Man, those shows at Lafayette Brewing Co.
A stroll through some of best live music moments at 622 Main St., as LBC heads for last call Saturday after 32 years.
A month or so ago, sitting in the front window at Lafayette Brewing Co.’s dining room before heading up to the second floor for an indoor Mosey Down Main Street show, we spent the better part of a dinner rattling off the bands we saw in that very spot on the first floor, overlooking downtown traffic.
The V-Roys. Cheri Knight. Amy Rigby. Jonathan Richman. Mysteries of Life. Los Straitjackets. Michael Kelsey and a whole crew of locals running through Prince’s “1999” that New Year’s Eve. Eking out space to dance in a packed dining room.
Little did we know at that time that a few weeks later we’d hear owners Greg and Nancy Emig announce that they were closing LBC after 32 years.
Along with all the tales being shared over one final beer – last call is Saturday, Dec. 20 – BiL asked some of the live music regulars through LBC’s three decades to tell about their favorite shows or most memorable moments, whether upstairs or downstairs.
Here’s what they came up with.
Cody Hall, former member of Traveling Broke and Out of Gas, now performing as CoyoteBear: You’d think with so many great nights there, with Bill Kirchen, Wayne Hancock, The Slackers, Legendary Shack Shakers, Reverend Horton Heat, Larry and his Flask, Elephant Revival, Hoot Nights, The Cash Bashes, and sooo many others it would be hard to pick, but it’s not. For me, the best show I saw there was, without question, The Red Stick Ramblers. Those cats were witchy, every person in that room was transfixed, locked in and grooving under their spell. I think about it all the time.
Richard Fudge, a founder and mastermind behind the Friends of Bob Live Music Co-op: Friends of Bob Live Music Co-op presented 85 shows at Lafayette Brewing Company. As a music venue, LBC offered a great atmosphere, good acoustics, fine sight lines, room to dance and terrific beer. The solid wood construction of the room looked great, and the springy wooden floor added to the excitement of a live show.
Before the second floor opened as a music room, we used to set up bands in the window of the restaurant downstairs. It was a cramped space both for the performers and the audience, but that just added to the energy and thrill of the experience. I especially remember outstanding shows there with Jonathan Richman, Ray Condo, the V-Roys and Chicago soul legend Otis Clay.
Once the second floor opened, we could enjoy the expansive space and a proper stage. We often attracted crowds of 300-plus, and that really added to the thrill of such tip-top music taking place in a local pub. Performers that we would otherwise have to travel to Chicago or Indianapolis to see were appearing in Lafayette! I’ll long remember outstanding shows by Nick Lowe, Adrian Belew, NRBQ and the Gourds.
My fondest LBC memory actually occurred pre-show as the Holmes Brothers sound checked. It was an ordinary afternoon of setting up the sound system, arranging chairs and tables, getting a dressing room organized, etc. Routine tasks. But as the Holmes Brothers began the microphone check with their gospel-soul vocals the atmosphere instantly surged into something mighty. The room transformed. Hairs standing to attention on the back of the neck stuff.
It’s a testament to owners Greg and Nancy Emig’s vision of what they could bring to downtown Lafayette that they presented live music themselves and allowed our local volunteer organization the opportunity to do the same. Without their trust and support, Friends of Bob would not have existed.
Jason Gick, LBC’s stage manager and in house sound engineer from 2000-2015: Very early on when the second floor was developing, LBC was able to book ekoostik hookah, a jam band from Ohio. They could really pack the room. You started to realize what kind of energy 300 people in that space could generate. They ended up doing 11 shows at the LBC from 2003 to 2010. The sound system was OK, but not great when they first started playing there. I was concerned their sound engineer would be upset, but he was very accommodating. It was what inspired me to invest more into the PA and lights. The next time they played, their engineer was excited for us for the upgrades and really helped dial some things in. We started to set ourselves apart for having one of the highest quality in house systems in the area.
Dave Samuelson, rock ‘n’ roll and country music historian: To paraphrase an old saying, selecting a favorite LBC show is like picking a favorite child. Frankly, I’ve always been partial to downstairs shows where the music seemed more immediate and intimate. That’s where Ray Condo and His Ricochets tore up the crowd with its distinctive, supercharged mix of rockabilly, Texas swing, New Orleans rock-and-roll and 1940s-style rhythm and blues. Hailing from Vancouver, B.C., Friends of Bob booked this five-piece combo shortly after the 1997 release of its first American album, “Swing Brother Swing!” With Condo on vocals and tenor sax, the Ricochets featured a lead guitar and a vintage steel, its rhythm section just an upright bass and a single snare. Being a downstairs show, there was no room to dance – too bad! A heart attack felled Condo in 2004, but YouTube keeps his music alive.
Meredith Richmond, a founder of Friends of Bob: The first time Friends of Bob presented Chuck Prophet and The Mission Express was very dance exciting. They had driven here from the East, so Chuck called the audience “corn monkeys.” A young lady threw herself on the floor in front of him, writhing, and he yelled, “Ladies and Gentlemen, she’s doing the fish!” LOVED!
Todd Wetzel, director of Purdue Convocations: My first shows at LBC were nearly all Friends of Bob shows (insert deserved genuflection to Richard Fudge!) shortly after I moved to West Lafayette back in ‘97 so there were still lots of shows “in the front window.” I was used to seeing club shows in many markets, but none of them had a structural support pole in front of the stage. I think the lead singer from Moxy Fruvous created, let’s just say, a memorable moment slithering around on that thing during a frenetically brilliant set. But also amongst the embarrassment of riches in LBC’s place in live music history was catching Adrian Belew & the Bears (twice!). Seeing Adrian fully integrate the seemingly disparate elements of pure pop confection and avant garde experimentalism in real time was a dream come true for this guitar nerd.
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Sherri McGlothlin, an early Friends of Bob member: In 2002 Adrian Belew and the Bears played a Friends of Bob show upstairs at LBC. The first thing I noticed when we got there was a bunch of guys that nobody knew sitting on the floor pretty close to the stage, encroaching on the dancefloor. When the music started and the FoB girls started to dance, those guys complained and shooed them away. They’d come from out of town to “watch” Belew play the guitar. The girls complied for a while, but it was clear they wouldn’t last long on the sidelines. The Bears were fantastic! The energy of the audience overflowed, and the girls rushed the dancefloor bringing lots of others with them. Those guys nobody knew had to move back fast!
Laura Whitcombe, high school teacher and live music fan: In 1994, I moved to Lafayette for my first job, teaching and coaching, right out of college. I will always say that the Lafayette Brewing Company was an anchor to keep me here: the music, a pint of 85, a basket of munchers, and the people. Sitting in the window, being part of the downtown scene gave Lafayette life. I was a Friday regular for several seasons, superstitiously hoping the consistency would bring me good luck. And it did! Life in Lafayette is so good here 32 years later.
Some of my fondest memories of LBC are downstairs shows on New Year’s Eve. My first friends, fellow volunteers from the Lafayette Crisis Center, took me. The stage was set in the window with the musical celebrities of Lafayette looking in at tables full of old and new friends. There was Mike Kelsey’s guitar magic, Rick Mummey and all of his friends, Tevi Tarler’s voice rings out. Too many bands and musicians to remember. Those Friends of Bob Music Co-op shows were raucous and rocking. We felt like we were part of something big in little Lafayette. I was hooked.
Upstairs I can’t believe we saw Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root with no space between us. He stayed to meet everyone and shake our hands. This still “sends me on my way!”
Brady Joseph Schmitt, musician/entertainer, event MC/DJ, born and raised in Lafayette, now resides in Indianapolis: I was working at Luxie’s (then at 648 Main St.) down the street where Chris Shaffer of The Why Store was performing. Chris took a break, and as I was handing the door money to David Lux, the owner, Chris asked me where I was going and if he could tag along? I obviously said, “Yes!” And then told him that I was heading to the Lafayette Brewing Company. Next, I remember strutting down Main Street with Shaffer as he asked me who we were going to see? I told him Michael Kelsey, and he said, “Oh man, I know Kelsey!”
As we entered LBC’s second story venue, I scoped out a place to sit with some friends on the floor right in front of the stage. Chris had no such plans. Lol! He headed straight for the stage and surprised Kelsey and the band. Instantaneously, Kelsey called out Chris and invited him up. Chris seamlessly joined into whatever song they were performing at the time and blew everybody away with this crazy, serendipitous moment. After the impromptu jam session, my friends I was sitting next to, asked me if I could believe what just happened? Honestly, at the time, all I could muster up was a smile and a, “Nope, unbelievable!”
When they were finished melting faces, Michael asked Chris where he was playing and told him that if they can get their gear cleaned up quickly, he would join them on stage later at Luxie’s. Cut to about an hour later where I have regained my prime spot on the staircase at Luxie’s for the end of Chris Shaffer’s gig. From that spot, I cannot see the front door. But, as soon as I witnessed the emotion on David Lux’s face, I knew Michael made good on his promise. Kelsey jumped up and played bass with Chris’ band for a few songs. One of my most favorite moments of many on Main Street, let alone at the legendary Lafayette Brewing Company. Two of my favorite and inspiring Indiana musicians performing together on two different stages on the same night. Wow! Luxie and I, still to this day, laugh about how all of those beautiful moments just simply came together and fell into place.
I remember other many good times there as well. Playing drums with the Street Corner Mystix at an indoor Mosey Down Main Street. Also, I remember early on that Michael Kelsey used to shoot music videos in the bar area. I’m pretty sure that I still have a VHS tape to prove it. It was a promotional video that Michael had professionally done. All of these great memories, including whenever I was lucky enough to have Kelsey invite me up to play percussion with him.
Ugh. This place closing its doors sure hurts pretty hard.
Tom Herr, Lafayette attorney and guitarist: LBC was the place to be to hang out with many good friends and to hear some excellent live music. I can’t thank Richard (Fudge) and Meridith (Richmond) and Friends of Bob enough for their role in making much of it happen. I really miss those good old days (queue Mary Hopkin, “Those Were The Days”).
The quality of the bands performing in this small venue in this small town was phenomenal. I’m a lover of expert guitarists, and I got to see many of them at LBC up close and personal. Some of my favorites were Bill Kirchen, the Master of the Telecaster, playing “Hot Rod Lincoln,” which included around 20 famous guitar licks. It was amazing and hilarious. This was an upstairs show. I ended up going to a guitar workshop with him a few months later.
I also loved Los Straitjackets’ downstairs show, in which they showed off some great surf guitar riffs and their creepy Mexican wrestling masks.
Another favorite was the Red Elvises. They knew how to get people up and dancing, which at LBC resulted in the upstairs floor oscillating in a concerning manner. I wore a red and black satiny shirt to the Red Elvises show. Some guy who had too many Common Ales thought I was in the band and asked me to autograph a CD he just bought. I graciously obliged.
I will always associate LBC with great friends, music, singing and dancing (and a few great beers). We did our best to have too much fun! Thank you, LBC!
Carl Abernathy, who photographed many shows at LBC: Nov. 16, 2008, Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band. I knew all hell was about to break loose when Reverend Peyton came marching out of the Lafayette Brewing Co. kitchen with a siren blaring through a bullhorn. It did. When he hit the stage, Reverend Peyton funneled the manic sounds of his harmonica through his bullhorn. And he banged on his acoustic guitar like he was summoning the dead. The good reverend and his bandmates in Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band – his wife Breezy on washboard and his brother Jayme on drums – sounded like a punk band playing the blues. So loud. So good. Seventeen years later, I still shake a bit (and smile) when I hear one of their songs.
Shelly Estes, Purdue retiree and Lafayette music fan: The Blasters. I was always a fan and saw them twice in some variation at LBC. Both shows were Friends of Bob. The great thing was being to talk to them after the show. Phil Alvin even signed both of my vinyl albums. The best show no one saw: Paul Galaxy & The Galactix, a rock-a-billy trio from Colorado. There were like five people there on the same weekend as a Lafayette street fest. They were so good! A shame there was no crowd for them.
John Frigo, a charter Friends of Bob member: “Best” and “most memorable” are hyperbolic when talking about all the great music I’ve seen at LBC. With favorite bands like the Bears, the Gourds and NRBQ playing Friends of Bob shows (two each, even), the competition is quite fierce. I would like to single out the performance by singer/songwriter Kate Jacobs as particularly distinctive. It was an intimate show in May 1999 – possibly the last FoB show we hosted downstairs. Tickets were limited to 100 so seating was ample but full in that front dining area. The legendary Dave Schramm was the lead-up act and also supported her set. Kate’s songs radiate warmth and always fill me with hope. It feels like spring reminiscing about that night! She also played my request of “Girl on the Bus” as the encore. Special shout-out to every time the Prannies and Vulgar Boatmen played there. Also fondly remember the first time I heard the Woodstove Flapjacks at an open mic upstairs. What a great venue!
Video by Tim Brouk
Chandra DiRosaria, also a Lafayette resident and live music fan: Reverend Horton Heat, Larry and his Flask, and the Goddamn Gallows had a Midwest tour, and came through LBC on March 4, 2012. It was easily the most raucous show I had ever attended on the second floor: people were packed in shoulder to shoulder, dancing (moshing) and moving so much that at a point I wondered if the floor was going to hold. I distinctly remember there being a mascot for the evening, too, the “party werewolf.” Easily one of the best and most memorable shows in my decades of patronage.
Jeff Schwab, a founding member and longtime officer with Friends of Bob: I think there are two shows that really stand out in my memory.
The first one was the 1995 New Year’s Eve show downstairs at LBC. We had done a few shows by then and things were going well for Bob. But the turnout of local friends and the three bands that donated their time – Dr. Fine, the Velmas and the Prannies – really showed how the town was so ready to support the idea of Bob. Of course, NYE is always a party somewhere, but to me it really was a gathering of friends and a commitment to keep Bob going for the long haul.
The second show that really struck me was the 2013 Bill Kirchen show upstairs at LBC. This just felt like peak Bob at the time. The upstairs was packed and people were really into the music and hooting and hollering. And of course Kirchen was a master guitar player and was almost mesmerizing, especially with songs like “Hot Rod Lincoln.”
Of course, I always have to mention the 1997 show of Ray Condo and His Ricochets, also downstairs. Why? Because that is where I met Ronda, my wife.
Javin Rusco, aka DJ Cap’nDangerous: Jim Voelz asked me, “Hey, JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound are playing at LBC, would you be interested in DJing for the opening act?” Me: “Are you kidding? I’m a huge JC Brooks fan; I’d be honored! Yes, absolutely, YES.”
The night comes for the show, and I bring my usual crates of old roller-rink-boogie-funk records and do my thing. As I’m playing my records, JC comes up and chats with me a few times, sharing how excited he is to be hearing some of the songs. “I haven’t heard this in SO MANY YEARS!” So, I finish playing my opening set and head to the dance floor while JC and the boys take the stage. The show was as incredible as I expected it to be; JC, ever the showman, had the crowd in awe, with a honey-smooth voice delivering his artful mastery of poetry and phrase.
After the show, I had to go buy his records from the merch-table, of course. As I approached, he grinned and stood to shake my hand, saying, “Man, that was a hell of a set! You have a great record collection!” Meanwhile, I’m super-fan-swooning and trying to come up with an equal compliment. “No way, YOU played a hell of a show tonight. What an honor it was to share a room with you for the show.”
I handed him cash for records and asked if he would sign the sleeve of his 45. He happily obliged, signing it with: “Haven’t heard ‘Rock Creek Park’ in years. ROCK
ON! – JC Brooks.”
There have been a whole slew of memorable shows at LBC through the years that I’ve had the good fortune to attend, but this one is the crown-jewel for me. Thanks for the memories, folks!
Peter Hirst, Purdue professor and supporter of live music: I was a big supporter of Friends of Bob from the late-1990s and served on the board for a few years in the late-‘90s and early-2000s. I seldom missed a FoB show and probably attended over 50 FoB shows, although that number could be closer to 100. Many were artists I hadn’t heard of prior to the show, and it was an excellent way to broaden my musical horizons. Of the shows I attended, the vast majority were at LBC, in the early days downstairs in the window and then upstairs. Upstairs at LBC was my favorite venue to see a band – the ambience was good, it was just the right size and the beer was good. The pivotal role FoB played in bringing live music to Lafayette when there were few other options was certainly enhanced by the availability of a great performance space like upstairs at LBC.
You’ll likely ask what was my favorite band, and there were so many good ones that it’s hard to pick just one. Certainly The Bears with Adrian Belew and James McMurtry were among my favorites, but for honesty, grit and storytelling, Chuck Prophet rises to the top. He was one of the few artists that FoB invited back a number of times and with good reason. He engaged with the audience in a way few artists can and in my view he remains one of the most under-appreciated singer songwriters (and guitarists) in America.
Mark Lechman, Lafayette-based creative professional, musician and longtime local music-scene regular: My older brother, Mike, who passed away in 2022, was always a huge Vulgar Boatman fan, so he put up the cash to get them to come to the Brew Co. just because he loved them so much. We weren’t sure if anyone would even show up or would remember them, but the entire upstairs was packed. Getting to meet them in person was also very cool.
Steve Bultinck, a founder of Mosey Down Main Street, monthly summer street fests in downtown Lafayette: LBC has been a great place in terms of supporting live music, and the shows hosted there have been exceptional. It is difficult to single out one over another, but as I look at it in a retrospective way, the last show held on Nov. 12, 2025, really stands out to me. Having known Greg and Nancy since the inception of the LBC, it was great to see them sit back and enjoy the event, and the music was exceptional. It was just wonderful to see them kick back and enjoy. The bands – Oh God Oh No, Tom Thumb’s Blues Band and Scratch Thing – were basically all local musicians or, in the case of Oh God Oh No, had a local connection. It just is an overwhelming feeling that the local microbrewery that kicked it all off over three decades ago, finished (unknown to us that night) its legacy promoting local music. That sums up what LBC brought to Lafayette, in addition to its excellent beer and food (love that fish ‘n’ chips!). I will always be able to reflect on Greg and Nancy being one of the gang, listening to a good night of entertainment. Gonna miss them and what LBC brought to downtown, as it was a key player in what downtown has become today.
Your turn: Click the Comment button to add your most memorable show at Lafayette Brewing Co.
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Alejandro Escovedo and his band absolutely rocked the place when he was there.
Enjoyed this article and reflecting on all the FOB shows I saw there.