Lawrence, Kansas

  • April 20, 2025
I Heart Local Music

Guests dancing to Blue Orleans
On Saturday longtime drinking establishment The Sandbar threw a block party in Downtown Lawrence to celebrate their 22nd birthday. There was something everyone could enjoy at this party. I was particularly fond of the bands that played.
 
I only caught Blue Orleans and The Magentlemen. Blue Orleans did a fantastic job of getting people to dance, and their accordion player had a particular flair for performing.
 
A shark devours guests at The Sandbar's block party
In between bands we spotted a giant inflatable shark and a couple of pirates wandering about. In true rocker fashion, local boys The Magentlemen took the stage only after the sun had set.
 
We’ve enjoyed watching The Magentlmen in the past, and Saturday’s performance was also a real treat. They delivered on their solid rock hooks and songs you could cut a rug to. The weather had also (finally) calmed down. Long gone were the triple digit temperatures. In its place was a nice cool breeze, perfect for head banging during this set. Considering how rocking The Magentlemen were, you almost couldn’t help it.
 

 
The Magentlemen perform at The Sandbar's Block Party

 
It should be noted that Mark Valentine and the Hammerheads (get the shark theme here? get it?!) were set to close out the night. We were sorry we missed the band.

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Fally Afani is an award-winning journalist with a career spanning more than 20 years in media. She has worked extensively in radio, television, newspapers, magazines, and more.

2 Comments

  • Peat Romano, August 14, 2011 @ 12:51 pm

    I agree, The Magentlemen were Rockin’, its’ the first time I got to see them perform live. I know most of the members from Richards Music. They are all great guys and it was fun for me to see them on stage. I took some photos of the performance. If it’s okay to post links you can look at there here:

    http://peatpics.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=120239

    I’m definitely going to catch them wherever they play next.

    Peaty

  • Debbi, August 14, 2011 @ 5:43 pm

    Thanks for the recap of the block party! We enjoy having local bands perform, particularly when they’re from one of our neighboring businesses. The party had a great turnout and we hope the Lawrence community had a great time downtown last night.

    Debbi Johanning
    Online Content Manager, The Sandbar

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