BOZEMAN, Mont. – People love live music. They like seeing a band play, but there is more to the puzzle. There are the other fans and their shared compassion for the songs. You can stand next to a total stranger and dance with them all night knowing that the music has also touched them in some unique way. Music has a special power to bring us together.
Before COVID-19 took over last spring, Bozeman was bustling with a large and thriving music scene. Bands played many bars on weekends for the college crowd, and venues like the Filling Station and Rialto booked touring bands on a regular basis. The ELM was getting built and going to open soon, not to mention Music on Main and Big Sky’s Music in the Mountains.
Oh yeah, and did someone mention festivals? Sweet Pea, Red Ants Pants, Rockin The Rivers, Groovin on the Gallatin, Targhee Fest & Targhee Bluegrass, Moonlight Music Fest and Headwaters Country Jam to name a few. Montanan’s truly do love live music.
With the news of the pandemic, all of a sudden the brakes were on for everything and there were no more shows, at least for a couple of months, but It didn’t take long for people to get creative. Bands started livestreaming concerts from basements and empty venues. Many took to recording projects, and still more began playing small outdoor shows all while following the new normals of social distancing and mask wearing. Most notable was Pine Creek Lodge south of Livingston. Taking the virus seriously the venue was able to operate under the new safety protocols and ticketing regulations.
Sadly however there are no outdoor venues available for the public to attend concerts in the Gallatin Valley like there are in the Paradise Valley. For this reason (along with many others) several residents of the Gallatin Valley began to hire local bands and had private “backyard” concerts, hosting only close family and friends or business associates.
Now with the vaccines, 2021 is looking a whole lot better, but it definitely remains to be seen what the live music scene will look like for this summer. Though currently struggling to hold on, all the musicians and venues are standing back and standing by for the green light to safely be able to operate even though nobody knows when that will be. Most likely not until sometime this summer, when most music is actually happening outdoors anyway.
