I’m not entirely sure when I first started writing for The Reader. I know it was after the launch of its predecessor publication, which was going strong at the same time I was covering Omaha’s music scene for the regional magazine, The Note, published out of Lawrence, Kansas. Somewhere along he way, that predecessor publication became The Reader at around the same time The Note folded after its editor/publisher discovered he was losing a few thousand dollars with every issue published.
The transition to working for The Reader was seamless; and I carried on covering Omaha (and national) indie bands and musicians through cover stories, features, reviews and columns, all while holding down my real gig at Union Pacific, wondering if someday I would leave the corporate world and take on more responsibilities at The Reader, never doubting the publication would be around forever.
Well, friends, yesterday the gut punch came a-punching, as editor/publisher John Heaston announced The Reader will quit publication after its September issue. You can read all the details in this letter from the editor, but the short of it is that John needs to focus on something more important than deadlines and ad sales.
Reaction to the news has been extreme, ranging from “This will cripple the Omaha arts scene!” to “I thought they quit publishing years ago.” For those who have escaped into social media and left behind formal, locally produced journalistic publications, the loss of The Reader will hardly be noticeable, just like the loss of the Omaha World-Herald, which really died when Buffett sold it out years ago.
But for those who run art galleries, produce plays, record albums, make films or partake in the products of all those endeavors, the loss of The Reader will be something more profound. In a metro (and surrounding area) whose population exceeds a million — a city currently experiencing an explosion in the growth of music venues, with a nationally recognized food culture and a globally recognized indie music record label — it’s both strange and unfortunate that there are no arts and entertainment publications covering it. With the loss of The Reader, that void will become even more noticeable.
So say your goodbyes. I know I will. On top of everything else, I’ve written a column for The Reader continually since December 2004 – a little over 18 years. And while I’ve sweated them deadlines, I’ll also miss them along with the opportunity to share my voice and opinions in a print publication. I know there will be other places to publish my words. But will those words be forged with ink on paper?
After more than 30 years of editing and publishing, Mr. Heaston deserves his chance to focus on the most important things in life. Maybe it’s time for someone else to step up and continue telling the story of Omaha’s creative class…
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Just a reminder that indie artist Say Hi is performing tonight at a home somewhere in Dundee. If you’re freaked out about going to a house show, bring a friend along. The two of you can share in the awkwardness and who knows, you might might meet some new friends. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased here. Upon receipt you’ll be sent the secret address. The music starts at 8 p.m.
The crowd last Saturday night for Ondara at Slowdown Jr. was unusual in that almost all of the mostly older folks were seated at high-top tables that filled the room. I don’t remember ever seeing a set-up like that at Slowdown. Opener Kiely Connell was finishing her set when I walked in and noticed not a soul standing in front of the stage. It felt like a formal jazz lounge.
Before he took the stage, I stood back along the edge toward the door that leads to the patio, having spent the between-set time sitting alone outside. Ondara stood in the make-shift “backstage” area behind the curtain off of stage left, not quite pacing next to the pool table, but looking down as he quietly sang to himself in a sort of pre-show voice-warmup ritual. Then he stood up straight and strolled onto the stage to warm applause.
It’s been a long time since I’ve heard anyone with a voice as strong and sure as Ondara’s. He started his set with an a-cappella number that had the crowd mesmerized. And then he methodically went through a set list of a little over a dozen songs, all accompanied by his simple acoustic guitar, all reminding me of early Tracy Chapman — both in melody and vocal style — and it just so happens that I adore Tracy Chapman.
The difference between Ondara and Chapman is in his lack of variety – most of his songs have a similar mid-tempo four-chord style – and his lyrics that, while personal, are nowhere near as gut-wrenchingly confessional as Chapman’s early material, which was revelatory for its time. That said, his songs are no less depressing, introducing them with “Here’s another sad one” and closing out the evening by saying “Time goes by quickly when you’re sad,” though he looked anything but sad as he rifled through the set list, explaining how some of the songs came along. This one is a lock-down song; this one is about aliens, and so on.
Really beautiful stuff and, like I said, sung with a strong, confident voice so unlike the style of singing I’m accustomed to hearing at indie shows where vocals hold a distant third behind the lyrics and instrumentation, almost as if an after-thought (“hey, someone has to sing these lines.”).
Not Ondara. His voice alone is a treasure. To underscore this, the first of his three-song encore was another a-cappella number, sung perfectly, unwavering, again mesmerizing the strange, seated crowd.
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In the early 2000, one of the staple indie acts that toured throughout the country and into Omaha was Say Hi to Your Mom, a one-man act consisting of singer/songwriter Eric Elbogen. We used to call his kind of records “bedroom recordings” because the artist typically recorded the albums themselves on computer. playing all the parts. Thus was how Elbogen did it for his first album, 2002’s Discosadness, and for many that would be released over the next 20 years, some on the PNW label Barsuk Records, whose massive roster also included Mates of State, Death Cab for Cutie, Rilo Kiley, Starlight Mints, Viva Voce, Ra Ra Riot and a ton more of bands I love.
Sometime over the course of that 20 years, Say Hi to Your Mom became just Say Hi. I guess Elbogen outgrew that earlier name. And now you’ll have a chance to see Say Hi yourself, as Elbogen brings his one-man show to a home in Dundee this Wednesday as part of his Undertow Tour – a tour played entirely in people’s homes. So where is the actual location? All I know is that it’s somewhere in Dundee and that you’ll be notified when you buy your ticket, which is $25 and available for purchase online at this website. Don’t worry, it’s probably a super nice place. Hurry, there are only 18 tickets left as of this writing, and Say Hi shows have a way of selling out. Starts at 8 p.m.
Here’s what I know (or at least what I can tell you) about yesterday’s big announcement that the Maha Music Festival will move to the Omaha Riverfront a.k.a. Heartland of America Park for its 2024 festival:
The newly designed park will have a humongous green lawn space able to comfortably handle a boost the event’s estimated attendance to 20,000 over two days. That’s nearly double what they did at last year’s festival. The huge space will allow Maha to add a third stage opposite of the main and second stages, which will host local bands. I’m not sure how that will work, considering last night I could clearly hear Little Brazil playing their final song all the way at 14th and Dodge St. where my car was parked.
A rendering of how the Maha Festival will be situated downtown in 2024.
Anyway, to draw 20,000, Maha will have to book bands that pull arena-sized crowds. Will that mean a shift in Maha’s booking philosophy, away from the indie style of music they built their reputation on? We’ll see, but rumor has it Maha already has someone lined up for next year’s Riverfront debut.
I’m already seeing people complain online about parking downtown. No doubt Maha will have a plan in place to get you to the festival easily, but there’s no question it’ll be hard to beat the pure convenience of Stinson Park at Aksarben Village, where the festival has been held the past decade (and will be held for one final time again this year). For us mid-towners, the Stinson location was pretty awesome – heck, I rode my bike to Maha. That won’t be an option next year.
But parking ain’t no thing, compared to what the new location will potentially provide. Though for me, just like Steelhouse Omaha and The Astro, it all comes down to the booking…
A gaggle of local muckety-mucks were on hand for yesterday’s announcement, including representatives from the Mayor’s office (wonder where she was?), MECA and BFF. And the biggest muckety-mucks of all — Little Brazil — played a full set from the make-shift performance space located on the edge of the new park (which won’t be open until sometime later this summer).
Landon Hedges and the boys ripped through a tight set that featured selections from the most recent album as well as a couple oldies. Maybe it was the afternoon timeframe (and the lack of pre-concert imbibing) but Landon never sounded better vocally, hitting all those precious high notes for a crowd of around 70 stretched out in lawn chairs on the green next to the dog park. Yeah, it was loud, but the dogs didn’t seem to mind. The set-up’s tiny PA, however, began to crackle halfway through the set, unable to handle the sheer power of Little Brazil.
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Onward to the weekend, and it’s packed for a holiday, except for tonight – which is a vast wasteland.
Tomorrow night (Saturday), singer/songwriter J.S. Ondara – or just Ondara, as he’s known — headlines at Slowdown Jr. Born in Nairobi, legend has it he grew up listening to rock music on his sister’s battery-powered radio, and cites Radiohead, Nirvana, Death Cab and Jeff Buckley as inspirations. His latest album, Spanish Villager No. 3, was released last year on Verve Forecast. To me, Ondara sounds like next-generation Tracy Chapman, right down to the quivering vocal style. Check out MarQ Manner’s interview with Ondara in The Reader, right here. Opening is Nashville roots singer/songwriter Kiely Connell. 8 p.m. $30.
Also tomorrow night (Saturday), Omaha prog-rock masters Violenteer opens for Reno noise rock band Elephant Rifle at Reverb Lounge. Local Ponzi Scheme also is on this 3-band bill that starts at 8 p.m. and will run you $15.
Meanwhile, just down the street at The Sydney, Madison Wisconsin’s Carrellee headlines. Her debut album, Scale of Dreams, was produced by Brett Bullion (Low, Polica). Also on the bill are Mr. Softheart. Specter Poetics opens at 9 p.m. $10.
Finally, Sunday night, Omaha noise-punk band Leafblower opens for KC growlers Nerver. Omaha punkers Nowhere also are on the bill. 8 p.m., $12.
And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend!
Yesterday it was announced that The Good Life’s seminal 2004 album, titled Album of the Year, is being reissued as a gold-colored double-vinyl album by Saddle Creek Records. Here I thought all of Tim Kasher’s projects were now released by the record label he runs with the Cursive bandmates — 15 Passenger Records. But it looks like Saddle Creek is still releasing The Good Life’s catalog, and now, this fancy reissue. Why has Kasher kept this project with the Creek? I don’t know, but for some reason, it feels endearing. Pre-order here.
Anyway, The Good Life is touring this new reissue for two weeks in August, which includes the Aug. 11 Outlandia Festival gig (which is specifically NOT AN ALBUM OF THE YEAR SHOW, according the Saddle Creek press release).
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Here’s another quick reminder about this afternoon’s Maha Festival pop-up event in the park downtown featuring a performance by Little Brazil. It’s free and starts at 5 p.m. down by the giant Kaneko head.
Also tonight, the electronic duo Princess (Alexis Gideon and Michael O’Neill) is performing at Low End at The Bemis – an amazing space to see live music, located at 724 So. 12th St. Princess is “is a queer interdisciplinary performing arts duo that uses music as the narrative basis for their conceptual, visually dynamic video operas.” Opening for Princess is Nebraska’s own Problems a.k.a. Darren Keen, which Bemis describes as a “one-person dance-punk project.” Show starts at 8 p.m. and is free.
Firstly, welcome back – or more accurately – it’s good to be back. I’ve been in Savannah the past week on R & R. I won’t get into it other than to say it’s as gorgeous as in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
Anyway, in my absence, the Maha Music Festival announced a “surprise summer showcase” taking place tomorrow afternoon from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at 8th and Farnam downtown (right near the dog park and the Jun Kaneko giant head). Now I wonder why they chose that location? The fun will include a live set from Little Brazil and DJ Crabrangucci. LB, btw, played the first-ever Maha festival back in 2009.
Stand ready for some special announcements about the future of Maha. Head downtown tomorrow and find out. The whole dang thing is free.
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Sacramento garage rock duo Dog Party usually plays at O’Leaver’s when they’re in town. Tonight they’re headlining at Reverb Lounge and recent recordings reflect a shift in their sound in some new directions. Also on the bill are CatBeret and Ragdoll. $17, 8 p.m.
The Astro Amphitheater in La Vista is still being constructed but that isn’t stopping it from announcing the first slate of shows for its new live performance complex located at 8302 City Center Drive in beautiful La Vista.
The facility’s details you already know: 2,400-capacity 52,000-square-foot indoor theater (The Astro) attached to an outdoor grass amphitheater that can host 5,500 attendees (The Astro Amphitheater). Mammoth, Inc., out of Kansas City and 1% Productions manage the facility’s bookings. If you follow them on the socials or their new website, you’ve already heard who will be among the first bands playing at the Astro:
Aug. 30 — Rick Springfield, The Hooters, Paul Young and Tommy Tutone, outdoors
Sept. 16 — Beth Hart, inside
Sept. 21 — Ancient Aliens Live, inside
Sept. 23 — Goo Goo Dolls and Fitz & the Tantrums, outdoors
Sept. 24 — Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band, inside
Sept. 30 — The Gaslight Anthem, inside
Oct. 5 — Dropkick Murphys, The Interrupters and Jesse Ahern, outdoors
Carmen Stalker from Mammoth said the Astro will “have a wide range of musical genres, including rock, alt rock, country, bluegrass, and more.” I’m trying to line up an interview with whomever will be the facility’s primary booker for a story similar to what I wrote about Steelhouse, here.
Like Steelhouse, it may be too early to say what kind of bands The Astro will book, though if this initial lineup is any indication, I have a feeling they might be after the same sort of bands that Stir Cove traditionally has booked. Stir is handled by Live Nation, and the last show I attended there was Beck way back in September 2017. Time will tell.
By the way, Astro has yet to announce its “grand opening” festivities. You’d think, like Steelhouse, who sort of seems to be among their chief competition, they’ll want to start off with a bang, like their sold out Killers show. Hold onto your hats.
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Tim Kasher of Cursive performing at Sokol Underground June 3, 2000.
Speaking of sold out shows, tonight at The Waiting Room its Cursive performing Domestica in its entirety. Hard to believe that album came out 23 years ago. If the show follows the same set list the band played last weekend in Dallas and Austin, expect the performance to be broken into four parts, with an initial set of three songs, followed by Domestica, then a set of five songs followed by an encore. That’s a long-ass show.
Opening is Neva Dinova, which appears to consist of members of Cursive joining Jake Bellows, but this being Omaha, anything could happen. This one’s been sold out for a long time – even your poor, lowly scribe didn’t manage to get a ticket. If you’re going, the fun starts at 8 p.m.
In case it slipped your mind, The Killers are from “fabulous Las Vegas” and they’ll never let you forget it.
Frontman / telethon host Brandon Flowers reminded the crowd multiple times throughout Friday night’s set at the grand opening of Steelhouse Omaha, strutting across the enormous stage in a purple tux jacket, leading the confetti-covered crowd through a tight, well-choreographed evening of fist-pump anthems.
But before I get to that, first Steelhouse Omaha itself. Located at 11th and Dodge St. only a stone’s throw from the Holland Performing Arts Center, the new facility is destined to become a landmark for live music. From the ground up, it is an ultra-modern concert hall that appears to have erupted right out of the concrete in downtown Omaha.
Announced at the height of COVID in November 2019, many thought it could be a fool’s dream — no one knew what was going to happen with the pandemic. At the same time, it was a beacon of hope, assurance that somehow we’d get through all this sickness and death, that Omaha Performing Arts and its patrons must know something or they wouldn’t commit north of $110 million in a new facility designed to host a crowd like a herd of cattle, standing shoulder-to-shoulder in a windowless, confined hall – the absolute last place you’d want to be in the middle of an airborne-spread pandemic.
Yet, here we were, three-and-a-half years later, Covid all but eradicated, waiting to dive head-first into a maskless crowd. Ain’t humanity amazing?
I arrived at around 7:15 and stood in the short queue to get in. The first checkpoint was an ID check for an alcohol wristband, located outside the facility. Through the door and some sort of high-tech metal detector (no need to empty your pockets), I made a beeline to the box office, where my ticket was waiting in will-call. Most older box offices have multiple windows – this was one walk-up hole in the wall, which made me think they must really want to sell advance tickets because if they ever have a large walk-up crowd, this small ticket window would be a challenge (and you know what they say — Omaha is a walk-up city).
From there, it was right into the venue. Booking The Killers – a band that usually plays 20,000-seat arenas — was like learning to swim by being tossed into a deep, dark lake. I guess if you’re going to pressure-test the system, do it right out of the box. To their credit, Steelhouse passed the hospitality portion of the test with flying colors, thanks to a massive phalanx of smiling, crew-shirted staff at every turn (reminding me of the Maha Festival, whose success has floated on its own massive volunteer staff). No gruff, overworked bouncers here, these folks all looked like they were having a good time.
The lobby held a large merch area and bar, then through the doors on your right and you entered the enormous main hall cram-packed with T-shirt-clad fans holding plastic cups. Stairs on either side were well-guarded to keep riff-raff without club tickets (like me) from going upstairs.
Bars (concessions) were built into the walls on either side of the hall, and in back – seemed like they were everywhere. Even with a sold-out crowd, I had no problem buying my $13 pint of wheat beer. All purchases are cashless, so grab your credit card and ID and leave your wallet at home.
With my beer in hand, this was when things got tricky. The main floor was already crush-filled. I stepped into the mass of humanity a couple times just to check out the sight-lines. Instead of being sloped, the main, standing-floor area seemed flat, but the stage was raised high enough that sightlines would only be a problem for the most height-challenged.
Somehow, I ended standing on one of the elevated decks along stage right, where I noticed a guy manning what looked like a battery of T-shirt cannons.
“Confetti cannons?” I asked. He nodded, smiling. “When will those go off? At the beginning? At the end?”
“All night,” the guy said. “The Killers love their confetti.”
The Killers at Steelhouse Omaha, May 12, 2023.
We all discovered this shortly after 8 p.m. when the band took the stage and – bamf! — off went the cannons in a glittering cloud of paper as the Killers slammed into their opening number, “My Own Soul’s Warning.” And the crowd, as they say, went nuts.
It’s here that I should tell you I’m not a fan of The Killers. I think their music is fine if not a bit generic and by-the-numbers for my personal taste. With their hooks and their sing-along choruses, I understand why the mostly older crowd loved them. Frontman Flowers has a stage presence that seems to emote “We’re here all week with two shows a day on weekends,” ticking off the hits the fans so desperately want to hear.
The room sounded overall pretty good, if a bit tinny and oversaturated on the high end. Volume was even throughout the entire facility. The arsenal of lighting was impressive, as was the giant backdrop video that augmented every song, as if The Killers had brought a Las Vegas stage show to Omaha (because they sort of did).
Problems began when I turned around to make my way to the back of the room. There were no walk-throughs and people were smashed all the way across the aisles, requiring that I shoulder my way against the current of flesh. Still, I never really felt trapped. The main auditorium is designed with large exit doors that open into a secondary lounge where the bathrooms are located, which then exits into a large patio area — both nice touches and areas to escape to when you feel overwhelmed by the sound and noise.
Sunday I went to the Steelhouse Open House to get a look at the facility without all the people, and yes, it does feel rather sterile in the cold light of day. But you go for the rock show, not the feng shui.
Flowers and Co. slammed through one song after the next, never slowing down and only briefly acknowledging that they had the honor of playing the grand opening. “We’ve been asked to christen The Steelhouse,” Flowers yelled. “Usually we’re asked to blow the roof off the place!”
Yeah! the crowd roared, and then they fired right into one of their more lyrically in-ept songs, “Human,” with the robot chorus, “Are we human or are we dancer?” (sic). Lots of air punches ensued.
Later in the set, Flowers brought the vibe down. “We usually play larger rooms than this,” he said. “This next song is perfect for this room. We made a Bright Eyes record during Covid called Pressure Machine. Wherever Conor is tonight, this is for him.” Little did he realize few in the audience knew who he was talking about as he sang the acoustic-guitar-drive “Runaway Horses,” a song that sounds nothing like a Bright Eyes song.
After about 75 minutes, they closed out their set with another fan favorite, “All These Things That I’ve Done,” where the crowd sang along to the repeated line, “I’ve got soul but I’m not a soldier.” OK. Instead of a typical encore, the set ended with about five minutes of low-end hum and smoke from smoke machines.
I stood in the back, taking it in, when a short, young, bearded guy came up to me and asked, “Did they do ‘Brightside’ yet?” I said I didn’t know. He shook his head and walked off before I could add, “because I have no idea what that song is.”
The band then came back for the visually homo-erotic “The Man,” followed by, you guessed it, “Mr. Brightside.” And Bamf! more confetti! And there you have it. I walked out to the patio and escaped into the night. All in all, a big success for Steelhouse. I’m looking forward to going back to see a band that I actually want to see. Now if they would only book one.
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Speaking of standing-room shows, there’s one tonight at Reverb Lounge. Quirky ‘90s-era surf rock act Man or Astro-Man? headlines a four-band bill that includes the always-amazing Solid Goldberg. Also on the scorecard are laughingthrush & B.Sonnier. $28, 8 p.m.
If you’re wondering what those searchlights are all about downtown, tonight is the big Grand Opening of Steelhouse Omaha, 1100 Dodge St., featuring alt rock band The Killers. The concert literally sold out in minutes and I’ve yet to talk to anyone who was able to buy a ticket.
That said, I’ll be at Steelhouse tonight, courtesy of the band’s publicist (if all goes well at Will Call). No photo pass, so something tells me we’re going to see some sort of “no photography” policy tonight as the publicist said he’ll provide photos for use with the review after the fact. Still, I’ll try to capture the evening as best I can with my iPhone.
I interviewed Omaha Performing Arts President Joan Squires and Erika Hansen, who is responsible for booking Steelhouse, for an article that appears in this month’s issue of The Reader. That story, which is online here, covers booking policies, including the decision to use Live Nation and Ticketmaster as exclusive booking and ticket agents. It also addressed The Killers ticket sales situation and lots of other stuff. I’ve also posted the article at the end of this post (captured for posterity’s sake).
As a fan of modern indie music, I’m keeping my fingers crossed Steelhouse will book at least one show a month that will coax me into buying a ticket. Two shows a month would be gravy. But I’m not naive. I know that indie music is a niche genre, and while it’s wildly popular along the coasts and in large cities, I’m not so sure how popular it is in Omaha these days. Instead of Book It and They Will Come, the story’s headline should have been Book Acts that will Bring Them In.
I thought, being a non-profit, that Steelhouse and O-pa could take more risks on acts that are breaking through in other parts of the country — really introducing them to the Omaha area — and that profitability would come second to cultural enrichment. We’re talking bands that would draw 300 instead of 3,000. Squires added some clarification:
“We have to raise money every year as a nonprofit organization so I don’t take that as a given that we don’t still have to watch our bottom line just like everybody else,” she said. “We do have a responsibility to make sure we are being fiscally responsible. We want to make (Steelhouse) the right experience and the right fit. Those bands would not be a great fit for Steelhouse because you’ve got a small band and a small audience and you sit in a space that could have 3,000 people. It is not the kind of scene you want for either the artist or the audience.”
Let’s face it, no one want to play in front of a mostly empty auditorium.
Hansen did go on to say that the venue is flexible and there are adjustments that can be made for certain acts. For example, the upcoming Elvis Costello concert will be a seated event with chairs and a capacity of 1,500 total.
“3,000 isn’t always a success measure,” Hansen said. “It might be a band that would be a thousand and that’s great and that’s a success. So the capacity of the venue is not a measurement of success.”
Both Squires and Hansen pointed to the future. Although many of the shows currently scheduled for Steelhouse cater to an old(er) crowd, both said those shows don’t represent what will eventually be booked at Steelhouse. Hansen said, essentially, what ’til you see what they have booked for this fall. Their October already is mostly booked.
If you want to check out Steelhouse, the venue is hosting a free Open House on Sunday. It will include tours and a performance by the Central High School Jazz Band, Nebraska All-Star Rock & Roll Band, Omaha Girls Rock, Salem Baptist Church Choir and Enjoli & Timeless. For more info about this and other community events, as well as the latest concert lineup, go to steelhouseomaha.com.
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OK, what else is going on this weekend?
Tonight over at art-space Project Project, 1818 Vinton St., it’s Noisefest, featuring 20 “local and touring noise musicians,” including from Omaha: Lonnie Methe, Dereck Higgins, Alex Jacobsen, Cole Kempke, Smith & Jensen, Bovinae, and Quiz The Machine Elf. I don’t know most of those acts, but you might. The full list of performers is here. This free show starts at 5 p.m.
Meanwhile, downtown at The Slowdown tonight, Omaha rockers Garst is hosting its album release show with punk super-group Bad Bad Men and BB Sledge. 8 p.m., $12.
Tomorrow night (Saturday), Matt Whipkey is playing two shows at The Jewell in celebration of the release of his new album Gummi Soul: Another Rubber, his reimagining of The Beatles’ Rubber Soul album. The performance will include a reunion of Whipkey’s band The Movies and special guests including the incomparable Stephen Sheehan of Digital Sex and The World fame, and newcomer Kristen Buell. Expect a mix of the Beatles songs and Movies chestnuts. Two shows: 6:30 and 8:30; $15.
That’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend.
With Its Opening May 12, Steelhouse Hopes to Put Omaha Back on the Tour Map
By Tim McMahan
Everything about the new Steelhouse Omaha music venue, operated by Omaha Performing Arts (O-pa), will be state of the art — the lights, the sound, the overall experience. The 3,000-capacity downtown venue, which is designed for standing concerts (mostly, there are also balcony seats), will celebrate its opening night May 12 with a performance by alt-rock band The Killers, a show that, despite its $75-plus ticket price, sold out in minutes.
The quick sellout proves more important than state-of-the-art facilities is booking quality acts. Last January, O-pa President Joan Squires was interviewed by local media saying one of the project’s motivations was to attract young patrons, specifically between the ages 18 and 45. “The entire venue is going to be an experience that will really help this city attract people this age,” she was quoted as saying.
I was a little bummed. After all, I’m in my mid-50s, well outside that target range. I envisioned a constant stream of TikTok-style pop acts playing in front of a huge, squirming crowd of squeaky-clean youngsters, all holding up cell phones for one giant Instagram moment.
However, after a few weeks of Steelhouse show announcements, it turns out I might be at the lower end of the target age. Among the acts announced so far: ’90s alt-rock legends Counting Crows, hair-metal bands W.A.S.P and Cinderella’s Tom Keifer, ’70s funk icons Parliament Funkadelic, 68-year-old singer/songwriter Elvis Costello, and The Flaming Lips performing an album released more than 20 years ago. In fact, all the above performers’ heydays were more than 20 years ago.
Oh, it’s not all legacy acts. Steelhouse is also hosting “fresh” hip-hop performer $not (pronounced Snot), Japanese novelty Babymetal and indie darlings Fleet Foxes, whose breakthrough debut was released 15 years ago, but that’s it for new-ish artists. So, what exactly is the venue’s booking strategy? Squires and Erika Hansen, director of booking for Steelhouse, said these early bookings are just that: early bookings.
“We’re just starting, Tim,” Squires said. “We’re certainly going to continue to move in a younger direction. This just happens to be who’s got opportunities to come to Steelhouse right now.”
Hansen, 48, who hails from Sioux City and has been booking gigs for 20 years, agreed, saying booking summer months was a challenge, because many acts had already been booked for festivals and outdoor gigs. “Not that this lineup is anything to be down about,” she said, “but it is a different type of crowd that we’re probably looking at for the first few months, and then we’re really going to start to get into the diversity that we’ve been talking about. If I showed you everyone who’s holding dates at Steelhouse, it’s a much different look than what you’re seeing right now on sale.”
Working with Live Nation
To power booking efforts, Steelhouse via O-pa signed an exclusive contract with Live Nation, the country’s largest concert promoter. “We felt they could work with us to ensure we get bands as they route them across the country,” Squires said, pointing out Omaha falls in the gap between Denver, Chicago, Kansas City and Minneapolis.
Headquartered out of Beverly Hills, the publicly traded company boasts “bringing 40,000 shows and 100-plus festivals to life” per year and works with just about every successful pop artist, from Alice Cooper to the Zac Brown Band.
Hansen said she’s in contact with Live Nation multiple times a day. “They definitely will suggest artists they know are touring that they think might be a good fit for Omaha and will work with the venue space,” she said. “It’s a two-way street, though. We definitely have suggested to them, ‘Hey, can you check out this artist or can you look for more artists that are within this genre and see who’s out there?'”
Steelhouse’s real goal isn’t putting on shows that target a specific age group. “(Steelhouse) was built with philanthropic dollars and really is open to everybody,” Squires said. “The target is to attract the bands that have been missing our city because there was no venue of this size.”
“We are absolutely looking at artists that have never played Omaha before or that maybe have played much smaller venues in the market and are now getting to the size where they could fill a venue like Steelhouse,” Hansen added. “I think the purpose is really to add to the music scene in general in Omaha. We want Omaha to be a destination for artists so that all of the agents looking at tour stops think of Omaha as a hot music scene.”
Building awareness is one of the challenges. Squires said Hansen and Live Nation have been busy telling agents and artists that there’s a new kid in town. “Part of it is just getting the word out,” she said. “And the more we book, the more we’ll book.”
What about Indie Music?
As an indie music fan, I had to ask if the venue’s 3,000 capacity will prevent booking important up-and-coming indie artists who draw fewer than 1,000. Squires said the space may not be appropriate for those shows, which would be a better fit for small O-pa-operated venues like the Holland Music Club. However, Hansen said Steelhouse is flexible and has options, including the use of retractable risers.
“We’re playing with the space,” Hansen said. “I think we will be able to do some smaller shows in there and make it feel full and really cool for the artist and the fan.” But, “we’re not wanting to step on anyone else, either. If some other venue in Omaha has a great opportunity to book a show and it’s a better fit for their room, by all means.”
What about local acts? I suggested local bands could be great openers for larger touring acts. O-pa has done this in the past. Local singer/songwriter Matt Whipkey, for example, opened for the band America at the Holland Center last year. Hansen said artists typically decide who will open their shows, not the promoter, but “if there’s an opportunity, we’ll absolutely do that.”
Ticketmaster ‘the right choice’
I couldn’t let them go without talking about Ticketmaster, a subsidiary of Live Nation that has been embroiled in controversy concerning ticket-selling practices. Just ask Taylor Swift, who appears to be fighting a one-woman battle against the company. Squires said it was O-pa’s decision to use Ticketmaster because “we felt Ticketmaster was the right choice for the marketing, for the fans, for the experience.”
The almost immediate sellout of The Killers concert left many fans venting their frustrations on social media. Squires said they expected a very quick sellout because The Killers play 20,000-capacity arenas. “We were sorry people were frustrated,” she said. “It was a demand question. We just hope people will stay with us to come back and try something else.”
“I think sometimes Ticketmaster takes kind of a rap for ticketing issues in general,” Hansen said. “Demand is always going to be a problem if you have an artist that has a demand that’s greater than the number of tickets available. That’s not necessarily a Ticketmaster thing.”
Squires and Hansen were both eager to hear my list of bands I’d like to see play Steelhouse, a list that includes Lana Del Rey, Yo La Tengo, Shame, Gorillaz, Boygenius, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Alex G, M83, The Strokes, Beck, Angel Olsen, Wet Leg, Everything But the Girl, Ladytron and Nation of Language — all touring acts that as of now do not have Omaha as a stop.
They promised to share the list with Live Nation. They’re looking for your suggestions, too. You can provide them by following Steelhouse on social media, the best place to see the latest announcements.
“This is going to evolve,” Squires said of Steelhouse Omaha’s bookings. “We’re just getting open. We’re going to continue to reinvent and reevaluate. It’s going to keep moving.”
Over The Edge is a monthly column by Reader senior contributing writer Tim McMahan focused on culture, society, music, the media and the arts. Email Tim at tim.mcmahan@gmail.com.
Way back in 2016, I went to a show at the now long-defunct Milk Run featuring a Sub Pop band called Arbor Labor Union. Milk Run was a venue located around 20-something and Leavenworth that was the size of a large walk-in closet. Despite its size, they put on a number of interesting shows in their tiny lifetime.
I left that show back then with a copy of Arbor Labor Union’s Sub Pop debut and a premonition that they could maybe one day be huge, and I could say I saw them play first at the closet-sized Milk Run.
Well, seven years later, Arbor Labor Union is no longer on Sub Pop, but still exists (in fact, they released a new album in January on Sophomore Lounge Records), but they’re not the huge hit I thought they could be.
So, here we are in 2023 and along comes Deeper, who played last night at Reverb Lounge. The band recently released a single on Sub Pop – their first with the label — after receiving accolades from Pitchfork about their previous album released on Fire Records. I hadn’t heard of them before this show, but, hey, they’re on Sub Pop, so… Any time any Omaha club hosts a traveling indie band that’s on a recognizable, nationally distributed indie label, I’m going to try my darnedest to catch their show.
Deeper was musically everything I’d hoped they’d be – a solid post-punk band clearly influenced by Joy Division / New Order with a modern, chiming guitar sound in line with an act like Preoccupations, which they’ve been compared to. I was also reminded of early French Kiss guitar bands and acts from my youth, like Manishevitz.
Frontman/guitarist Nic Gohl has a throaty vocal delivery that sort of sounds like David Byrne during his weirder moments, barking out lyrics that, unfortunately unlike Byrne (who is a great enunciator), were impossible to understand. The basic formula for most songs was drummer Shiraz Bhatti creating a throbbing beat to be joined in with a groovy bassline from Drew McBride, a repeated acidic guitar riff by Mike Clawson and then in comes Gohl with his own guitar part and his distinctive bark. As the songs went on, they locked into a hypnotic groove, with Clawson occasionally adding a New Order-ish synth line.
Very cool stuff, but they’re one of those “stand up there and play” bands, which was enough for the 50 or so in the very young crowd (likely there to see the openers and sticking around for the headliners). Arbor Labor Union’s performance back in 2016 was pretty much the same – stand up and play – and that’s fine because like Deeper, their music, played with extreme precision, carried the day.
Still, I have to wonder if I just saw a band on the verge of becoming huge or another Arbor Labor Union, who will be around in seven years, but on a different label doing different things somewhere far away from Omaha.
Frank Kozik, who it was announced yesterday passed away last Saturday at the age of 61, was the seminal concert poster artist who captured an era with his colorful style. I only know him through his work, which includes a poster that’s in a lot of Omaha practice spaces, music rooms and (in my case) home offices.
Tim Moss of the band Ritual Device gave me the above Kozik-designed poster after I interviewed his band at his mid-town home located around 48th St. in Dundee in support of the show it promoted. Listed on the poster are many of the bands that defined that era in Nebraska music, which would be so influential in the coming years. What a show that was. What a poster.
Goodbye, Frank, and thanks for the fluorescent memories.
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Yesterday Bright Eyes announced the third wave of releases as part of their ongoing “Companion” project. Cassadaga, The People’s Key and Noise Floor (Rarities 1998-2005) will be reissued by Dead Oceans on June 16. In conjunction with each rerelease will be the release of a Companion EP with new recordings. Each companion contains six or seven songs that include new versions of songs on the source album as well as covers, like the one below of Prince’s “When You Were Mine,” and artist contributions from Johanna and Klara Söderberg of First Aid Kit, Gillian Welch and Alynda Segarra of Hurray for the Riff Raff. Preorder here.
For me, Cassadaga, released in 2007 by Saddle Creek Records, was the last seminal Bright Eyes album and stands right up there among their best, while People’s Key, released in 2011, would end up being the last BE release on Saddle Creek. The band continues to tour supporting these rereleases and their last original LP, Down in the Weeds Where the World Once Was, (2020, Dead Ocean).
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Tonight at Reverb Lounge Chicago band Deeper headlines. The band recently signed to Sub Pop, who released their debut single on the label, “Sub,” last month. Joining them tonight are two Omaha up-and-comers, Bad Self Portraits and Pagan Athletes. Not bad for a Wednesday night. $15, 8 p.m.
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