Unless otherwise noted, all shows start at 7:30 pm and take place at The 7th Street Loft

Buy tickets online!
You can purchase tickets for main stage concerts on-line with your credit card via PayPal. Tickets will be available at the door the night of the show, but get your tickets early because we sometimes sell out and have to turn people away.

Standard* Ticket Prices
Member - $13
Non-member - $17
Student with ID - $10
Children under 12 - $1

LAFTA 2010-11 Main Stage Concert Season

LAFTA's Main Stage Concerts for 2010-2011 will be held at the 7th Street Loft, Cornhusker Place (3rd Floor), 7th and K Streets in the south Haymarket. LAFTA would like to thank Cornhusker Place for again making this wonderful space available for us.

Friday, September 24 - Bluegrass Crusade
The Bluegrass Crusade was formed in 1973 to play at an event sponsored by the Lincoln Guitar Society above Thompson Music in University Place. The band went on to play at many local venues until the early 1990s. In addition, Bluegrass Crusade was a top regional bluegrass band playing throughout the Midwest and opening for the likes of greats Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley and Jimmy Martin. Leader Steve Hanson will be joined by Pete Blakeslee, Dave Fowler, Gary Howe, Rick Mann, Miller McPherson, Dave Morris, Jim Pipher and Terry Schmitt. Howe, Mann and McPherson are coming in from Oklahoma, California and North Carolina respectively. Fans can expect to hear many old favorites as well as some new surprises. This will be the group’s first concert since the sold-out 2007 LAFTA reunion. Tickets

Friday, October 8 - Tommy Sands
O'Donnell Auditorium, Vance D. Rogers Center for Fine Arts
Nebraska Wesleyan University (NE corner of 50th and Huntington).
Tommy Sands, County Down's singer, songwriter and social activist, has played from Carnegie Hall to Moscow's Olympic Stadium and has become one of Ireland's most powerful songwriters and enchanting performers, enjoying celebrity status in many parts of the world. He dreams of an Ireland without conflict, and his songs speak to all that Ireland is, from its troubled past to its indomitable spirit. His work around the globe uses music to bridge cultural differences, sharing a vision with songwriters instigating social change such as Phil Ochs, Joan Baez, and close friend Pete Seeger. Touring with Tommy are son Fionan and daughter Moya. With Tommy on vocals/guitar, Moya on fiddle/vocals/bodhran/whistle, and Fionan on mandolin/banjo, the sound is livelier than ever, moving from traditional Irish to contemporary folk, and Tommy's lyrics evoke images of Ireland while making edgier commentaries on social consciousness. Tickets

Friday, November 12 - Marley's Ghost
One of the most popular and well-loved folk-roots bands on the club, festival and community concert scene, Marley's Ghost is known for its irrepressible humor and lively stage presence. Joel Selvin, senior pop music critic at the San Francisco Chronicle, writes: "Even the members of the band have trouble describing their music, but they all know whatever they do, it always comes out sounding uniquely like Marley’s Ghost. Mandolinist Jon Wilcox thinks it’s the vocals. Steel guitarist Ed Littlefield says it’s the broad repertoire. Guitarist Dan Wheetman just calls it American roots music, if you count reggae. After more than 22 years of making music together, recording nine albums, and performing thousands of shows across the country, Marley’s Ghost remains one of the best-kept secrets of the acoustic music world, an untapped natural resource waiting to be discovered." The band had to cancel last year's planned LAFTA concert due to illness, but promised to return for our next season. So here they are! If you like a high-energy show, this one’s for you. Tickets

Saturday, January 22 - Jalan Crossland
The Trailer Park Troubadour returns! Jalan’s 2008 LAFTA concert was such a hit, we just had to bring him back! Get ready for some hot pickin’ on the guitar and banjo, and songs that paint vivid portraits of colorful characters that dot the landscape in the small towns and backcountry of the 21st century West. Jalan knows this scene well, hailing from Ten Sleep, Wyoming (population 307). The band’s sound draws on old-time country and bluegrass spiced up with a good dollup of rock-n-roll, delivered with high energy and good humor. You won’t want to miss this show! Tickets  

Saturday, February 5 - New Riverside Ramblers
The New Riverside Ramblers are based in the Twin Cities, but they play the kind of high-energy Cajun dance music you might hear on a Saturday night at dance halls on the prairie and bayou country of Southwest Louisiana. Band members have been immersed in Cajun music for many years and have studied and performed with Cajun music greats such as Steve Riley, Marc and Ann Savoy, and D.L. Menard. One radio personality in Lafayette, La., said, “The New Riverside Ramblers is one of the best traditional Cajun bands outside of Louisiana,” and in 2004 the Cajun French Music Association gave the group its "Best Cajun CD Released by a Band from Outside Louisiana" award. Come to downtown Lincoln, close your eyes, listen to a band from Minnesota, and you’ll swear you were in the Louisiana bayou. Tickets  

Saturday, March 19 - Jeff Black
"I have no doubt that Jeff Black is a musical genious," Vintage Guitar Magazine’s Steven Stone writes, "The only question I have … is whether the American public is smart enough to embrace his brilliance. I don’t mean to imply that Black’s music is too sophisticated for the average music lover, merely that artistic brilliance without fashion or image gimmicks rarely garners the commercial success it deserves." Well, we don’t know about the rest of the country, but we do know LAFTA’s discerning supporters appreciate Jeff’s brilliant songwriting and riveting performances. He will join us in the spring to promote his new album. Tickets  

Saturday, April 16 - Catie Curtis
The vivid songwriting of Boston-based Catie Curtis combines insightful lyrics with addictive melodies and energy. Catie's studio work, engaging live shows and impressive touring career in the U.S. and Europe earn rave reviews and wide recognition. Her songs have been featured on Dawson's Creek, Felicity, Alias, Chicago Hope, and Grey's Anatomy, as well as in several independent films. She's toured with Dar Williams, Mary Chapin Carpenter and as part of Lilith Fair, and The New Yorker called her a "folk-rock goddess." This concert is sure to end the main stage season on a high note. Tickets

================ Previous Seasons ================

2009-10
September 2009 - Prairie Dog Social
October 2009 - Matt & Shannon Heaton
December 2009 - The Bobs
January 2010 - Lonesome Traveler
February 2010 - Driftwood Fire
March 2010 - Paddywhack with Dan Newton
April 2010 - Chris Smither

2008-09
September 2008 - Café Accordion Orchestra
October 2008 - Darden Smith
November 2008 - Monroe Crossing Band
January 2009 - Garnet Rogers
February 2009 - Neal and Leandra
March 2009 - Jalan Crossland Band
April 2009 - The Shaw Brothers with Steve Hanson

2007-08
September 2007 - Kusi Taki
October 2007 - Mike & Amy Finders
November 2007 - Marley's Ghost
December 2008 - Laurie McClain
January 2008 - Jeff Black Band
February 2008 - Jackie Tice
March 2008 - Diana Jones
March 2008 - Prairie Dog CD Release Party
April 2008 - Robin & Linda Williams

2006-07
September 2006 - Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart
October 2006 - Tracy Grammer
November 2006 - Bill Staines
January 2007 - Greg Brown
February 2007 - The Stringtown Castenets
March 2007 - Bluegrass Crusade
April 2007  - John McCutcheon

2005-06 (flyer)
September 2005 - Eliza Gilkyson
October 2005 - Bluegrass Patriots
November 2005 - The Waybacks
January 2006 - Jeff Black
February 2006 - Neal and Leandra
March 2006 - Paddywhack Reunion
April 2006 - Cliff Eberhardt
May 2006 - The Shaw Brothers

2004-05 (flyer)
September 2004 - Vance Gilbert
October 2004 - Richard Thompson
November 2004 - Catie Curtis
January 2005 - Greg Brown
February 2005 - Café Accordion Orchestra
March 2005 - Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum
April 2005 - Tom Russell with Andrew Hardin
May 2005 - Tennessee HeartStrings Band

2003-04 (flyer)
September 2003 - Doc Watson (Collaboration with the Lied Center)
October 2003 - Laura Love Duo
November 2003 - Joel Mabus
January 2004 - Neal and Leandra
February 2004 - GrooveLily
March 2004 - Robin and Linda Williams and Their Fine Group
April 2004 - Cheryl Wheeler
May 2004 - Dave Moore

2002-03
September 2002 - Cosy Sheridan
October 2002 - John Hammond
November 2002 - Laura Love Duo
January 2003 - Ray Bonneville
February 2003 - Bluegrass Crusade
March 2003 - Cliff Eberhardt
April 2003 - Garnet Rogers
May 2003 - Kate Campbell

2001-02
September 2001 - John Prine and Iris DeMent (Collaboration with the Lied Center)
October 2001 - Colcannon
November 2001 - Dana Robinson
January 2002 - Neal and Leandra
February 2002 - Songwriter's Sweatshop
February 2002 - Children's Concert 
March 2002 - Daddy Squeeze and the Doctor
April 2002 - Robin and Linda Williams
May 2002 - Buffalo Gals