ATLANTA — Seeing bands like REO Speedwagon and 38 Special rock on stage in their hometown, Peter Olson and Nick Niespodziani grew up dreaming of one day performing in front of thousands at Mill Race Park.
While it wasn’t quite what they’d imagined, the 1996 Columbus East High School grads got their wish over the holiday weekend as their band Yacht Rock Revue headlined the same concert as their heroes before them.
The nationally touring group, known as the “Greatest Show on Surf,” delivered spot-on soft rock covers from the 1970s and ’80s, while also inserting an original song into its set, during a livestream performance for the 34th Annual Our Hospice of South Central Indiana concert Saturday night.
Instead of delivering their smooth-sailing songs in front of captain-hatted and collar-popped fans in Columbus, the group played from the Coca-Cola Roxy in Atlanta, Georgia, where the band is based. The 3,600-seat venue, which is located next to Truist Park — the home of the Atlanta Braves — didn’t have an audience.
For more on this story, see Monday’s Republic.
