by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

By now you’ve already heard the news: The Omaha City Council this afternoon voted unanimously in favor of extending the city’s bar hours until 2 a.m. beginning July 15. So now all you stinkin’ drunks who used to make that desperate run to Council Bluffs for last call can comfortably sedate yourselves from your favorite Omaha bar stools. This has got to be a dream come true for O’Leaver’s (Cha-ching!). But according to this story on KETV.com, a number of bar owners who “served an older, more mature clientele,” said they “have no intention of staying open until 2 a.m.” Huh?

My only question: How will the extended hours impact rock shows? Marc Leibowitz of One Percent Productions and The Waiting Room  (who books almost every decent indie show in town), said most shows will be unaffected by the new hours, especially those with a touring headliner. “Weekend shows will go later since those are mostly local,” he said. “We will not be marketing 10 p.m. shows or anything like that.  So most shows won’t change.”

I personally would be pissed if I had to wait until 1 a.m. for the touring band to finally hit the stage, especially during the week with my alarm clock set for 6 a.m. In fact, I’d welcome a shift of start times from the current 9 p.m. to 8 p.m. for shows during the week — something that’s unlikely to ever happen…

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Tomorrow: The return of Gary Coleman’s Posse. Seriously. Be here…

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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 © 2010 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.