Buffalo Place will produce the 7th Anniversary season of the free outdoor summer series, Thursday & Main, weekly from June 8th through July 27, 2023 in Downtown Buffalo at Fountain Plaza. Thursday & Main is presented by M&T Bank. The series continues to pay homage to the venerable Buffalo Place-produced summer tradition, Thursday at the Square.
Thursday & Main is made possible with the generous support of our official sponsor family. The series is presented by M&T Bank. Supporting Act Sponsors include: Crowley Webb, Big Ditch Brewing Company, The Buffalo News, Hyatt Regency Buffalo, Iroquois Construction Services, Katz Americas, Lawley Insurance, National Grid, Rec Room, Try-It Distributing, and Uber.
The full lineup this season includes:
- Thursday, June 8, 2023 Ron Hawkins (of Lowest of the Low) with Whitetails
- Thursday, June 15, 2023 The Strictly Hip with Johnny and the Man Kids
- Thursday, June 22, 2023 Dueling Pianos 716 Band with Kurt and the Loders
- Thursday, June 29, 2023 Laura Jane Grace with Sunday Reign
- Thursday, July 6, 2023 GROSH with Maria Aurigema Trio
- Thursday, July 13, 2023 Tokyo Police Club with Handsome Jack
- Thursday, July 20, 2023 Organ Fairchild with Dale Toliver Trio
- Thursday, July 27, 2023 Lazlo Hollyfeld with The Damone Jackson Outcome
Visit the Facebook page for updates on the 2023 schedule!
The free and open-to-the-public happy hour, presented on Thursday evenings in the heart of Downtown Buffalo at Fountain Plaza (Main at Chippewa Streets), continues the mission of Thursday at the Square: creating awareness and spin-off business for Downtown restaurants, bars, and retailers.
Thirty-five years ago, in 1987, Fountain Plaza hosted the first Thursday at the Park season, produced and managed by Buffalo Place. One year later in 1988, crowds for the happy hour became too large for the space. The series was shifted to Lafayette Square and Thursday at the Square was born. Fountain Plaza is a beautiful public space in Downtown and provides a picture-perfect setting for this summer’s Thursday & Main series.
To kick off the 2023 season presented by M&T Bank on June 8th, Buffalo Place is pleased to welcome Ron Hawkins of Canadian alt-rock superstar band, Lowest of the Low. Hawkins holds a special place in Thursday at the Square history, performing with Lowest of the Low in 1993 and 2005 to a rabid Buffalo fanbase. Whitetails will serve as support for the opening night at Fountain Plaza.
On June 29th, the week leading into the 4th of July holiday weekend, Thursday & Main is pleased to welcome Laura Jane Grace. Laura Jane Grace is a major figure in today’s rock scene as both a solo artist and the frontwoman of Against Me!, which she founded in the late 1990’s. As a working artist, she has released four solo offerings and seven albums with Against Me! In 2012, she went public with her gender transition in the pages of Rolling Stone. In her music, she continues to detail her journey all while staying true to her earlier themes of outspoken political critique: environmentalism along with personal and social liberation. Fresh from a performance in Austin at SXSW ‘23, Sunday Reign will open the evening of performance.
Buffalo Place is delighted to welcome Tokyo Police Club to Downtown on July 13th. Veterans of the Thursday at the Square series, Tokyo Police Club closed the 2011 season at Canalside to a massive crowd of revelers. The Ontario-based band has been twice nominated for the Juno Awards “Alternative Album of the Year.” Earlier this year, they celebrated the 15-year anniversary of their debut LP, “Elephant Shell” with a special vinyl press. The incomparable, Lockport-based, garage rock heroes, Handsome Jack will support the evening.
The 2023 season will also feature new and returning Buffalo-based favorites, including masters of the music of The Tragically Hip, The Strictly Hip; Dueling Pianos 716 Band, a modern spin on dueling pianos, where talented musicians play the crowds favorite songs; GROSH, a high energy rock band with a visceral, heavy, and inspiring sound; Organ Fairchild, who was voted NY’s Top Emerging Band in 2021; and the genre-bending outfit, Lazlo Hollyfeld.
