5 things to do in Boise on Memorial Day weekend: Play ball, sip outside, talk dirty to me

Michael Deeds
·3 min read

Got a three-day vacation because of Memorial Day weekend — yet nothing to do?

Start making plans. Poison frontman Bret Michaels is in town for a Saturday night concert of ’80s hair metal anthems such as “Talk Dirty To Me” and “Every Rose Has Its Thorn.” The Boise Hawks and Idaho Horsemen have baseball and football games. And a new restaurant and newly branded bar are open for business. Here are some of the notable events on the calendar from Friday, May 27, through Monday, May 30.

1. Go rock out

▪ Geoff Tate: 8 p.m. Friday, Revolution Center, 4983 N. Glenwood St., Garden City. $23. Ticketmaster.

▪ Bret Michaels: 7 p.m. Saturday at Expo Idaho, 5610 N. Glenwood St., Garden City. $30. idahoconcertseries.com.

▪ Blue Oyster Cult: 6 p.m. Saturday, Stoney’s Road House, 1050 Cascade Road, Emmett. $37.50-$57.50. stoneysroadhouse.com.

▪ Bad Bad Hats: 8 p.m. Saturday, Neurolux, 111 N. 11th St., Boise. $12. TicketWeb. $15 at the door. Opening: The Ophelia, Petal Party.

▪ Spencer Brown: 8 p.m. Saturday, Knitting Factory, 416 S. 9th St., Boise. $13 general, $35 reserved balcony. Ticketmaster. Opening: Morgin Madison.

▪ Anthony Green, Laura Jane Grace and Tim Kasher: 7 p.m. Sunday, The Olympic, 1009 W. Main St., Boise. $25. TicketWeb.

▪ Lord Huron: 7 p.m. Sunday, Outlaw Field, Idaho Botanical Garden, 2355 N. Penitentiary Road, Boise. $39.50. Ticketmaster. Sold out.

2. Check out a new bar or restaurant

Downtown Boise has two new food-and-drink places.

▪ Red Umbrella Bar, a casual outdoor hangout, will debut Friday on the second-floor plaza at Richard’s Restaurant & Bar, 500 S. Capitol Blvd. Located at the Inn at 500 Capitol, it’s a fresh concept for an exterior area historically utilized mostly for catering, then for dining during the pandemic. “We wanted to use this amazing second-floor outdoor space as a fun, casual bar where guests can enjoy a drink and some bites — either before dinner downstairs at Richard’s, or before heading off and exploring downtown Boise,” Richard’s general manager Jim Borton said in a statement.

▪ Looking for something earlier in the day? Nomad Beverage Company recently opened at 603 S. Capitol Blvd. A coffee shop, it serves “delicious drinks and creative plays on foods from around the world.” The food menu includes sourdough beignets, various toasts, burritos and “provisions.” Those include a $17 Turkish Breakfast (fig jam, feta, manchego, goat cheese, hazelnuts, hummus, olives, cucumber salad, crispy chickpeas — and a couple of poached eggs).

3. See a baseball game ...

The Boise Hawks welcome the Idaho Falls Chukars for action Saturday, Sunday and Monday at Memorial Stadium, 5600 N. Glenwood St. in Garden City. The weekend games start at 7 p.m.; Memorial Day’s game begins at 2 p.m. Tickets are $9-$15. Get ’em at boisehawks.com.

The Boise Hawks are getting back into the swing of things at Memorial Stadium.
The Boise Hawks are getting back into the swing of things at Memorial Stadium.

4. .... or a football game

The Idaho Horsemen will try to put a hurtin’ on the Washington Elite in professional indoor football on Sunday. The 5 p.m. game takes place at Ford Idaho Center Arena, 16200 N. Idaho Center Blvd. in Nampa. Tickets are $12-$35 at fordidahocenter.com or gohorsemen.com.

5. Get some culture

Idaho Shakespeare Festival continues its season with performances Friday, Saturday and Sunday of “Much Ado About Nothing.” Tickets were dwindling fast at press time, so check idahoshakespeare.org for availability.