Here is how to start a Friday right: $7 cover, doors at 4:00 PM, and The Brian Lindsay Band taking the stage at Abilene Bar & Lounge at 5:30. One hour of roots-rocking Americana in one of Rochester’s best small rooms, and you are home before the dinner rush if you want to be. Or you can linger. That part is up to you.
About The Brian Lindsay Band
Brian Lindsay is a Rochester original, and his band is exactly the kind of ensemble Abilene was built for — roots rock, soul, and rock and roll, driven by the kind of lyrical craftsmanship that earns the Springsteen and Ryan Adams comparisons rather than just borrowing from them. Their 2022 album Revival is their strongest on record: ten songs that critics called “guitar twangin’, walls shakin’, rubber burnin’” good, with Lindsay’s storytelling threaded through themes of hope and redemption from start to finish. One press quote puts it plainly: “straight-up genius songwriting and perfect lyricism.”
Their latest single, Hexbreaker (released August 2025), pushes somewhere a little more hypnotic — “hypnotic romanticism and aphrodisiacal guitar tones” is how it has been described, which is a lot of words for “you will want to hear it twice.” The band has shared stages with Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes, Grand Funk Railroad, Shooter Jennings, Willie Nile, and The Smithereens, and they are regulars at the Lilac Festival and Corn Hill Arts Festival. Live, they mix originals with covers spanning Springsteen, Tom Petty, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, and Prince — and they bring a veteran band every time.
About Abilene Bar & Lounge
Abilene Bar & Lounge, at 153 Liberty Pole Way in downtown Rochester, has called itself “Rochester’s Home of Roots Music Since 2008,” and the room earns that. It is a 200-capacity space — a bar first, a music venue a close second — and the two coexist without apology. Liberty Pole Way puts you right in the middle of downtown, which means parking garages are nearby and walkable. If you are making a night of it in the city, there is no shortage of dinner options in the neighborhood before the 5:30 set. Check the Rochester / Finger Lakes page for more shows coming to the area.
Tickets & Pricing
Cover is $7 at the door. The show runs 5:30–6:30 PM, with doors opening at 4:00 PM. Full details at Abilene’s event page.