Just after 5 p.m. Friday, Charlie Burton and Or What? launched into “Raw Deal,†kicking off a 40-minute set of shameless rock ’n’ roll at the Zoo Bar.
An hour after Burton finished, 23rd Vibration brought the reggae vibrations to Duffy’s Tavern.
Twenty minutes later, two doors down O Street at Bodega’s Alley, came jangly melodic guitar pop from Cheesy Bandito, a group named after on old Amigo’s menu item.
Lincoln Exposed Redux was in full swing.
Usually held in frigid February, Lincoln Exposed was canceled by the coronavirus shutdown.
But the festival, featuring only Lincoln bands and solo artists, came together for a sweltering July weekend.
“It’s cool we get to do it now,†organizer Otto Meza said early Friday evening. “We went from one extreme weather to the other. Hopefully, we’ll get some people out for these two nights.â€
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Meza needn’t have worried. By 8 p.m., the fest’s five downtown venues saw plenty of folks moving from club to club to catch some of the 61 bands set to play over the two nights.
By 2 a.m. Saturday, the bands will have covered decades of Lincoln music, from Burton, who capped his set of new songs with “Rock & Roll Behavior,†a 1977 single that launched his career, to Bull Face, a new group making its Lincoln Exposed debut.
The bands also will have covered a wide range of styles. To wit, the 8 p.m. hour Friday featured the guitarless orchestral pop of Floating Opera, the garage punk of Death Cow and the Midwestern rock assault of Domestica.
“That’s what I like about Lincoln Exposed,†said Floating Opera’s Richard Rebarber. “There’s some really professional stuff and some amateur stuff. And amateur’s not an insult in the slightest.â€
Rebarber, who has an unvaccinated child, was one of the attendees wearing a mask, as were the members of Domestica and many of the sound engineers.
But the vast majority of those on stage and off were enjoying the music and a few drinks sans masks.