Rock On, Athens

Last year, former OHIO student and lifelong Athens resident Paul Eschenbacher reached out with an unusual question: Would we be interested in research he’d compiled documenting musical acts that graced Athens from 1960 through 1999? That generous offer kicked off a deep dive into the physical and digital resources at the Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections, where we found decades’ worth of posters from those performances.

When asked why he started such an ambitious project, Eschenbacher cited fond memories of shows he’d attended … and a desire to settle disagreements with friends about who performed where and when. (Relatable, right?)

Ohio Today worked with Andrew Holzaepfel, executive director of the OHIO Performing Arts & Concert Series, to cover shows from the 2000s to present day.

“We hear this from artists’ managers a lot: We’re not a major market, but we have great audiences at Memorial Auditorium,” Holzaepfel says. “There’s an intimacy there that artists notice.” Singer-songwriter Noah Kahan was among the many artists to comment on this phenomenon, which brings repeat shows from the likes of Wilco, The Avett Brothers and Indigo Girls—who most recently performed with the OHIO Symphony Orchestra in March.

While a comprehensive review would be impossible, we’ve compiled an assortment of notable acts. See if you can find your favorites, then share your own concert memories on the Ohio University Alumni Association’s Facebook page and the Bobcat Network.