Free Concerts from the Chillest Place to Sip on Main Street?
Yes, Please
Capital City Playboys featuring l-r Kevin Brewer, Jay Matheson, Marty Fort
In keeping with his perpetual support of the city, restauranteur and hockey beauty Kristian Niemi is giving yet another gift to Columbia in the form of a free concert series in the swanky, yet comfy, courtyard of one of his prize restaurants and bar, Bourbon.
Located at 1214 Main Street, Bourbon is a whiskey bar with a menu that focuses on Cajun and Creole delights. Over the course of the pandemic, the intimate drinking restaurant expanded into its larger neighboring space, creating an adjacent bar and lounge with a partially covered multi-level courtyard, perfect for the city’s beloved shoulder seasons when breezes beckon us to sit outside and sip on something artisanal and, often, locally designed and created.
Last week, Brandy and the Butcher gathered a crowd and, this week, the Capital City Playboys will be performing one set only starting at 9 pm.
Kristian Niemi - photo by Richard Best
“I’ve always tried to support local arts, whether musical or in any of the other disciplines, so this was just a natural progression,” Niemi says. “We’ve been doing live music at Black Rooster all year; it was time to do it at Bourbon, also. This series should honestly be called ‘Kristian’s Friends’ Bands’ series since nearly every band has members that are close friends of mine, and I love to see them perform. I chose bands that are all very upbeat, rocking bands for this series. We’ll do more with other genres in the future, but this first series is definitely rocking.”
The series, sponsored by Jack Daniels distillery, runs through November 13th, and will include, among other Midlands-based groups, Glamcocks, Grand Republic, and will close out the series with Niemi’s self-claimed “best friend” and band, Tom Hall and the Plowboys. Niemi says that while he’ll start up a new concert series in the spring, he will continue to have live music on the patio, but it just won’t be concerts, per se.
“I want it to be a concert, not background music,” Niemi says. “I really want the crowd to get into it; to get in front of the stage and dance and sing along. I really want a concert vibe. These artists have spent a lot of time writing original material and I want it appreciated as a concert.”
Jay Matheson of the Capital City Playboys is excited about their show on Saturday night. “I know Kristian loves music and I’ll bet he would like to do more things like this just to be able to hang out himself and enjoy the show with friends,” Matheson says. “It’s a great space for a music show and the first one last week with Brandy and the Butcher was a really good time. Best fun I’ve had at a show in a while.”
“Jack Daniels distillery has signed on as our sponsor for this series, and as a part of that are giving away some cool stuff. In addition to us creating some special cocktails for the bands, Jack Daniels is giving away some swag and some bigger prizes that we’ll announce at the end of the series” Niemi says. “They’ll include bottles of their Single Barrel selections, some high-end swag, and even an exclusive VIP tour of the distillery followed by dinner.”