First Avenue Club
First Avenue Club
Iowa City's premier event and concert venue
Upcoming Events at First Avenue Club
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Jason Boland & The Stragglers Live at the First Avenue Club in Iowa City
Jason Boland & The Stragglers return to the First Avenue Club on Saturday, September 27th on The Last Kings of Babylon Tour with special guest Angela Meyer. General admission tickets are just $23 (includes fees). Reserved Table for 4 with tickets and BBQ dinner $165. Tables are assigned in order of purchase. Doors for dinner: 6:30 and General Admission 7:00. The show starts at 8:00. THIS IS AN ALL AGES SHOW For the past 20 years, Jason Boland & the Stragglers have dazzled audiences all over as one of the leading ambassadors of the Oklahoma and Texas music movement. Millions of fans cheering him on, over 500,000 records sold independently and 10 albums later, Boland is a career musician whose legacy continues to grow. From his early days touring in cramped vans and playing in front of tiny bar crowds to the packed venues he performs in today, Boland’s uncompromising approach has grown his profile dramatically, especially in the past handful of years. Add to that the legions of musicians who are influenced by Boland, and his impact on the scene is undeniable. 2025-08-07 23:45:00 -0500
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Tanner Usrey Live at the First Avenue Club in Iowa City
Tanner Usrey live at the First Avenue Club in Iowa City on Saturday, October 25th, 2025. General Admission Tickets are $23 (includes fees). There will be a few Reserved Pub tables that will be elevated on the exterior side walls available. Doors are 7 and the show starts at 8:00 Guitar in hand and mic turned up loud, the tunes do the talking for Tanner Usrey. The Texas-born singer, songwriter, and guitarist pairs straight shooting storytelling with country grit, rock ‘n’ roll energy, and Americana eloquence. As such, he channels a classic spirit from a personal perspective. After piling up tens of millions of streams, packing hundreds of shows, and landing syncs on the likes of Yellowstone, he bares it all on a series of 2023 singles for Atlantic Records and much more to come. “I let the songs be what they’re going to be, and I pride myself on that,” he notes. “Musically, it ranges from southern rock to country to Americana. When it comes to songwriting, I want to focus on what’s real – I don’t shy away from saying the hard things.” Growing up in the small town of Prosper, TX, he gravitated towards music as a little kid. By five years-old, he constantly belted out Alan Jackson songs around the house much to his family’s chagrin. “Everyone used to tell me to shut up,” he laughs. “I was the kid who sang all the time.” Aft er catching Wade Bowen and Brandon Rhyder in concert, his destiny crystallized in high school. “I remember saying to myself, ‘That’s what I want to do’,” he recalls. “That’s what led me to picking up a guitar.” Inspired by everyone from George Strait, Tom Petty, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Rolling Stones to his favorite band Whiskey Myers, he wrote countless songs and cut his teeth at gigs anywhere with a stage. In between holding down a job as a skip tracer, he carefully honed his signature style. Quitting his job in 2019, he unveiled the Medicine Man EP. “Come Back Down” generated 19.1 million Spotify streams followed by “Beautiful Lies” with 18 million Spotify streams. During 2021, he tirelessly gigged in between releasing the SÕL Sessions EP. “The Light” also notably soundtracked the finale of Yellowstone Season 4. Along the way, he cemented himself as an electrifying and energetic live presence with over 180 shows in 2022. “When we’re on stage, our goal is to have the audience clinging to the edge of their seats,” he shares. “I get to play with a bunch of badasses, and I don’t take it for granted. We pounded the pavement and put at least 100K miles on the van in a year-and-a-half.” Signing to Atlantic Records, he kickstarted 2023 with “Take Me Home,” cracking 10 million streams and counting. On its heels, the single “Give It Some Time” threads together dusty acoustic guitar and unfiltered lyrics as he pleads, “Give me something to believe in, baby, because I’ve been losing my mind.” Against an organ-laden beat, it builds towards an emotionally charged guitar solo that’s as scorching as his delivery is. 2025-08-07 23:45:00 -0500First Avenue ClubIowa City -
Comedian John Caparulo Live at the First Avenue Club in Iowa City
Comedian John Caparulo returns to the First Avenue Club on in Iowa City on Friday, December 5th. Doors are at 6:30pm and the show is at 8:00pm. Local comic favorite Mike Lucas will be the feature act. Tickets start at $25. Reserved Tables for 4 and 6 available. All tickets will be held at the door for pick up night of the show. This is your chance to see John in an intimate setting. Full bar and appetizer menu available. A comedian known for his sharp wit, unique delivery, and brilliant affinity for cuss words, John Caparulo is a seasoned comic whose dry, no-nonsense Midwestern sensibility endears him to audience members of all kinds. He began his comedy career performing in clubs in Cleveland and Pittsburgh in the late ‘90s before coming to Hollywood to hone his skills on stage and work the door at the legendary Comedy Store. Caparulo’s breakout performance at Montreal’s Just for Laughs in 2003 led to spots on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and he appeared over 150 times as a panelist on Chelsea Handler’s popular E! show Chelsea Lately. His profile continued to rise with live performances on the Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Next Generation, Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Tour, Ron White’s Salute To The Troops, and the Showtime special Unsportsmanlike Comedy with Rob Gronkowski. He voiced the character of “Headphone Joe” on Disney’s Fish Hooks, played the part of “Brian” on the ABC sitcom Work It, was the host of Mobile Home Disaster on CMT, hosted a weekly radio show on Sirius XM, and has produced and appeared on numerous podcasts. In 2008, Cap’s first full-length special, Meet Cap, premiered on Comedy Central. His second special, Come Inside Me, was released on Netflix in 2013. In 2018, Cap settled down in Las Vegas and performed almost 500 shows during a 2-year residency at Harrah’s. John Caparulo’s Mad Cap Comedy ran 5 nights a week until its unexpected demise as a result of the COVID-19 shutdowns. Now he’s back on the strip headlining exclusively at Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club during the week, while touring nationally on the weekends. And on top of his commitments to being a great dad and a mediocre husband, Cap has written an outlandish comic book series based on his family. Cartoon Comic is available for purchase at JohnCaparulo.com 2025-08-07 23:00:00 -0500
First Avenue ClubIowa City