Seeing Bill Kirchen in a 200-person room is one of those situations where the math just works out in your favor. Doors at 4:00 PM, show at 7:00 PM at Abilene Bar & Lounge — get there early, find a spot, and you will be close enough to watch the Telecaster work. That is the whole point of a room this size.
About Bill Kirchen
Guitar Player magazine called him the Titan of the Telecaster, and after 50-plus years on the road, the title has only become more accurate. Kirchen co-founded Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen — the band credited with helping birth Americana before anyone was calling it that — and coined his own genre along the way: dieselbilly, a blend of rockabilly, country, western swing, honky-tonk, and jump blues that refuses to sit still in any single category. He earned a Grammy nomination for Best Country Instrumental Performance and has recorded alongside Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris, and Maria Muldaur, among others.
The Rochester show lands eight days before the release of his new album, Cat Out of the Bag, due May 22 on Last Music Company. If you want to hear what is coming next before the rest of the world does, this is the room to be in.
About Abilene Bar & Lounge
Rochester does not have a shortage of music rooms, but Abilene on Liberty Pole Way is one of the better ones for this kind of show — 200 capacity, no bad sightlines, and a crowd that actually shows up for the music rather than the drinks. It is walkable from downtown parking, which takes one variable out of the equation. Show starts at 7:00 PM; at this size room, earlier is better if you want to be up front.
Tickets & Show Info
Tickets are $30 in advance, $35 day of show. Buy tickets through the Abilene website. Doors 4:00 PM / Show 7:00 PM / Thursday, May 14, 2026.