TROY — A popular public house in Troy is bringing back live outdoor concerts to its location beside the Green Island Bridge.
Ryan’s Wake is hosting a free, six-week outdoor evening concert series that kicked off May 17. “Wake Up Wednesdays” will run for six Wednesdays in a row starting at 5 p.m. Bands will perform from a stage set up between the Hudson River and the rear deck of Ryan’s Wake Public House at 403 River St.
“This is intended to be a fun, familiar mid-week break during the warmer months to sing along to familiar music, have a beverage and still be in bed by nine,” Ryan’s Wake General Manager Jared Kingsley said. “It’s called ‘Wake Up Wednesdays’ but you’ll also be able to wake up the next day because you don’t have to stay out too late.”
The lineup of regional favorites kicked off with Irish folk/rock band Hair of the Dog and concludes with a “supergroup” of Troy rockers assembled from long-time favorite bands. Other shows feature ‘80s music, “Yacht Rock” and Country styles.
Wake Up Wednesdays, Full Lineup
May 17 — Hair of The Dog (Celtic Kick Off Party!), May 24 — The Accents (Cap Region’s Hottest Party Band ), May 31 – The Kyle Bourgault Band (Country Night), June 7 – The Squids (80s Rock), June 14 – Yacht Masters NY (Yacht Rock), June 21 – The Troy Music Review Feat. The Family Tree and Special Guests (Rock ‘n Roll).
Back Where It All Began: Original Rockin’ on the River Site
Troy’s summer concert series, “Rockin’ on the River,” first kicked off behind Ryan’s Wake in June 2008 with a Blues Night featuring Albert Cummings. The concert series was an initiative of Ryan’s Wake, Brown’s Brewing Co., DeCrescente Distributing Co., and the Troy Downtown Collaborative, an organization of retailers and developers that would evolve into the Downtown Troy Business Improvement District (BID).
During its first five years, Rockin’ on the River attracted a growing audience to Ryan’s Wake riverfront location until some of the shows had outgrown the spot. In August 2013, the Downtown Troy BID moved the series to Troy’s Riverfront Park, where it continued until the pandemic. In the last three years, the concert series has moved to different locations.
“Ryan’s Wake is where Rockin’ on the River started and people kept asking, ‘When are you gonna bring it back here?’,” Kingsley said. “There’s something special about this spot and how it feels to catch live music here.”
Kingsley said “Wake Up Wednesdays” is scaled to bring the right-sized crowd for the space.
Chris Ryan, proprietor of Ryan’s Wake Public House, credits Kingsley’s talent for picking music acts for much of the success of the original Rockin’ on the River concert series.
“We have finally reached the point in our careers where we have nostalgia for our beginnings,” Ryan said. “Part of that nostalgia is to redo this event in its original location. We’re putting the band(s) back together!”
