Peak to Sky concert adds second night of music

By Michael Somerby EBS DIGITAL EDITOR

An event as monumental for the Big Sky community as the Peak to Sky concert deserves more than one day. Outlaw Partners media, marketing and events company and publisher of this newspaper, has remedied that with a second evening of music on Friday to prime concertgoers for a Saturday of rocking out.

“The Big Sky community and music fans from around the country are excited about Peak to Sky and we are honored to announce the addition of a second night of epic music and four more music acts,” said Eric Ladd, CEO of Outlaw Partners.

Saturday’s show features a rock supergroup comprised of Mike McCready (guitar, Pearl Jam) and fellow hall-of-famers Chad Smith (drums, Red Hot Chili Peppers), Duff McKagan (bass and vocals, Guns N’ Roses), Josh Klinghoffer (guitar, Red Hot Chili Peppers), and Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins. Three-time Grammy Award winner Brandi Carlile will perform earlier in the evening of July 6’s Peak to Sky concert, one of the most prominent events in Big Sky history.

Also held in the Big Sky Events Arena in Town Center, the Friday, July 5 lineup will include an opening set by local band Dammit Lauren and The Well, which recently released their first album, “Warning Signs.”Seattle-based female rock ‘n’ roll band Thunderpussy, a brazen group known for frenetic and heart-pumping performances, will headline the evening.

“We played for the PBR last July, and people [in Big Sky] definitely know how to have a good time,” said Whitney Petty, lead guitarist for Thunderpussy. “I was talking with Chad [Smith] and Mike [McCready] last night, and we’re all stoked.”

Members of Dammit Lauren and the Well were equally looking forward to the performance.

“We’re really excited to open this event with Thunderpussy,” said Dammit Lauren and The Well mandolin player Ben Macht. “As a band, all we want to do is go play music, all the time, in front of as many people as possible. Hopefully this throws some gas on the Dammit Lauren [and The Well] fire.”

Also on July 5, Mike McCready and New York- and Seattle-based artist Kate Neckel will perform a special collaborative art and music show titled “Infinite Color and Sound,” a visual art and music project with works ranging from collage, sculpture, painting, drawing, music and performance. Upon meeting in Seattle, the two connected artistically and began their journey through color and sound.

Outlaw Partners also announced the inclusion of Bozeman-based Paige and the People’s Band to the July 6 lineup. A high-energy mix of funk, soul and rock,the nine-piece, horn-powered and vocally charged group is quickly becoming a mainstay of the Montana music scene.

“I told everyone we were in the lineup in our band group chat,” said Paige Rasmussen, lead singer for the band. “The responses were like, ‘These are my favorite players from these bands, I can’t believe we get to share a bill with them.’ This is huge for a us, a screaming-with-excitement-in-the-parking-lot sort of thing.”

Rounding out the Peak to Sky experience on July 6, famed kids’ musician, Caspar Babypants (Chris Ballew, lead vocalist and “basitarist” from the hit Seattle-based band The Presidents of the United States of America), will start the day with a special interactive kids and parents acoustic performance.

Peak to Sky tickets go on sale April 19 at 9 a.m. MDT, and will be available for purchase online only at peaktosky.com. Ticket options will include Skybox, VVIP, VIP, seated GA and floor GA, and will start at $35 for Friday’s events and $100 for Saturday’s events.