By Tyler Allen Explorebigsky.com Staff Writer
BIG SKY – The Arts Council of Big Sky is planning a major encore to its Music in the Mountains summer concert series for 2013.
On Saturday, Sept. 7 a final show at the Town Center Park stage will celebrate the free summer night concert series ACBS hosts weekly on Thursdays. While the line-up hasn’t been determined yet, the Sept. 7 show will be an end-of-the-year blowout for the outdoor music season, said ACBS General Manager Brian Hurlbut.
“We’re envisioning a local opener and two national touring bands that would create a little festival scene,” Hurlbut said. “We should be able to get a band that will be a good regional draw.”
The event will be partially funded by resort tax money originally earmarked for the ACBS headliner fund, started in 2008. That original allocation of $100,000 was seed money and helped bring acts such as Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt and the Doobie Brothers to Big Sky.
After losing $43,000 during the Keb Mo show in 2011, the nonprofit ACBS decided to stop hosting major, ticketed events. The cost to bring headliners to the area has increased in the last few years, and the ACBS board decided it wasn’t sustainable to put on these large concerts anymore, Hurlbut said.
On Wednesday, Feb. 6 the Resort Tax Board released the remaining $27,000 of the headliner seed money to help fund the final summer concert, as well as the 2013-14 winter concert series planned at the new Warren Miller Performing Arts Center.
“We’re working with [WMPAC Director] John Zirkle to host ticketed events,” said ACBS Board President Tallie Jamison. “We hope to keep them affordable, programming-diverse offerings with universal appeal.”
The ACBS already has five acts scheduled for the upcoming summer concert series, as well as the Big Sky Classical Music Festival and Shakespeare in the Parks. On Saturday, March 30 it will hold “Crawfish and Cornbread,” a fundraiser at the WMPAC, featuring Eden Atwood and the Bridger Mountain Big Band.
For information and a schedule of events visit bigskyarts.org.
