by Tim McMahan,  Lazy-i.com

A friend of mine who lives in Utah asked how “Ringo and friends” were last Friday night. “Did you get the idea folks were excited to see a living Beatle, or were just there for the fireworks?”

No doubt some folks there were excited to see a Beatle, and most of them were up by the stage. I never got anywhere near the front of the enormous crowd, having entered the seething, sweat-slicked morass at around 9:30 to the strains of Ringo’s “Photograph” (which just so happens to be my favorite Ringo song, co-written by George). 

I had heard the rest of the concert from my back yard as, for some reason – maybe it was something in the winds – this was easily the loudest Memorial Park Concert in recent memory… as heard from my house about a half-mile away from the stage. 

Earlier that afternoon, while working on my laptop in the back yard, I experienced the funk-intensity of the All-Starr Band’s soundcheck in the form of Average White Band’s “Pick Up the Pieces,” played over and over and over as if the band was performing on the other side of my fence. I now know how Noriega felt during the 1989 Panamanian standoff when U.S. forces tortured him day and night with loud rock music outside the embassy where he was holed up. At least Noriega got Van Halen and GNR. After a half-hour of AWB, the music stopped, then five minutes later on came Toto’s “Rosanna,” on repeat. I took shelter inside. 

The Omaha World-Herald didn’t even try to estimate the concert’s crowd size, simply saying “Thousands came to see a former Beatle…” but if I had to guess I’d say it was well over the usual 50,000 who usually attend these concerts. Ringo and his band sounded great, and it was inspiring to watch the 84-year-old on stage singing as if he were still in his 30s, doing jumping jacks in the sweltering heat clad in a denim jacket.

Except for two people (me and Teresa), I can’t tell you how many were there for the music, the fireworks or just to see a functioning Beatle in action; but I can say the fireworks were impressive….

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This being Independence Day week, it’s looks thinner than usual show-wise, especially if you like indie music. There’s Fishbone at The Waiting Room tomorrow night. The Sydney has a semi-interesting indie band Thursday night called Tonguebyte. And Anna McClellan also plays at fabulous O’Leaver’s Thursday night with Nutrition Fun, which was the name of a band she was in with Noah Sterba and others who released a couple albums on Unread Records before the pandemic. More on those shows later…

BTW, The Slowdown has no shows at all booked until July 10 – what’s that all about? 

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2025 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan,  Lazy-i.com

Another quiet weekend for indie music. Frankly, it’s been a quiet month for indie, and things don’t really start to pick up again until August, with only the July 20 Built to Spill show on my radar (and how many times have Doug Martsch and his crew been through here in the past five years?). 

Meanwhile, the preponderance of children driving golf carts throughout my neighborhood can only mean one thing: The big Memorial Park Concert is tonight, this year featuring Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band.

I’m not positive who’s playing in Ringo’s band, though Wednesday night in Charlotte, North Carolina, his band consisted of Colin Hay (Men at Work), Steve Lukather (Toto), Hamish Stuart (Average White Band), Gregg Bissonette (David Lee Roth, Joe Satriani), Warren Ham (Toto, Kansas) and Buck Johnson (Aerosmith). 

The set list consisted of Beatles and Ringo songs, along with covers from Toto, Men at Work, Average White Band and rock classics. You can see the 21-song setlist here, which closed out with (of course) “With a Little Help from My Friends.” 

The concert kicks off at 6:45 with Mike Campbell and the Dirty Knobs, which is truly an unfortunate band name. BTW, “dirty knobs” is supposed to be tech slang for a broken amp dial? Really?

Campbell, as you know, was a long-time member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and co-wrote a number of their hits, including “Refugee,” “Listen to Her Heart” and “All or Nothin’,” all of which they’ll likely play tonight, along with songs off the band’s own albums. Their biggest hit on Spotify is “Fuck That Guy,” which is perfect for a family gathering in the park. 

Ringo and his blokes go on at 8:30 and fireworks are scheduled for 10 p.m. As always, it’s free.

But it’s not the only legacy act playing in Omaha tonight. Over at The Waiting Room, one-hit wonders Tripping Daisy plays. The band had a modest hit on MTV with “I Got a Girl,” off their 1995 album I Am an Elastic Firecracker. They broke up after guitarist Wes Berggren died in 1999. The rest of the band, including frontman Tim DeLaughter, would go on to form the much more interesting chamber-pop act The Polyphonic Spree. 

Tripping Daisy reunited in 2017 and officially reformed in 2024, with plans for touring and writing new music. Opening the show at 8 p.m. is Houston-based garage band Jumprope. $34. 

Tomorrow night (Saturday), Omaha fuzzed-out shoegaze band Dream Ghoul plays at fabulous O’Leaver’s. A project of singer/songwriter Max Holmquist, the band released its debut LP, A Forgotten Future, this past December. Joining them is Colorado band Flesh Tape, who cites Lilys and Sonic Youth as influences for their ‘90s-flavored shoegaze. This one’s free and starts at 9 p.m.

Finally, Sunday night Catskills-based alt-country singer/songwriter (and harpist!) Mikaela Davis headlines at Reverb Lounge. Her 2023 LP, And Southern Star, was released on Kill Rock Stars. Opening is Burlington, Vermont, singer/songwriter Lily Seabird, whose new album, Trash Mountain, was released in April on Lame-O Records. $25, 8 p.m. 

And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend. 

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2025 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.