visit the Heartland Events Center Box Office the day of the concert to obtain a wristband.There is a limit of two wristbands per person.
Wristbands are divided into four entry times per concert: 6 p.m., 6 p.m., 7 p.m., 7:30 p.m. Wristbands for each entry time are available on a first-come-first-served basis. Entry times for the Crystal Gayle show are different. Please see the Crystal Gayle show below for the correct entry times.
All wristbands must be secured on the wrist for entry into the concert. You will only be permitted to enter after the specified entry time on your wristband. Wristbands guarantee admission but not neccesarily a seat.
* Entry times are subject to change pending artist approval.
The Band Perry
Friday, August 26, 7:30p.m.
Heartland Events Center
Kimberly, Reid and Neil Perry are a trio of siblings raised on country, rock and soul: influences that they blend together as seamlessly as the rare magic of their family three-part harmonies.
Crystal Gayle
Wednesday, August 31, 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Heartland Events Center
Crystal Gayle has been a favorite of audiences of country and popular music since attaining national prominence with her first chart records in the mid-'70s.
Jeremy Camp
Thursday, September 1, 7:30p.m.
Heartland Events Center
Jeremy Camp will rock the house with his own style of uplifting contemporary Christian. Camp has released seven albums, with four of them RIAA-certified as Gold and 17 chart-toppers on the Christian charts.
LeAnn Rimes
Friday, September 2, 7:30p.m.
Heartland Events Center
LeAnn Rimes has sold more than 37 million albums, has won two Grammy Awards, three Academy of Country Music Awards and 12 Billboard Music Awards.
Cheap Trick
Monday, September 5, 7:30p.m.
Heartland Events Center
Cheap Trick has performed more than 5,000 shows, sold more than 20 million records, and have 40 gold and platinum recording awards to their credit.
(From Nebraska State Fair website)
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LINCOLN
Stransky Park Summer Concert Series
If loving your neighbor as yourself takes a little extra incentive, try a summer concert series in a park featuring a manmade mountain, a three-tier waterfall and a gazebo doubling as a stage. The Irvingdale Neighborhood Association hosts its eighth-annual batch of weekly shows in Stransky Park, which takes place on Thursdays from 7 to 9 p.m., offering a change of scenery for the local musicians on the bill.
“Most bands like to come out because it’s literally a breath of fresh air away from the clubs, and bands [in past years] seemed happy even when they weren’t getting paid well,” says concert series director Jim Heydt in a phone interview. “It’s a very pleasant setting to be playing music in, as well as listening to it.”
Nestled in the well-kept secret of the Irvingdale neighborhood, Stransky Park at 17th and Harrison makes up for its smaller size by boasting extensive landscaping, a playground and enough green space to fit nearly 600 people with blankets and lawn chairs. Parking can be difficult, but musician Ryan Larsen says crowds have been courteous. On a beautiful night, Larsen says, it’s easy just to enjoy the music.
“This is way more family-oriented than traditional venues, so you get to see a lot of kids, which is fun for a band like ours that gets kids to sing onstage with us,” says Larsen, who plays drums and sings backup vocals in The Blues Messengers and helped book this year's festival. “Musicians like to make money, and there’s no real guarantee here. But this is an exception, because the park has been such a fun, successful gig to play.”
(From Hear Nebraska article)
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Lincoln Calling
Oct. 12-15: Bands yet to be announced.
OMAHA
Red Sky Music Festival
July 18–23: Journey, 311, Zac Brown Band, George Clinton…
The Red Sky Music Festival has announced its lineup for its inaugural year in Omaha.
The headliners for the six-day festival at Omaha's new TD Ameritrade Park are Journey, 311, Kid Rock, Zac Brown Band and Jason Aldean. Secondary acts that will play at two stages set up around the ballpark include Better Than Ezra, Cowboy Mouth, George Clinton, Sister Hazel and 10,000 Maniacs.
The festival is scheduled for July 18-23.
Passes to the festival grounds cost $15 for one day, $30 for three days and $60 for six days. Tickets are needed for the main-stage shows and range from $25 to $125, depending on the show. Those tickets include a pass to the festival grounds for the day of the show.
(From Red Sky website)
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Nebraska Pop Festival
Download a free digital mixtape featuring 30+ bands/artists featured at the festival.
*All proceeds gained from the 2011 event will go directly to Arts for All, Inc.
Saturday, July 30 at 7 p.m.
Pre-festival show for Nebraska Pop Festival @ Barley Street Tavern
$7 per person
Must be 21+ to enter
1. Anniversaire (Omaha)
^2. Faster Than Sane (Wisconsin)
^3. Strawberry Burns (Lincoln)
4. Disasteradio (New Zealand)
5. Whadawookie (Omaha)
6. PORCHES (New York)
Tuesday, August 9 at 7 p.m.
Nebraska Pop Festival @ The Pizza Shoppe Collective
$7 per person
All Ages *Those under 18 must have a notarized permission slip on file with venue, or need be present with a paying legal guardian
1. Family Picnic (Omaha)
2. Murakami (Lincoln)
3. Mint Wad Willy (Omaha)
4. Met City (Indiana)
*5. Gabe Cahill (Omaha)
*6. Platte River Rain (Omaha)
Wednesday, August 10 at 7 p.m.
Nebraska Pop Festival @ The Pizza Shoppe Collective
$7 per person
All Ages *Those under 18 must have a notarized permission slip on file with venue, or need be present with a paying legal guardian
1. Celeritas (Omaha)
2. Hemingway's Lion (Tobias, Neb.)
3. Tara Vaughan (Omaha)
4. Demerit, Samuel (Wisconsin)
5. Green Trees (Lincoln)
6. The West Valley (Omaha)
Thursday, August 11 at 7 p.m.
Nebraska Pop Festival @ Barley Street Tavern
$7 per person
Must be 21+ to enter
1. Edge Of Arbor (Omaha)
^2. The River Monks (Iowa)
*3. Matty Cries (Washington)
**4. Thunder Power (Omaha)
5. Fingers of the Sun (Colorado)
6. Rock Paper Dynamite (Omaha)
Friday, August 12 at 7 p.m.
Nebraska Pop Festival @ Barley Street Tavern
$7 per person
Must be 21+ to enter
^1. AYGAMG (Omaha)
*2. Paper City (California)
3. Since Our First Guitar (Sweden)
^4. Blue Bird (Omaha)
*5. Normandie Wilson (California)
6. FOAM FORM (Lincoln)
Saturday, August 13 at 7 p.m.
Nebraska Pop Festival @ Barley Street Tavern
$7 per person
Must be 21+ to enter
1. Gloworm (Lincoln)
2. The Sunshine Dreamers (Kansas)
*3. The Kissing Party (Colorado)
4. Caramel Snow (New York)
5. Biggles Flys Again (Ireland)
**6. The Sleepover (Lincoln)
7. Xenia Rubinos (New York)
Sunday, August 14 at 2 p.m.
Nebraska Pop Festival @ Side Door Lounge
$7 per person
Must be 21+ to enter
1. Glass of Milk (Omaha)
2. The Golden Hour (Lincoln)
*3. Panda Face (Lincoln)
4. Sofa City Sweetheart (California)
*5. Paris When It Sizzles! (Omaha)
*6. Floating Opera (Lincoln)
7. The Big Deep (Omaha)
8. Careful Q (Illinois)
*9. The Tinycakes (Illinois)
10. Irkutsk (Lincoln)
11. Carrot Carrot (Lincoln)
12. Hindershot (Colorado)
Legend:
* = band/artist second year performing at Nebraska Pop Festival
** = band/artist third year performing at Nebraska Pop Festival
^ = band featuring musician(s) second year performing at Nebraska Pop Festival\
(From Nebraska Pop Festival website)
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Hullabaloo Music and Camping Festival
Aug. 4-6: Kris Lager Band, Satchel Grande, Orion Walsh, We Be Lions…
Camping is free with ticket purchase ($40 for three-day pass), and Oma Hoop will be providing free morning hula hoop lessons.
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Maha Music Festival
Saturday, Aug. 13: Guided by Voices, Matisyahu, The Machete Archive, Cursive…
Noon, at Aksarben Village
Two more national artists and three local bands will join Guided by Voices, Matisyahu and Cursive at the MAHA Music Festival on Saturday, Aug. 13.
J. Mascis and The Reverend Horton Heat will play MAHA's main stage. Noah's Ark Was a Spaceship, The So-So Sailors and The Machete Archive will play the local stage.
Best known as the frontman of the influential indie trio Dinosaur Jr., J Mascis is touring in support of his acclaimed solo album, "Several Shades of Why."
The Reverend Horton Heat is perhaps the most popular psychobilly artist of all time. The Reverend (as both the three-man band and its guitar-playing frontman are known) have built a strong cult following through manic showmanship and a twisted sense of humor.
Omaha-based Noah's Ark Was a Spaceship was recently featured on RollingStone.com's Hype Monitor, which noted the band's "primal rhythms, shouted vocals and tense, taut guitar lines."
The So-So Sailors is comprised of members of some established Omaha bands including Ladyfinger, McCarthy Trenching, The Bruces and Bloodcow, though the band's sound is a departure for most of its band members.
Hailing from Lincoln, The Machete Archive is a three-piece instrumental band. Founded in 2007, they released their first album, "Terra Incognita," that same year and their first full length album, "Tempus Omnia," in 2009.
In collaboration with Hear Nebraska, the three local bands will each headline and curate a free summer showcase, selecting up to three other bands to play with them. Noah's Ark Was a Spaceship played at the Waiting Room in Omaha on June 22. The Machete Archive played at Duffy's Tavern on June 30. The So-So Sailors will play at The Slowdown in Omaha on July 28.
The MAHA Music Festival once again partnered with the Omaha Entertainment and Art Awards, through participation in the OEA Awards' band showcases in Omaha's Benson neighborhood on July 8 and 9. As in previous years, fans voted throughout the showcase, and the band receiving the highest number of votes will secure the opening slot at the MAHA Music Festival.
(From the Lincoln Journal Star)
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Farnam Festival
Saturday, August 27: Blue Bird, Little Brazil, The So-So Sailors, All Young Girls Are Machine Guns
The mission of the Farnam Festival is to promote the 40th & Farnam business district as an exciting, urban experience where people want to live, work and play.
Think of Farnam Festival as the block party from your childhood, except the music is louder, you can stay up later, and you can drink beer. We block off the street and bring in amazing musical talent. We have a beer garden sponsored by amazing breweries featuring craft beers as well as tried and true domestics that go down easy on a summer eve.
When you get hungry, there are food trucks nearby. Last year, we had seven bands grace our stage: Thunder Power, Midwest Dilemma, Southpaw Bluegrass Band, Sarah Benck, The Third Men, Brad Hoshaw and the Seven Deadlies, and Normandy Invasion. We’re bringing in the same caliber to the 40th Street stage this year. Stay tuned for full list of bands and set times.
We love the diversity this year. When asked by an Omaha music promoter to describe the genre of her new band Blue Bird, songwriter and front-woman Marta Fiedler simply replied “make-out music.”
All Young Girls Are Machine Guns is the award-winning brainchild of ukulele-wielding, bow-hunting, beating-of-the-drum-type misfits. They will make you dance…whether you like it. or not.
Kyle Harvey is opening up the night. Genre? Beardgaze.
Omaha's Little Brazil have peeled away layers of themselves: elation, desperation, tenderness, hope, sorrow and pain and found the tempestuous core of their shared experience—a series of narratives that make up their album “Son” bound by the common thread of family dysfunction and tragedy.
(From Farnam Festival website)
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Michael Todd culled this so-far-incomplete compendium of festivals from many of Nebraska's fine publications and the festivals' websites. He will continue to add to the list as the summer goes on. Reach him at michaeltodd@hearnebraska.org or please leave a comment below if you know of any other music festivals or concert series in Nebraska.