Music at Big Sky Town Center

Diamond Hitch in Big Sky

Big Sky, Montana, has been primarily known as a winter destination, with what many consider the world's best skiing, but with rafting, golfing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, horseback riding and lots of other outdoor activities, the recreational scene is vibrant year round.

Apres-sports, there are lots of great restaurants, bars and even a small movie theater.  They've had a tradition of summer concerts, and recently they relocated the outdoor venue to Town Center, right in the middle of the Meadow Village.  This means lots of homes are within walking distance of great shows, including the Beach Boys concert on July 3. 

The Beach Boys might seem out of place in Big Sky, but lots of Californians have relocated to Big Sky either full or part time, including many from North San Diego County and other beach cities.

With $50 tickets for a world class act, I expected at least some of the madness I would see in California, but not in laid back Montana.  I held space with towels early in the day, but it was totally unnecessary.  I could have strolled over a half hour before the show and nabbed a similar position.  In fact, I could have still bought tickets on my way in, because there simply aren't that many people in the Big Sky area.

I arrived 45 minutes before the gates opened and found no line beneath the sunny sky, so I set up my Tommy Bahama chair under a shady tree and sipped the Coke Zero I had brought.  No drinks were allowed in the venue, but the vendor prices were reasonable.  $1 for a soda, $1.50 for bottled water, $2.00 for a snow cone, $4 for a Coors Light or $5 for a micro-brew (either of which was a draught 16 ounces).  There was also cheap food.  The next night was Big Sky Town Center's weekly summertime free concert, and the drinks and food were the same price for that show. 

Kicked back at Beach Boys concert

"Montana's favorite rock band," The Clintons, played a solid opening set of originals for the Beach Boys.  The first two songs were their best, but Julie's red-haired sister Cheryl needed to put on a cup of suntan lotion before leaving home, and the set, under what had gradually become overcast sky, was half over by the time they got there.

After a half hour intermission, The Beach Boys took the stage just as it began to sprinkle.  The first half hour was chalk full of hits, but their energy level wasn't particularly high.  I think the thunder clouds rolling in from the distance divided their attention, and they finally said they were being told to get off the stage due to lightening in the vicinity, which could be unsafe among the scaffolding and amplifiers.

4th of Julie

Julie had brought umbrellas, and Cheryl and I both reluctantly used them, believing after a hot day in the 80s that the rain drops felt good.  With Cheryl being from Seattle, she is used to rain, or so she thought.  Lightening and thunder drew closer, and the announcer warned all of us to get off the field and under shelter, promising we would not be stopped by security to re-enter the grounds. 



Big Sky Town Center at Sunset





We probably should have high-tailed it home for the break, but we decided to seek nearby shelter on the edge of the permanent bandstand that was being used for an Ace Hardware private party.  The worst of the storm did blow over in a few minutes, and we returned to our chairs in anticipation of the concert re-starting. When a little more rain fell, Cheryl said she'd prefer to go home, so Julie took her there and stayed with her.  They actually could hear the concert loud and clear from the front yard at our condo and said they enjoyed the concert.



Left on my own, I headed up to the gravelly dancing area near the stage when the band came back out with a renewed energy level that rocked the amphitheater for another hour and a half. 



Beach Boys on stage

Founding member and oft-times lead vocalist Mike Love performed like he was as young as the last time I saw the Beach Boys at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego in 1972.  Keyboardist and vocalist Bruce Johnston, who joined the Beach Boys in 1965, smiled the whole time, obviously enjoying the good vibrations that had overtaken the concert.  The four younger members were all fantastic both singing and playing their respective instruments, making for an overall better performance than that show 41 years ago.

 



Big Sky Fireworks Show



I don't know how many attendees were ticket holders and how many just came out from having a beer at Choppers to wander across the street to hear the Beach Boys, but we were all dancing, singing along and keeping dozens of beach balls airborne simultaneously.  They added some old favorites by defunct bands, like the Mamas and the Papas hit "California Dreamin'" and a very original take on Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues."  Most of the time, however, they went from one classic Beach Boys song to another, often without waiting for applause between songs, not giving the audience a chance to take a breath and think about what beach or car anthem would come next.  Mike Love introduced one song as the most patriotic song he's ever heard in honor of the 4th, adding that he wrote it for those people in uniforms...actually girls in uniforms.  Cheerleading uniforms.  It was, as you might have guessed, "Be True to Your School."



Wes on 4th of July

The next night was the start of the weekly free Concerts in the Park series, and with it being the 4th of July, a fireworks extravaganza was also on the bill.  It was great being able to again simply walk to the show.  Freddy Pink hails from Seattle, and Freddy introduced drummer Kirk Allen as the man who put the Kirk in Kirkland, which earned a laugh.  They had a three piece horn section and five other musicians, plus two background singers along with dynamic vocalist Freddy.



You might think it an impossible task to follow a great Beach Boys show the next night, but Freddy Pink brought it on, playing great oldies by favorites like Steely Dan, the Doobie Brothers, Steve Miller, Van Morrison and lots of Motown.  Their set included some absurd medleys, like "Wherewolves of London" into "Shambala" and back and forth a few more times, with other songs like "Riders on the Storm" thrown in for no apparent reason.



More fireworks



The fireworks show was spectacular.  As they started, Freddy Pink stepped to the mike to sing the national anthem acapella, and the Montana crowd got to its feet and sang along. 



That wouldn't be the grand finale for Freddy Pink.  The band came back out rocking James Brown's "Living In America" and played for another hour and a half, starting with Motown and switching to power metal rock as we walked home.

 







Big Sky Town Center Park/Amphitheater

The only down side of being in Big Sky Meadow for the 4th of July holidays was that kids apparently bought every fire cracker and screaming fireworks within fifty miles.  They continued lighting them off until after midnight for three straight nights. 

Oh, and I guess the fact that we had some days hitting above 90 in Bozeman followed by some absurd hail, the weather couldn't really be called outstanding. 

Still, the good definitely outweighed the negatives, and Big Sky proved to be a fun place to spend time around the 4th of July. I can, however, see why some vacationers wait until August to return to Montana.