From big to small, they are all great in their own way.  Some venues have storied histories and some are just beginning their legacy.

Pinnacle Bank Arena

Address: 400 Pinnacle Arena Drive
Capacity:  15,147
Cool Feature:  The Pinnacle Bank Arena is one of the most sustainable buildings of its kind in the country.
Fun Fact: Nominated for the “Best New Concert Venue of the Year” by Pollstar magazine.
Website: http://www.pinnaclebankarena.com
Bands That Have Played Here:  Michael Buble, Jason Aldean, The Eagles, Elton John, & Jay-Z
Looking Ahead: Playing host to the Women’s NCAA Basketball Regionals in late March and Cher in May.

Pershing Auditorium

Address:  226 Centennial Mall
Capacity: Full House – 7500 / Half House – 3000 / Exhibition Hall – 1500
Cool Feature:  Believed to be the second largest in North America, The 148-by-38-foot mural on the outer facade is made up of 763,000 ceramic tiles.
Fun Fact: The exterior and marquee of the arena are also featured in the 1981 film, This is Elvis, as it hosted one of Elvis Presley’s final concerts in 1977.
Website: http://www.pershingcenter.com
Bands That Have Played Here: Elvis, The Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, The Pixies, Incubus, Snoop Dogg, & Phish
Looking Ahead:  to the 2014 Season of the No Coast Derby Girls and Lincoln Haymakers Indoor Football.

Rococo Theatre

Address: 128 N. 13th St
Capacity:  1027
Cool Feature: The interior walls, consisting of stone and terra cotta, were designed like that of an Old Italian Palace. Backstage of the Theatre is now a great martini bar called Barrymore’s.
Fun Fact: The original piano player from Stewart Theatre hung herself in the 30’s and still haunts Barrymore’s to this day.
Website: http://www.rococotheatre.com/
Bands That Have Played Here:  George Clinton, Neko Case, Iron and Wine, Jeff Tweedy, Jason Mraz, & Joan Baez
Looking Ahead: Lots of announcements coming soon.

Bourbon Theatre

Address: 1415 O Street
Capacity: Full House – 950 / Half House – 400 / Front (Rye) Room – 150
Cool Feature: 35 Foot Movie Screen
Fun Fact:  Dr. John almost cancelled his show here last year due to health problems but came directly from the hospital and finished the night.
Website:  http://bourbontheatre.com
Bands That Have Played Here:  LMFAO, Eli Young Band, Danzig, Yonder Mountain String Band, Bassnectar, Jamie Lidell, Pretty Lights, Taj Mahal, & Taking Back Sunday
Looking Ahead:  Some new renovations and Lincoln Exposed, The Randy Rogers Band, & The Kin in February.

Single Barrel

Address:  130 N. 10th St.
Capacity: 600
Cool Feature: Amazing food and a Mechanical Bull!!
Fun Fact: The building used to be the old Greyhound Bus station in the 1970s
Website: http://www.thesinglebarrel.com
Bands That Have Played Here: Brett Eldredge, Thomas Rhett, Josh Thompson, Aaron Watson, Maggie Rose, Casey James…and a lot of local country music artists.
Looking Ahead:  A lot of good shows will be announced soon, and renovation plans are also in the works.

Vega

Address: 350 Canopy St Suite 220
Capacity: 350
Cool Feature: Brand new state of the art sound and lighting system
Fun Fact: They serve gourmet hotdogs
Website: http://vegalincoln.com
Bands That Have Played Here:  Just opened in winter of 2013 but already have Filter, Tommy Lee, and Tim Kasher in the books.
Looking Ahead: Hear Nebraska presents Take Cover, an annual fundraiser featuring about a dozen of Nebraska’s top musicians. They take turns covering (or reinterpreting) a song by another Nebraska musician of their choice and also perform one original.

Knickerbockers

Address: 901 O St
Capacity:  400
Cool Feature: $25 Cent Tacos on Thursdays.
Fun Fact: Knickerbockers just celebrated their 20th Anniversary.  The building is also one of the oldest bars in Lincoln dating back to 1877. Sunny Day Real Estate played their last show here.
Website: http://www.knickerbockers.net
Bands That Have Played Here: The Flaming Lips twice!, Incubus & System of the Down, John Entwistle, and AFI & Bright Eyes in the same night.
Looking Ahead:  Ska Pioneers coming soon.

Duffy’s Tavern

Address:  1412 O St.
Capacity: 255 w/ Beer Garden
Cool Feature:  Fishbowls and a beer garden with a fire pit. Comedy on Mondays and Live Karaoke on Thursdays.
Fun Fact: Rated Best College Bar in the country by ABC in 2010 and by Yahoo Travel in 2013
Website:  http://duffyslincoln.com/
Bands That Have Played Here: Nirvana, Bad Brains, The Melvins, & Rilo Kiley.
Looking Ahead: Lincoln Exposed Feb 5th – 8th.  When the weather gets better, Duffy’s extends their ally beer garden and throws big outdoor concerts.

Zoo Bar

Address: 136 N. 14th
Capacity: 125
Cool Feature:  The Zoo Bar just got a brand new sound system.
Fun Fact: ZooFest – Downtown Lincoln’s longest running street fest in its 40th year.
Website: http://zoobar.com/
Bands That Have Played Here:  Luther Allison, Magic Slim, Albert Collins, Charlie Musselwhite, James Harman, Koko Taylor, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Son Seals, Robert Cray, Jay McShann, John Hammond and Johnny Reno
Looking Ahead: Lincoln Exposed Feb 5th-8th


Founded in 1967, the Downtown Lincoln Association provides services and champions initiatives for maintaining and enhancing our vibrant downtown. Our vision is to create an energetic downtown environment where we live, learn, work, invest and play. DLA has evolved into a multi-faceted organization supporting a wide range of programs and activities including maintenance, economic development and advocacy.

For a complete listing of downtown businesses, events and residences visit downtownlincoln.org. ‘Like’ us on Facebook at facebook.com/downtownlincoln.