April Live Music Preview
A Selection of Live Music Events for Omaha, Lincoln, Council Bluffs and Beyond
Happy Spring! There are a lot of events happening this month, and I am not sure how I am going to keep up. Here are just a small amount of the events coming through town. Make sure to subscribe to Omaha Buzz and get the weekly and daily posts. The weekly calendar is currently between 130 and 150 live music events per week. That will expand further as outdoor venues start opening. Don’t be left out!
April 1st - Bob Dylan - Orpheum Theater - SOLD OUT
It’s that guy they just made a movie about—the second most famous person from my hometown of Hibbing, Minnesota. Dylan will bring his seemingly never-ending tour to the Orpheum on April 1st for a show that is now SOLD OUT. More than half of the songs will be from his latest album, along with some classic gems.
April 1st - Teenage Bottlerocket at The Waiting Room
On April 1st, punk band Teenage Bottlerocket, along with Mest and Wage War, will head to The Waiting Room. Teenage Bottlerocket is celebrating 25 years this year, and the band will also commemorate founding member Brandon Carlisle’s birthday, which I believe is on March 31st. Carlisle passed away nine years ago.
April 3rd - Kelsea Ballerini with The Japanese House at CHI Health Center
This one is kind of boggling my mind. Kelsea is, of course, a popular pop-country artist, while The Japanese House is a UK indie singer-songwriter. I’m all for this cross-genre bill and hope it exposes The Japanese House to new fans, but it really does make for an eclectic evening. I would love to see The Japanese House, but I’ll have to hope she comes back and plays a smaller venue.
April 3rd - The Faint at The Waiting Room - SOLD OUT
The Faint return to their hometown of Omaha to play a show at The Waiting Room. The band is in the midst of reissuing much of their work, embarking on a big tour, and they seem to be attracting a new fan base, alongside their loyal one, as their legacy becomes more recognized and acknowledged. This show SOLD OUT a long time ago.
April 5th - Jack White - Steelhouse Omaha - SOLD OUT
The former White Stripes member has built a solid catalog of solo material, and his latest release, No Name, has been one of his best-received works. He is also a disruptor in the music industry, and I believe that will be as much of his legacy as his music. This one is SOLD OUT. If you try to get tickets to this show, be very careful on the secondary market.
April 4th at B. Bar and April 6th at The Zoo Bar - Scott Keeton
There’s a name I haven’t heard in a while. I’m not sure if he has kept coming through or not, but Scott Keeton used to be a very regular visitor to our area. The blues guitarist and vocalist fits right into the pocket of what many of the blues regulars in town enjoy. If he hasn’t been through in a while, I would expect great turnouts for the shows at B. Bar in Omaha and The Zoo Bar in Lincoln.
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April 6th - Trixter, Enuff Z'Nuff, and Pretty Boy Floyd at Bushwackers
I could ramble on and on about my love for power pop band Enuff Z'Nuff and my story of making them something in shop class in high school and presenting it to them while eating at the Taco Bell next to the Ranch Bowl. Or I could mention how I played the Trixter song “Surrender” probably 100 times after a high school breakup. Then there’s Pretty Boy Floyd, one of my absolute favorites that I have never gotten to see—until now.
It’s going to be a night full of memories and firsts for me, and if you were a fan of hair bands, I’m sure you’ll be at Bushwackers reminiscing right along with me.
April 8th - La Lom at Slowdown
Almost exactly one year ago, I listened to this band and decided to see them at Slowdown later that night because I liked what I heard. The Los Angeles League of Musicians is an instrumental group playing cumbia music and more, and they had Slowdown packed with people hungry for this type of music in Omaha. They have since released their self-titled album, which gets weekly spins in the store I work at. It’s just a wonderful listen. I cannot wait to see these talented musicians again!
April 8th-Lady Blackbird-Holland Music Club-Known as "the Grace Jones of jazz", Lady Blackbird will be at the Holland Music Club on April 8th. She will be touring on her Slang Spirituals album, and you should check that out, but make sure you check out her 2021 album Black Acid Soul.
April 9th - The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain - Lied Center
I would have never thought this was in my wheelhouse, but I keep seeing videos pop up in my feeds for this show, and it looks like an absolute blast. It’s pure musical fun from serious musicians who don’t take themselves too seriously—just what the doctor ordered, I think!
April 10th-Chiken P-Bourbon Theater-Chicken P is still bussin and his new album 4Ever Lit just came out. He is on tour now. He will hit the Bourbon Theater on April 10th
April 19th-Che Arthur-The Sydney-Chicago singer-songwriter Che Arthur will be at The Sydney on April 19th. Kind of an underground figure from a couple decades back. Interesting. Che is touring on the new album For That Which Now Lies Fallow
April 14th - Bob Mould - Waiting Room-Former wrestling scriptwriter, Hüsker Dü and Sugar frontman, and an artist with a large catalog of solo material, Bob Mould will finally return to an Omaha stage. I’m pretty sure that Maha 2013 was the last time he was in town, and before that, it was the Music Box on Cass Street? Maybe there was a Sokol show or something in between.
Anyway! He is coming back on April 14th to The Waiting Room. He will be touring on his excellent new album Here We Go Crazy, which he is promoting as a 'give the fans what they want' album. He will have indie rock heavyweights Jason Narducy and Jon Wurster in his band, along with fellow Minnesota musician and Hold Steady frontman Craig Finn sharing the bill with him. It’s a dream come true for many of us. This one is listed as having low tickets available, so do not wait!
April 15th - Sofia Isella - Slowdown-Sofia Isella is a classically trained violinist and singer-songwriter who opened for Taylor Swift on her Era’s Tour, as well as for many dates with Melanie Martinez. Her 2024 EP I Can Be Your Mother has a dark tone, and I bet fans of Melanie and Billie Eilish are already well aware of her. This show will take place at Slowdown on April 15th and could really blow up quickly!
April 17th-James McMurtry at Waiting Room-One of my all-time favorite performers, James McMurtry, is coming back to the Waiting Room on April 17th. The singer-songwriter has been doing it since the 1980s, but his most recent album is, in my opinion, his best. He has a fantastic catalog of songs and is amazing on stage. Rumor has it that there is a new album on the way also.
April 18th - Mitch Towne Album Release - North Omaha Music and Arts-I can say I have been watching jazz musician Mitch Towne play for decades now. He has been Omaha’s go-to musician for a long time, and from his early funk and soul bands to playing in songwriter-based projects and beyond, he has always been a jazz man at heart. As the years have gone by, Mitch has gained international recognition and has been able to perform both nationally and internationally. I think he is just getting started. In 2023, he and one of the projects he is involved in, SRT, released an album called Vanguards Of Groove. He is finally going to do the thing many of us have waited a long time for: release his debut album under his own name. On April 18th, they will celebrate the release of Refuge at North Omaha Music and Arts. I have to imagine this will be a packed house.
April 18th - Kris Lager Band at The Zoo Bar-There have been a lot of blues, soul, and roots artists out of our area, and Kris Lager has certainly become one of the more well-known, thanks to his band's constant touring. His live shows are known for their infectious, joyful energy, and he will bring that to his hometown stage for a rare show at The Zoo Bar on April 18th. They are offering advance tickets for this one, so I highly recommend looking into that.
April 19th - Tropidelic / Ballyhoo! at The Admiral-Nick Hexum of Omaha band 311 collaborated with reggae band Tropidelic, who are coming to The Admiral on April 19th with Ballyhoo! This dual headliner bill also features Joey Harkum. Tropidelic is out in support of their latest album, *Royal Grove*, which is not about the Lincoln music venue—I don’t think.
April 21st - MSSV - Reverb Lounge-Free jazz guitarist Mike Baggetta, drummer Stephen Hodges, and bassist Mike Watt are MSSV, and they will be at Reverb Lounge on April 21st. Watt, of course, is from Minutemen and Firehose and has played with just about everyone of importance. Hodges has played on some of Tom Waits’ most respected albums as well as one of my favorite soundtracks of all time, Until The End of the World.
April 24th - MercyMe at Pinnacle Bank Arena-Contemporary Christian band MercyMe has been doing this for a long time. The band formed 30 years ago and became one of the biggest in the business. They will be bringing Zach Williams and Sam Wesley to Pinnacle Bank Arena on April 24th.
April 25th - Dorothy - Whiskey Roadhouse
Powerhouse rock vocalist Dorothy got everyone talking with her ROCKISDEAD album almost ten years ago. The hard rocker is now on her fifth album, The Way, which just came out a couple of weeks ago and features Slash. She will be at Whiskey Roadhouse inside The Horseshoe Casino for a show on April 25th.
April 26th - Kayla Ray - Bucks Bar and Grill-There have been a lot of big artists and many sold-out shows at Buck’s so far this year. The artist I most want to see sell out Buck’s is Kayla Ray. I have seen her a handful of times now, and she has made my Top 25 shows of the year two years in a row. Not only does she have an ever-expanding cache of tunes, but she also has one of the most genuine and engaging live shows you will see. If I could recommend one show that may be off your radar this month, this is it.
April 26th - Hairball - Liberty First Arena -I stage-managed a Hairball show many years ago in a small town in Iowa. I’m sure they are much bigger now, but it was quite the production, and watching them change costumes and the flow of the whole thing was fascinating. The beauty of Hairball is that you can see tributes to all of your favorite artists and catch a couple of songs from each, experiencing quite a few different vibes and looks. It’s just good fun.
April 27th - Bright Eyes and Cursive at The Astro-This is really turning out to be a month of homecoming shows. The Saddle Creek "big three" bands were Bright Eyes, The Faint, and Cursive. You saw The Faint earlier in the month at The Waiting Room, and now you can catch Cursive and Bright Eyes at The Astro. Cursive is out touring on their new album *Devourer*, and Bright Eyes is touring on their new album *Five Dice, All Threes*.
April 30th - Nada Surf - Waiting Room-Just in case you haven’t followed along: yes, Nada Surf is the band that did “Popular,” but after that, they became known for putting out well-crafted indie pop albums to much critical acclaim and a loyal following. ghly recommend digging into their catalog including the new album Moon Mirror, but if you just want to hear “Popular” you will probably get your wish. They are at The Waiting Room on April 30th.