MUSIC NEWS: Jam out this weekend at outdoor festival benefit; plus Leslie Odom Jr. and REO Speedwagon

The last couple weeks have brought with them a flood of exciting concert announcements, and it already looks like summer 2021 will offer more music than we got during the entirety of 2020.

You can start getting your groove back this weekend with a campout and music festival called the SRD Drive-In Music Fest (that's "Socially Responsible Distancing"), taking place Friday through Sunday at 11313 N. Indian Trail Rd. It's both an outdoor hangout and a musical benefit for Jesse Hoorelbeke, whose father is local musician Peter Rivera; Hoorelbeke is currently battling colon cancer, and the event will help ease medical bills. Rivera, a founding member of the '70s rock band Rare Earth, will perform with his band Celebrate, and the lineup also includes Tim "Too Slim" Langford (he of Taildraggers fame), Sweet Rebel D, Jesse Quandt Band and more recognizable local names. There will also be after-hours acoustic bonfire jams, as well as a memorial to late Spokane musician Tommy Gantt. The festival takes place at 11313 N. Indian Trail Rd., and is set up so you can enjoy from your car or outdoors at a safe distance from others. Day passes are $25, and weekend passes (which includes camping) start at $45; purchase advance tickets by emailing [email protected]. You can also donate to Hoorelbeke's cancer fund here, and see all information about the fest here.

In other live music news, Whitworth University has secured one of the big gets of the upcoming concert season. Leslie Odom Jr. — Tony winner, Grammy winner, Oscar nominee, Hamilton superstar — will be performing with the Spokane Symphony on Oct. 15, as part of Whitworth's fall Leadership Forum Concert. Want to be in the room where it happens? Tickets just went on sale, and range from $40 to $115; buy them here.

And finally, more Festival at Sandpoint updates: Their 2021 lineup continues growing, and they've just announced that REO Speedwagon will perform at War Memorial Field on Aug. 7. The long-running rock band is best known for huge '80s hits like "Keep On Loving You," "Can't Fight This Feeling" and "Take It on the Run." General admission is $64.95 and early access passes are $94.95. Tickets are now on sale.