L. Kent Wolgamott: Lincoln needs an arena to be a music city
Lincoln Journal Star
February 19, 2010
By L. Kent Wolgamott
One night last week during Lincoln Exposed, I was walking from the Zoo Bar to Duffy's Tavern with Mike Keeling of Ideal Cleaners, who wasn't playing during the festival but was out to support the local music.
Keeling, whom I first met in the late '80s when he was in the band Leafy Green Things, has been an integral part of the local scene for more than two decades, playing in Rosebud, then the Millions and fronting the Self-Righteous Brothers.
"It feels like there's a renaissance happening," Keeling said, comparing the local scene with its early '90s high point - an observation with which I immediately agreed.
The feeling that there's something happening here was amplified throughout the four-night, three-club festival, which exceeded organizers' hopes for attendance.
While final totals for Lincoln Exposed are sketchy because of late turnouts that may not pay full price and a couple of hundred passes given to band members, it looks like somewhere between 1,700 and 2,000 people took part in the festival.
Adding to the post-festival optimism was the diversity of the crowds, which included twentysomethings and sixtysomethings and fans of everything from singer/songwriters to metal and punk.
Further contributing to the sense that Lincoln has begun to fulfill its promise as a place for music were two Saturday shows not associated with the festival that each drew good crowds, adding 300 or 400 more people to the Lincoln Exposed numbers.
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There are plenty of venues of different sizes in Lincoln and a wide variety of bands. But one final element is necessary for the city to reach its musical potential: a new arena that would bring in about dozen large concerts a year.
Contrary to what many seem to believe, there are plenty of artists who would play a Lincoln arena, including Green Day and John Mayer, who have considered playing here in recent years.
Those shows rarely would feature a local artist, but for a community to have a thriving music scene - and Lincoln is very close - it is necessary to bring in tours of all sizes, something the new arena would provide.
For now, Hoyer, Wardlaw and the rest of those involved with Lincoln is a Music City and other efforts to boost the local scene are working to maintain the momentum of the last few months, continuing well into the future the renaissance that Keeling and I felt last week.
