Marcus King Band brings out the sweet, soulful sounds of the south.
The best southern rock bank since...Lynyrd Skynyrd. That's right, I said it. Marcus King Band is one of the few "newer" groups that have that authentic, old school feel. The kind that make you walk of of a show thinking "man, maybe rock 'n roll is in good hands after all..."
From electric riffs that hit like "Workin' For MCA" to soft, delicate tunes that rival the sweet sound of Susan Tedeschi, MKB has a wonderful range to their catalog.
As an axe man, Marcus is as good as they come. Fast, accurate, but soulful. The solos feel Mayer like in a sense of, he doesn't seem to repeat numbers but rather freestyle a new solo in the spirit of that tune.
I've seen MKB a handful of times now and whether he's playing with the trio at a drive-in movie theatre to get around Covid restrictions or bringin' the full 9-piece band to a small theatre, each time I walked away wanting more. Much more.
As for this shows location: Stir Cove at HARRAHS in Council Bluff, Iowa. That's a mouthful... Basically the Casino puts up an outdoor stage for the summer and does a concert series. To be honest, it was a pretty good location for a show. The venue is technically in Iowa, but Omaha, Nebraska is 1.2 miles away, just across the river.
Parking/Tailgating: B
Since the venue is a casino, there is ample parking and no really traffic coming in and out. I was also surprisingly shocked by the price of the Uber... $4.55 to go from me hotel in Omaha, NB to the show in Iowa. Now, granted it's only a mile or two away, still... No "premium" rate for an 8pm Uber to a Saturday Night show at the Casino? You've got to love that.
Tailgating wise, I don't believe that's allowed given the casino. You can probably have a few brews in the lot, but you're not setting up an EZ-Up Tent or Grill. Although a nice outdoor tailgate before a concert is as good as it gets... it's a decent consolation prize to have to pregame in a casino with bars and slots. The beers in the Casino were only $5 each too, so nothing crazy.
Entry into the Venue: A
Once again, with it being a Casino, no issues getting in. The concert area itself can only hold around 4k and the Casino entry ways are massive. I can't imagine there ever being that big of a line or long of a wait time to get in.
Concessions: B-
The concessions were nothing really of note... Outdoor set up, so tents with coolers/fridges of beer (standard domestic selection). I didn't have to wait in a line more then 2 people deep at any point so that was a plus. The only place within the concert confines was a Guy Fieri restaurant (I did not go to). They do give you a wrist band so that you can come and go from the venue as you please. You don't see this often, but when there is a Casino there... I guess they'll let ya go back in there as often as you want... haha
The Views: A
These smaller venues may be bare bones in terms of amenities and food options, but they typically provide small, intimate shows with great views of the stage from everywhere. Ascetically, the stage sits in front of a massive green glass hotel, so it's not the most appealing outdoor back drop of all time.
It's essentially 2 sections; GA Lawn and GA "Party Pit." The Lawn was $55 and the Pit was $85... Unless you're seeing an artist there that is going to have the place packed to the gills, I would not pay the extra for the Pit. In the photo below, you'll see the difference between the front of the Lawn and the Pitt (Photo 1 Below)... its about a 4 foot difference haha So, if the show is only going to be 50-70% full, you can easily walk up to the rail of the lawn and have a similar view as those the pit. They have 2 elevated observation decks on each side as well, that I believe you can only access with a party-pit ticket. I did not go up there, but you can tell it would be a good place to watch a packed show from. For general lawn, they do have chair rentals for rather cheap so you don't have to carry your own in and out (Photo 2 Below).
A little gem from this venue; you can actually watch the show for free, unobstructed, from basically the back of the lawn. The walk way into the show area goes across the back of the lawn and the fence is nowhere near high enough to prohibit the view of an average height person (Photo 3 Below).
Overall Grade: B+
It's not the greatest venue of all time, but it's got everything you need and the casino adds a fun element to pregame and post-show fun. Good prices and a small venue for an intimate experience. No hassle in or out and good concert concession prices. If I'm in town and there is a show that interests me, I'd definitely be going back.
Now go and listen to more Marcus King Band.
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