Hairball books the night after Thanksgiving at The Lincoln

Minnesota's arena-rock tribute machine returns to downtown Cheyenne on Friday, Nov. 27, with Evan Honer also on the bill.

Thanksgiving leftovers will still be in the fridge when the smoke machines start up on Central Avenue. On Oct. 14, The Lincoln announced Hairball for Friday, Nov. 27. That's the night after the holiday, when half of Cheyenne has family in town and needs somewhere loud to take them.

Hairball plays The Lincoln, 1615 Central Ave., on Friday, Nov. 27. The room holds 1,250, and The Lincoln is selling the show through its own site. The venue's homepage pitch is short: it's "always a packed house and a killer time when Hairball comes to The Lincoln." Take that as both an invitation and a warning.

The venue isn't just hyping it. Hairball is a regular here. The Lincoln's past-artists page lists the band in 2022, 2023 and 2024, so anyone who has been to a show downtown in the last few years has probably seen the posters. This year's date lands on a holiday weekend, which makes it more of a party and makes it more likely to sell out.

If you haven't seen them, Hairball is a Minnesota band and calls itself "America's Best Tribute Band to Arena Rock." It isn't a one-band tribute. According to the band's bio, the set moves through the big names of '80s hard rock and arena rock: KISS, AC/DC, Twisted Sister, Mötley Crüe, Van Halen, Journey, Guns N' Roses, Queen and Aerosmith. The band says it plays for more than two hours, with an arena-sized light show, smoke, fire and pyrotechnics. Its tagline is "A Bombastic Celebration of Arena Rock," and that's a fair description.

The band has been at this a long time. Per the bio, 2025 was Hairball's 25th year. That explains how a tribute act can fill the same room year after year. People come back for the production, the costume changes and the singalong, not to find out which songs they'll play.

It's always a packed house and a killer time when Hairball comes to The Lincoln.

The Lincoln is a good fit for that kind of night. It's a downtown room half a block off 16th Street, big enough for a real light rig and small enough that the pyro feels close. A 1,250-person crowd yelling the chorus of a Journey song is a different experience from the same song in an arena, and that's the appeal.

When should you buy? The show was announced two weeks ago, and Hairball's past visits suggest it won't last until the week of. Check The Lincoln's site for current availability. We couldn't confirm a ticket price or a start time, so look at both before you go.

Bring the cousins, skip the Black Friday lines, and save your voice for the encore.

Sources: Concert Calendar - The Lincoln (thelincolncheyenne.com); The Lincoln Cheyenne (homepage) (thelincolncheyenne.com); Past Artists - The Lincoln (thelincolncheyenne.com); Hairball: America's Best Tribute Band to Arena Rock (hairballonline.com); Hairball - Bio (hairballonline.com); The Lincoln Cheyenne - Etix venue page (etix.com); Wikimedia Commons: Lincoln Theater Cheyenne.JPG (commons.wikimedia.org); When is Thanksgiving Day (farmersalmanac.com)