Structural vibration control using tuned liquid column dampers (TLCDs) has been widely studied; however, most applications assume fixed-base conditions and neglect nonlinear soil–structure interaction (SSI), which can significantly undermine performance. Recent advances, such as smart tunable liquid column gas dampers (TLCGDs) that adapt via gas-pressure retuning, have improved adaptability but rely on complex hardware and frequent system identification. In this study, a hybrid adaptive backstepping–TLCD control strategy is proposed to enhance the seismic resilience of civil structures while considering SSI effects. The method combines the passive energy dissipation of TLCDs with the robustness of nonlinear adaptive backstepping control, optimized through particle swarm optimization, to ensure stability under parameter uncertainties while reducing actuator demand. The adaptive backstepping approach is used to make the structure follow the intended behavior, and guarantees the stability of the TLCD-structure-soil system. Numerical investigations on a 10-story shear building, a 20-story benchmark building, and a 9-story benchmark structure subjected to multiple historical earthquake records demonstrate that the proposed hybrid system consistently achieves greater reductions in displacement and drift ratio than passive TLCDs and requires significantly lower control forces than active-only systems. The results highlight a practical and robust alternative to gas-based TLCGD approaches, extending the applicability of TLCDs to earthquake-resistant design of tall buildings and critical infrastructure.