For all intents and purposes, Lincoln’s summer concert season, which began when Earth, Wind & Fire played Pinnacle Bank Arena on May 14, wrapped up last week with Ice Cube and Cypress Hill on Aug. 25 and Alan Jackson on Aug. 26.
Over those months, I went to about 30 shows and the WWE in the full range of Lincoln venues — from the arena, Pinewood Bowl and Lied Center for Performing Arts to clubs, churches, and street festivals.
My show of the summer came at one of the latter – when Bobby Rush brought the “Chitlin Circuit†to ZooFest.
The legendary bluesman, who’ll turn 88 later this year, backed up his claim of being the top entertainer in the blues with a full-on blast of a show featuring a pair of “shake dancers,†a band that had two five-string bassists and responded to him by hand direction ala James Brown, and a musical mix of a few traditional blues songs, like the title cut of his Grammy-winning album “Porcupine Meat,†with his “folk funk.â€
My other top summer shows: Jack White making his Lincoln debut at Pinewood Bowl with a very loud, incredible performance; Earth, Wind & Fire, who sounded great at the arena in a show that was moved from Pinewood; Michael Feinstein bringing the Great American Songbook to life at the Lied Center; and the Goo Goo Dolls and the combination of Bonnie Raitt and Mavis Staples, both at Pinewood.
Quotes of the summer
This one came from Parker McCollum, who drew close to 4,000 to Pinewood. He was talking about playing rodeos and county fairs in the summer of 2021, when the Texan hadn’t quite caught the fire that’s made him one of country’s hottest artists.
One of those shows was at the Frontier County Fair in tiny Stockville, population 25.
“Best I can remember, it was the middle of nowhere,†McCollum told the crowd in the Pioneers Park amphitheater. “Those are some of the best days on the road. The love for country music in Nebraska is unmatched.â€
I grew up in the booming metropolis of Curtis, with a population of about 1,000, about 9 miles north of Stockville and can confirm that the county seat is in and could be the capital of the middle of nowhere. And McCollum’s assertion of Nebraska’s unmatched love for country may very well be unmatched.
Jamey Johnson provided a quote that got national attention when he put the KZKX personalities who had introduced his Lincoln on the Streets show on blast, ranting that they’d had a “pep rally†on stage and saying all country radio stations are the same to him – “none of them play my music, so why should they be on my stage talking to you?â€
Most memorable show
The show that I’m likely to most remember was the last of the summer – Jackson’s “Last Call,†which, most likely will be his last Nebraska concert and the final time I’ll get to see the man who embodies country music perform.
Jackson, who has a rare nerve disease that affects muscle function, movement and balance that is forcing him off the road, had to be helped on and off the stage that night. But his Georgia-tinged baritone is unaffected and his band, The Strayhorns, is still the best outfit in traditional country.
So the show was musically superb and it’s trip through Jackson’s career, complete with music videos playing behind the stage for each song, was perfect for a final show here – something that, while not overtly stated – seemed to emotionally impact Jackson, me and, I assume, most of the audience.
Shows will pick up in the next few weeks – with, most notably, Cody Johnson at the arena, the Lincoln Calling festival and, in October, the opening of the Lied season with jazz singer Diana Krall and, a few days later, Danny Elfman.
We’ll see if the fall can match the summer, which was as good and busier than I can recall.
Photos: ZooFest brings 49th year of soul to downtown Lincoln
Photos: Lincoln on the Streets with Jamey Johnson
Lincoln on the Streets, 8.12
Lincoln on the Streets, 8.12
Lincoln on the Streets, 8.12
Lincoln on the Streets, 8.12
Lincoln on the Streets, 8.12
Lincoln on the Streets, 8.12
Lincoln on the Streets, 8.12
Lincoln on the Streets, 8.12
Lincoln on the Streets, 8.12
Lincoln on the Streets, 8.12
Lincoln on the Streets, 8.12
Lincoln on the Streets, 8.12
Lincoln on the Streets, 8.12
Lincoln on the Streets, 8.12
Lincoln on the Streets, 8.12
Lincoln on the Streets, 8.12
Lincoln on the Streets, 8.12
Lincoln on the Streets, 8.12
Lincoln on the Streets, 8.12
Lincoln on the Streets, 8.12
Lincoln on the Streets, 8.12
Lincoln on the Streets, 8.12
Lincoln on the Streets, 8.12
Lincoln on the Streets, 8.12
Reach the writer at 402-473-7244 or kwolgamott@journalstar.com. On Twitter @KentWolgamott Â