BEL AIR, Md. — Guitarist Jimi Russell shreds like Page, and spells his name like Hendrix.
'Not Those Guys' is his cover band, which started a few months ago. He and his bandmates were hoping to play at the Main Street Tower in Bel Air on New Year's Eve; a paid gig he earmarked for rent.
"I kind of go in and as I'm walking my stuff upstairs, I'm realizing it's a little dark. I'm like, it's a little dark and then as soon as I get into the room, I noticed everything's out," Russell recalled.
The gig had to be postponed after a utility pole fire in downtown Bel Air led to power outages on New Year's Eve, disrupting what should have been a big night for business.
The afternoon of New Year's Eve, the utility pole fire led to power outages for nearby buildings and traffic signals. Bel Air police say crews also looked into a potential natural gas leak, closing part of Main Street, making repairs, and later deeming the area safe.
On New Year's Day, crews were still working on the lines on Pennsylvania Avenue, and part of that road was closed. Police said some localized power outages lingered Thursday.
Amie Bradfield is a manager at Magerk's Bel Air, which had to close up shop around 6:30pm Wednesday and cancel reservations. They were back up and operational Thursday.
"It definitely financially impacts the business, as you can imagine, and then obviously our servers and bartenders that rely on tips and gratuity, especially on a holiday evening for them," Bradfield said.
Bradfield told WMAR-2 News folks were understanding, and they redirected customers to Looney's, another local pub which still had power.
Power outage disrupts New Year's Eve in downtown Bel Air
"I just think it was great how we got so much positive feedback from customers and guests in the area," Bradfield said.
RELATED: BGE has restored power to nearly every customer impacted by Bel Air outage
"I think Bel Air is a really nice community, and everyone pulls together when things like this happen," she added.
Thankfully, the folks at the Tower are rebooking "Not Those Guys" for a show this Saturday.
All traffic signals in town are back up and running, as folks in downtown Bel Air hope to leave the mess behind in 2025.
