COVER FEATURE
by B.C. Kowalski
TUNED TO THE OUTSIDE
Music has been shifting to the outdoors — this weekend’s Wild Woods Drive-In Concert music festival is the latest and biggest It’s probably no secret that music lovers around the area are missing live music concerts. Although many smaller venues have figured out how to have small gig music again, such as on outdoor patios, the area has been missing the kind of music it’s used to. Concerts on the Square, a staple of Wausau summers with thousands flocking to downtown, were first canceled through July, and then through the whole summer. The concerts were so popular businesses scheduled interviews with recruits from outside the area on Wednesdays just to sell the place to them. And The Grand Theater delivered some sad news this summer when they announced that their 2020-2021 season was postponed. The Grand is a major venue bringing live music, dance, theater and other national and internationally touring acts to town. Both were a major loss of culture. But rest assured, live music is starting to make a comeback. This weekend will see a new kind of event so far unseen in the Wausau area, at least in recent times: A drive-in concert. Borrowing from the idea of drive-in theaters, which themselves are making a comeback, Field Athletic Management is hosting the Wild Woods Drive In Concert music festival this Friday and Saturday at The Folk Farm, with views over Rib Mountain. Organizer Matt Szmanda, who is from Wausau, says this is how concerts are now being held in Colorado, where his company does most of its work. But, he says, the company saw a gap in this type of festival in the central Wisconsin area and they decided to bring the show here. On the ticket are some of the biggest names in bluegrass in the Midwest. Trampled by Turtles of Minnesota, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades (which came up at UW-Stevens Point and Stevens Point to national fame), Billy Bronsted and the Loot, Old Salt Union and Feed The Dog. That the lineup is Midwest-based is by design, Szmanda says, since it means the bands don’t have to travel long distances when many are concerned about spreading and contracting the coronavirus. It’s a new two-day music festival, and at a time when many festivals and concerts have been canceled. So far it’s selling well, showing people are clamoring for the live music scene. “We had seen the drive-in movie model work for a couple of people,” Szmanda says. “People are looking for a different experience to enjoy live music, and still feel like it’s well-done.”
The shift to outdoors
The Wild Woods festival might be the biggest attempt at outdoor live music in Wausau so far, but it’s not the first. The Grand Theater started its own outdoor series, bringing music concerts to several outdoor venues in the Wausau area. Venues including Whitewater Music Hall, Timekeeper Distillery and Riverside Park have hosted live music shows including Erin Krebs and Jeff Johnson, Nick Anderson and the Skinny Lovers and Kyle Megna. The shows have been well-received, says The Grand Theater Executive Director Sean Wright. Roughly 100-125 people came to each show, and were delighted to be able to attend a larger live music concert again. Whitewater Music Hall Co-owner Leslie Patterson told City Pages the The Grand Theater’s idea was like a gift to them. The music hall had set up a biergarten in their back parking lot area, with enough room for a decent crowd that’s still socially distanced. Customers order
▲ Madison group Gin, Chocolate and Bottle Rockets perform at Whitewater Music Hall outside Friday. Outdoor music will hit its peak during covid with this weekend’s Wild Woods Drive-In Concert at The Folk Farm.
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September 17-24, 2020