As local music fans and frequenters of drinking establishments, we have become accustomed to the revolving door that is venue ownership and location. But recently, there have been announcements of some significant changes to the landscape.
After almost 23 years, iconic venue, Knickerbockers, of Lincoln, NE, will close its doors on December 26, 2015. This is unique in that it will not re-open to be another bar or venue, but instead a developer is planning on turning a large section of that block, including the building in which the bar is located, into a hotel. If you’re from the Nebraska area and like music, beer, or cheap tacos, you’ve surely had a night at Knickerbockers. It appears there are no plans to open in another location, although the owners have mentioned continuing to book shows at different venues. Fortunately, there are several other places to catch a show in the capital city. I’ve seen a couple good shows at Vega in the Haymarket, the Spigot was great for the BloodRail release the other weekend, and the Bourbon has been jam-packed with metal shows lately.
Knickerbockers does have a few weeks left though, including a Toys for Tots benefit featuring BloodRail, DeadEchoes, The Hoodlums, Sadistic Tones, and Fields of Murder on December 5th. (Thats this weekend!) RSVP Here. This may be the last metal show at Knickerbockers, so let’s make it a good one!
Also coming up this Saturday, is a return of a great Nebraska venue under new ownership. What was Kearney’s The Garage is now Nick’s on the Bricks, owned by Nick’s Gyros. On this Saturday night, hometown heroes Slantpiece and Empires End take the stage. If you’ve never been to this place, you need to check it out, and this is going to be a killer show regardless of where it is being held! It’s awesome to have a mid-sized venue that will have metal shows in South Central Nebraska again.
Check out the event page here, and enjoy the promo video, courtesy of Slantpiece, below.
…get out and pay some cover charges!!
–Damascus Wootz
