Everyone has their favorite summer sounds: the splash of a body entering a pool, the crack of a baseball bat, the sizzling of burgers on the grill, the chirps of crickets on warm nights, etc. Summer is the season of noise and activity and the twain meet via music, an omnipresent force underscoring our most cherished summer memories. To help you make more summer memories in 2024, give these musical offerings a try. Note that this section is primarily outdoor summer music, but you can find all this season's shows, indoor and out, in our weekly Summer Guide Calendar, starting on page 102.
A GAMBLE WORTH TAKING
With over 25 concerts on the books, 2024 is by far the busiest outdoor concert season in Northern Quest Resort & Casino's history. Not that we're complaining. After all, there's a reason Inlander readers have voted the Airway Heights destination's BECU Live as the Best Live Music Venue. And these aren't your granddaddy's rinky-dink casino concerts — we're talking major stars.
Take the country side of things, where Kane Brown will follow up a packed 2023 Spokane Arena gig with a trip to Northern Quest on Aug. 15. The boots and cowboy hats will also be out for his genre compatriots Jordan Davis (June 22) and Midland (Aug. 24).
Hard rock also has a big presence on the Northern Quest slate with standouts like Falling in Reverse (Aug. 21), Five Finger Death Punch (Aug. 29) and Ice Nine Kills and In This Moment (Aug. 30) bringing in a bit younger rock crowd who might open up a mosh pit. On the more alt-rock front there's also Cage the Elephant (June 30) and KALEO (Aug. 28).
For modern one-off flavors, the casino brings in Lindsey Stirling's electric violin pop (Aug. 31), Pentatonix's a cappella showcase (Sept. 11) and reggae funk via Michael Franti & Spearhead (Aug. 17).
That's not to say there's not some nostalgia baked in the BECU Live offerings. For the classic rock crowd there's Bachman-Turner Overdrive (July 24), Sammy Hagar (Aug. 13), Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo (Aug. 16) and Steve Miller Band (Sept. 23), while '90s rock kids can delight in concerts from Bush (July 27) and The Smashing Pumpkins (Sept. 24). Heck, even pop vocalist Donny Osmond (Aug. 11) will venture out to Airway Heights.
No matter how the musical roulette wheel spins at Northern Quest, you're likely to land on a good concert.
SANDY SUMMER
The Festival at Sandpoint has long been a Gem State gem, but for Spokanites it can be a bit of a tricky proposition. The hour-and-a-half drive is just far enough to make you question if it's worth driving up and back in one day for a concert or if you might need to grab a room and stay the night. That's a tough call during years when the festival lineup is merely pretty good... but 2024 is not one of those years.Boasting the strongest slate of shows in a long time, there are many reasons to make the drive. Highlights include sun-blistering folk punk from Violent Femmes (July 26), a funky jazz and hip-hop evening with Trombone Shorty and Big Boi (July 27), pop née country rebel Maren Morris (July 31) and the hitmaking pop songwriter combo of Colbie Caillat & Gavin DeGraw (Aug. 3).
And all that's before even getting to acts like Blues Traveler (July 25), a co-bill of Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors and The National Parks (July 28), Lee Brice (Aug. 1), Jason Mraz (Aug. 2), and a closing performance featuring the Sandpoint Orchestra playing along with How to Train Your Dragon (Aug. 4). Both musically and literally, it's gonna be a hot summer on the banks of the Pend Oreille River at War Memorial Field.
GORGING ON FREE MUSIC
Hot Take: While it may be the main draw, the food offerings at Pig Out in the Park are mostly mid. There's typically far more flavor to be found in the real reason to attend the Riverfront Park blowout: the live music. Drawing almost entirely on music from the local scene, the food fest offers six days of genre-spanning, free tunes to keep folks entertained while chowing down. With stages set up across the park, it's a nonstop array of audio indulgence that's the perfect sonic side dish to any meal. As the event over Labor Day weekend approaches, check pigoutinthepark.com for lineup updates.
PARK YOURSELF AT THE PARK
While the booming Northern Quest lineup may have siphoned off some acts that would've otherwise ended up at the Riverfront Park Pavilion, the small handful of shows at the downtown hotspot look to be quality. Things kick off with country singer Megan Moroney on July 12, but then things shift into a rock-only gear. Fans of experimental and prog rock should be thrilled with the double bill of Primus and Coheed and Cambria (July 20), the literary lyrics-first crowd will have verbose singalongs with The Decemberists (July 27), alternative oddballs Ween will bring their cult following to the park on Aug. 4, John Fogerty joins the fray for the older rock heads (Aug. 16), and things close out with a triple co-headlining bill of Switchfoot, Blue October and Matt Nathanson (Sept. 6).
SIZZLING SOUNDS
While live music is certainly at the forefront during the summer season, the never-ending shadow battle to be the song of the summer rages on with a host of exciting new album releases. These days the only real contenders for summer's top tune come from the pop and hip-hop realms, so that's a big sector to keep an eye on. Upcoming standouts on the pop side include Sabrina Carpenter's Short n' Sweet (Aug. 23; bottom album cover), while hip-hop bangers are on their way via Megan Thee Stallion's Megan (June 28), Samurai by Lupe Fiasco (June 28), Denzel Curry's King of the Mischievous South Vol. 2 (July 19), and Ice Spice's debut album, Y2K (July 26).
But personal picks for song of the summer don't have to fit into the most mainstream genre tastes. The country album calendar isn't as packed as normal, but there are standouts like Lainey Wilson's Whirlwind (Aug. 23) and another posthumous Johnny Cash album, Songwriter (June 28). For rock fans there are tons of options: Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats' South of Here (June 28), the Wilco EP Hot Sun Cool Shroud (June 28), Imagine Dragons' Loom (June 28), jam rock via Evolve by Phish (July 12), Fontaines D.C.'s latest, Romance (Aug. 23) and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' Wild God (Aug. 30). Those who prefer indie femme songwriters will be treated to Charm by Clario (July 12; top album cover), Beabadoobee's This Is How Tomorrow Moves (Aug. 16), Forever from Charly Bliss (Aug. 16) and Illuminati Hotties' Power (Aug. 23).
FESTS FOR THE REST
While there's no shortage of musical happenings throughout the summer in the Inland Northwest, we don't exactly live in a hotspot for music festivals. Sure, the Gorge has EDM fests and Watershed for the country crew, and the Volume Inlander Music Festival is coming back Sept. 13-14 (check out our story in the Music section of the Inlander this week), but there's not too much beyond that.That's why it's nice that the Moscow Mountain Music Fest exists. Now in its third year, it's an incredibly chill single-day festival bringing musical spirit to the Palouse. The 2024 edition goes down on Saturday, Aug. 12 at the Latah County Fairgrounds. The lineup this go-around includes the Portland folk harmonies of Joseph, Seattle acts Small Paul, General Mojo's and Bikini Drone, plus local talent like Ice Cream Band, Sarah Margaret and more. If you want a day trip full of music without a crowded fest vibe, a journey to Moscow Mountain might be just what your summer needs.
