FESTIVALS
Road Trip! As the long-delayed music festival season heats up, here are a few options you can hit within a day’s drive BY DAN NAILEN
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wo summers ago, in the before times, some friends and I loaded up a couple of cars and wandered a few hours in midJuly to Whitefish, Montana. More specifically, to a ranch just outside town for the inaugural Under the Big Sky music festival, which offered a blend of indie cool, retro country and assorted artists that all bring at least a touch of twang to their songs. The festival roadie is a staple of summer,
whether you’re into DJs and electronic music, metal, country, or jam bands. And just as our local concert scene is coming back to life, slowly, as this summer progresses, the region’s festival circuit is welcoming fans to amphitheaters and ad hoc venues alike. Not every annual festival is back on its feet just yet, but there are plenty of options not too far from the Inland Northwest, and it’s not too late to get tickets and make a musical getaway.
Treefort returns to Boise in September. MATTHEW WORDELL/TREEFORT PHOTO
28 INLANDER JUNE 17, 2021