Festival lineup — Week 2

By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff

The 40th Annual Festival at Sandpoint opened with a bang — a firework show seen for miles. Now, the second week kicks off Thursday, Aug. 3 with five more shows guaranteed to entertain the whole family. See below for the upcoming acts. Tickets are available at festivalatsandpoint.com.

Thursday, Aug. 3 (noon)

Family Concert with Michael Franti and Friends

Activism and music are inextricable for Michael Franti, whose songs take beloved reggae, pop, rock and hip-hop sounds, and uses them as a conduit to promote peace, kindness and environmentalism. His positive concert will have the entire family dancing to familiar hits like “Sound of Sunshine,” “Say Hey (I Love You)” and “I Got You” — all three earning Billboard’s No. 1 spot.

This will be a seated show, meaning the area in front of the stage is general admission shortchair and blanket seating only, and dancing areas can be found to the left and right sides of the stage. General admission tickets are $14.95 before taxes and fees. Gates open at 11 a.m. and the music begins at noon.

Thursday, Aug. 3

Michael Franti & Spearhead w/ SOJA

After his family show, Michael Franti returns to the stage with his band Spearhead with SOJA for a night of upbeat tunes with his signature poetic lyrics. Franti’s music is a call to dance and to action — a call he answers with his dedication to altruism around the globe. His self-directed documentary, Stay Human, follows Franti as he meets with remarkable individuals who help him to overcome the cynicism that so often colors our vision of the world. As part of his commitment to spreading positivity, Franti also founded the nonprofit Do It For The Love, which gives people with severe medical issues access to their favorite concerts.

This will be a standard show, meaning the area in front of the stage is standing-room only. General admission tickets are SOLD OUT. Gates open at 6 p.m. and the music begins at 7:15 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 4

REO Speedwagon w/Charlie Farren

After 56 years spent wowing crowds with hits like “Can’t Fight This Feeling” and “Keep On Loving You,” REO Speedwagon needs no introduction. The iconic rock band’s album Hi Infidelity earned RIAA’s 10X Diamond Award for selling more than 10 million units in the United States after spending 15 weeks in the No. 1 slot. The band has achieved eight Platinum albums, with many more reaching

Gold and Silver status. With vocalist and founding member Kevin Cronin heading the band, this concert is sure to reward longtime fans and new listeners alike.

This will be a standard show. General admission tickets are SOLD OUT. Gates open at 6 p.m. and the music begins at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 5

Ashley McBryde w/Zach Top Grammy award-winning superstar Ashley McBryde is bringing Nashville to Sandpoint with her celebrated country sounds. Her 2020 album Never Will made history when it was nominated for Country Album of the Year by the ACMs, CMAs and the Recording Academy — all in the same award season. She went on to earn the 2022 CMA International Artist Achievement Award “for the most significant creative growth, development and promotion of the country music industry outside of the United States,” according to the Festival’s press release. Concertgoers will soon discover why McBryde’s accolades are too numerous to list.

This will be a standard show. General admission tickets are $54.95 before taxes and fees. Gates open at 6 p.m. and the music begins at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 6

Grande Finale: The Princess Bride in Concert w/Taste of the Stars wine and beer tasting

The Princess Bride, released in 1987, is perhaps one of history’s most beloved films. The exciting tale of true love, adventure and friendship has captivated generations of audiences — but never like this. The Festival at Sandpoint Orchestra will make its debut led by the esteemed Morihiko Nakahara, a former resident conductor of the Spokane Symphony for 16 years. The Festival’s personal orchestra will feature more than 60 musicians from the Inland Northwest performing a version of the film’s score specifically arranged for a symphony orchestra.

This will be a seated show. General admission tickets are $44.95 while youth (12 and under) are $12.95 before taxes and fees. Gates open at 5 p.m. and the music begins at 7 p.m.

See the festivalatsandpoint.com for full biographical details about each artist and more information.

A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint

Aftival/After Rodeo shows, The Hive, Aug. 4-5 Richard Thompson, Panida Theater, Aug. 9

Polish up your dancing boots, because it’s going to be a rootin’ tootin’ good time at the Hive’s annual Aftival music concerts, so named because they offer Festival at Sandpoint concertgoers and Bonner County Rodeo fans an “after party” option to keep the night going.

Sandpoint’s newest group Hogwire will play Friday, Aug. 4, playing their Southern rock and country tunes to keep your boots stomping on the dance floor.

Brandon Jackson Band will bring their high-energy vocals and twangy guitars Saturday, Aug. 5 to let your inner cowboy or cowgirl shine. Both shows are free to attend.

—Ben Olson

Hogwire, Friday, Aug. 3; Brandon Jackson Band, Saturday, Aug. 4; doors at 8 p.m., shows at 9 p.m., both nights; FREE; 21+. The Hive, 207 N. First Ave., 208-920-9039, livefromthehive.com.

There is no shortage of accolades for Richard Thompson, who has been a standout guitarist since the late 1960s. In that time, he’s released 19 albums — the most recent being 13 Rivers — and along the way been called “the finest rock songwriter after Dylan and the best electric guitarist since Hendrix” and “a versatile virtuoso guitarist.” His 1991 song “1952 Vincent Black Lightning” made it onto TIME magazine’s “All-TIME 100 Songs” from 1923 to 2011, and Rolling Stone named him among the top 20 guitarists of all time.

An Evening with Richard Thompson at the Panida will feature an intimate, acoustic theater setting with no opener. Multiple ticket options will be available: $99 for the first two center rows, $59 for leftand right-front rows and remaining center rows, $45 for main floor seats and $132 for loveseat locations in the balcony.

— Zach Hagadone

Doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m.; $45-$132. Panida Theater, 300 N. First Ave., 208-263-9191, get tickets at panida.org.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia proves herself a master of the Gothic tradition in her chilling novel Mexican Gothic Set in Mexico in the 1950s, the story follows a young socialite as she navigates a world of colonialism and white supremacy, and fights for her own bodily autonomy. Moreno-Garcia’s writing is spellbinding as she blends history and the supernatural in a twisting narrative that makes this novel impossible to put down.

Read Listen

Hozier’s third studio album, Unreal Unearth, drops Aug. 18, but that doesn’t mean you have to wait. Five songs have been released ahead of time, including the soulful single “Eat Your Young,” in which Irishman Hozier shoulders the legacy of his countryman Jonathan Swift, author of “A Modest Proposal.” This album — inspired by Dante’s Inferno — will showcase Hozier’s trademark religious imagery with a sound that blends blues, soul and folk.

Watch

This week, I’m taking us time traveling to 1969 — or stardate 5423.4 — with Star Trek: The Original Series’ episode “The Mark of Gideon.” The crew of the starship Enterprise faces an overpopulated planet in crisis, yet the government refuses modern contraceptives. Drastic action is taken and a father must decide whether or not to sacrifice his daughter for his beliefs. William Shatner’s overacting can’t hide the relevance this episode has in our current political climate.

From Northern Idaho News, Aug. 4, 1905