Five bands will celebrate music of the 1960s through the early 2000s as Embassy Theatre marks a milestone installment of its Down the Line concerts, which began in 2007.
Down the Line 20 is at 7 p.m. Feb. 21 at the historic venue, 125 W. Jefferson Blvd.
The city and the concert series have evolved over the years, chief marketing officer Carly Myers says. There were fewer opportunities to see live local acts 19 years ago, and Down the Line had benefits for everybody: Audiences got to see the acts and get a break from February cabin fever; bands had a chance to perform on the theater’s historic stage and be compensated; and the Embassy used the event as a fundraiser until a few years ago.
Down the Line still gives local bands a rare opportunity to perform on the Embassy’s stage. Acts in the 2026 lineup are The Legendary Trainhoppers playing music of the 1960s; We Are Checkmark with music of the ’70s; Kaitlyn Schmit & Friends presenting ’80s music; Neighborhood Strays with ’90s tunes; and Tuesday Atlas closing out with songs from the 2000s.
Myers calls it an incredible variety of music, with covers of artists as varied as James Brown, Peter Gabriel, Tina Turner, Blink-182 and the Fray.
Recent editions of Down the Line have had dedicated themes, such as “Great Brit” in 2025, ’90s grunge in 2024 and Woodstock in 2023, in which bands covered iconic artists. For the 20th edition, the Embassy wanted to do something different, and the idea of breaking the sets up by decade gave each local band more to sink their teeth into instead of a single artist’s music.
The Trainhoppers are “super excited” to be back at Down the Line, Matt Kelley says. The founder of local communications agency One Lucky Guitar helped originate the idea for the concert. It was inspired by a popular series of tribute nights at former downtown club Columbia Street West.
The Trainhoppers performed at the first Down the Line in 2007 and again in 2016 for Down the Line 10.
The Trainhoppers will open Down the Line 20 with 1960s music, which Kelley says will be “Trainhopperized” for a bit of a country-rock vibe. They will perform 11 songs in 30 minutes with hits such as “Honky Tonk Women” by the Rolling Stones, “Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash and “What the World Needs Now” from Dionne Warwick.
“We’re going to explore a lot of nooks and crannies in the ’60s, but hopefully make them feel very cohesive,” Kelley says. Bands also get to perform a bit of their own music.
As the years have passed, Down the Line has developed a legacy, Myers says. The Embassy’s programming team is regularly contacted by bands wanting to participate.
“It’s an inspiring event to go to and see on this amazing, historic stage,” she says. “You see the range of talent we have locally … and there’s such a willingness from our local performers to want to be a part of it.”
The Embassy also appreciates concertgoers who come out for Down the Line. It’s one thing to attend a Jerry Seinfeld performance or a touring Broadway show, but Myers says its great to see people show up to support the Embassy and local bands, too.
“It shows me how much people appreciate our local cultural landscape,” she says. “And that’s really cool.”