Posted September 3, 2026 by Cheyenne Rowe
Nebraska Innovation Campus has partnered with local organizations to offer and host the Nebraska Bluegrass Concert Series for a fifth year. The live music concert series, which kicked off Sept. 2, is free and open to the public and features local bluegrass bands opening for nationally recognized bluegrass bands. The remaining 2026 concerts are Sept. 9 and 16 at the Nebraska Innovation Campus plaza. Food and drink will be available for purchase from The Mill Coffee & Bistro starting at 5 p.m., and live music will begin at 6 p.m.
“Reaching the fifth year of the Nebraska Bluegrass Concert Series is a wonderful milestone, and Innovation Campus is thrilled to continue to host this free, family-friendly event,” said Kate Engel, Nebraska Innovation Campus executive director. “This series brings people together through great music and creates an opportunity for our campus and the broader community to connect, creating a destination where innovation, culture and community come together. Thanks to our generous partners for making this series possible for a fifth year.”
The concert series launched last week with headliner Sister Sadie and opening band Corson Branch Buzzard Club. Sister Sadie is a Grammy-nominated, International Bluegrass Music Association Award-winning, Grand Ole Opry-starring all-female bluegrass band. This band began as a spontaneous jam session at Nashville’s Station Inn, where a group of seasoned female musicians came together to make some noise on a weeknight. The band may have been born by accident but has been kept alive by chemistry and fueled by an unshakable bond among women who have spent their lives not only learning the rules but also defying them. Corson Branch Buzzard Club, based in Lincoln, kicked off the evening with a five-piece ensemble specializing in old-time string band music, pre-war blues, early country and sloppy jazz. They are a regular presence at Nebraska festivals and venues, with a sound that is equally at home on a festival stage or in a late-night backyard jam.
The Sept. 9 concert will feature The Jacob Jolliff Band and opener The McGovern Stringband. Jacob Jolliff is one of the world’s premier contemporary mandolinists and has won the USA’s National Mandolin Championship. The Jacob Jolliff Band, one of the most cutting-edge progressive bluegrass groups on the scene today, plays a combination of complex original instrumental music and vocal repertoire that spans from traditional bluegrass to unlikely pop covers. The Jacob Jolliff Band has released three albums, with the most recent, “Instrumentals, Vol. 2: Mandolin Mysteries,” released in May 2024. Evening opener The McGovern Stringband is an acoustic Americana and bluegrass string band featuring the vocals of Kelly and Brian McGovern, a father-son duo. The group blends a wide variety of genres with a bluegrass style anchored by bassist and vocalist David Morris and five-string banjo player Daren Blythe. Fiddler Sam Packard and Steve “Fuzzy” Blazek on resophonic guitar join the band when they can. Kelly McGovern, Morris and Blazek are all members of the Nebraska Performing Arts Hall of Fame. Their three-part harmonies, combined with percussive acoustic instrumentation, capture the legendary high, lonesome sound of bluegrass.
The third and final concert, on Sept. 16, will feature the Appalachian Road Show with the Shucks Brothers opening the evening. Formed in 2018, Appalachian Road Show has emerged as one of modern bluegrass and Americana music’s most compelling and authentic voices. Built around a shared commitment to preserving and celebrating the culture, stories and spirit of Appalachia, the band combines elite musicianship, powerful songwriting, soaring harmonies and deeply rooted storytelling into an unforgettable live experience. The band’s mission is to honor and tell the truth of the people and places that shaped Appalachian music and carry that authenticity forward to a new generation. The Shucks Brothers, based in Lincoln, will kick off the evening with some serious string tickling and great harmony vocals. They tip their hats to bluegrass legends such as Bill Monroe and the Stanley Brothers while also incorporating country, swing and red-hot instrumentals into their repertoire. Audiences can expect dazzling improvisation, plenty of silly humor and a whole lot of fun from this talented and entertaining group.
“The Mill is thrilled to be part of bringing live music to Lincoln in a free, family-friendly environment,” said Daniel Sloan, owner of The Mill Coffee & Tea. “Nebraska Innovation Campus is a beautiful venue, sort of bluegrass on the prairie, yet still right in the city.”
Dave Miller, regional general manager at ALLO Fiber, helps recruit bands to perform during the Nebraska Bluegrass Concert Series. Miller is also a member of the Shucks Brothers and will perform during the Sept. 16 concert.
“We continue to receive inquiries from national acts interested in coming to Lincoln to perform,” Miller said. “We are grateful for the sponsors who make this series possible.”
“Music brings people together, not only from our local community, but also visitors from across the country and around the world,” said Jeff Maul, executive director of Visit Lincoln. “This engagement, combined with our community’s unique brand of hospitality, creates a memorable experience and further establishes Lincoln as a music destination.”
The concert series is sponsored by Nebraska Innovation Campus, The Mill Coffee & Bistro, ALLO Fiber, Union Bank & Trust, The Scarlet Hotel, Nebraska Nova and Visit Lincoln. Limited seating is available; attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs. Concert attendees may park in the paved parking lot north of Transformation Drive. NIC is also accessible by bike via the Billy Wolff Trail or by campus bus service from City Campus and East Campus with a valid UNL/StarTran bus pass. For additional information, please visit the Nebraska Bluegrass Concert Series website.
