About the Steamboat Free Summer Concert Series
The Steamboat Springs Free Summer Concert Series (SSFSCS/the Series) began in 1993 as a small concert series with several hundred in attendance and presented on the lawn of the Routt County Court House, the community gathering space in the heart of downtown Steamboat Springs. Started by a small record shop owner and friends, the Series now features 5 concerts per year with attendance averaging 3,500 to 7,000 per concert for an annual average of 25,000. The SSFSCS boasts nationally recognized artists in the area of pop-rock, reggae, bluegrass, blues, and funk. The series is a gathering for all ages and has become truly one of the signature family events in the valley. Audience sizes can fluctuate relative to the performer’s popularity or how the concert is schedule in relation to signature event weekends. The attendance is generally 20% visitors and 80% locals. One of the most compelling rewards of this program is the access to great music for the regional work force. With the stratification of the haves and the have-nots in our rural resort community, the Series is supported by many businesses as a way for them to provide added benefit to their employees.
2016 Concert Lineup
Book T. Jones, June 24th
It can be argued that it was Booker T. Jones who set the cast for modern soul music and is largely responsible for its rise and enduring popularity. On classic Stax hits like “Green Onions,” “Hang ‘Em High,” “Time Is Tight,” and “Melting Pot” the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Musicians Hall of Fame inductee, GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and winner of four GRAMMY Awards pushed the music’s boundaries, refined it to its essence and then injected it into the nation’s bloodstream.
Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, July 2nd
Fresh off The Rolling Stones Zip Code Tour, which played 15 stadiums across the United States this summer, Karl Denson’s Fantastic Fall Tour is coming to a town near you. In anticipation of his upcoming release in early 2016, Karl and his band The Tiny Universe, embark on a Nationwide run that will give new and old fans the chance to experience what is highly regarded as one of the best live bands on the planet.
Hot Rize, July 16th
It didn’t take long after Tim O’Brien, Pete Wernick, Nick Forster, and Charles Sawtelle first appeared onstage together in 1978 for the bluegrass music world to realize that the Colorado band, Hot Rize, was something special. And by the time they bowed off the stage as a full-time act in 1990, they’d not only climbed to the top of that world as the International Bluegrass Music Association’s very first Entertainers of the Year, but their stature was recognized across the board, with a nomination for a then-new bluegrass Grammy, a four-star album review in Rolling Stone, tours across four continents, and a legion of up-and-coming, broad-minded young musicians ranging from String Cheese Incident to mando monster Chris Thile learning their songs and singing their praises.
Robert Randolph and the Family Band, July 30th
Robert Randolph and the Family Band is an American funk and soul band led by pedal steel guitarist Robert Randolph. Other band members include drummer Marcus Randolph, vocalist Lenesha Randolph, Ray Ray Randolph (bass) and Brett Haas (guitar). Danyel Morgan (bass), Jason Crosby (keyboards and fiddle) and John Ginty (organ) are former members. Rolling Stone included Robert on their list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.
Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers, August 7th
A decade after Bruce Hornsby established his global name as the creator of pop hits that defined “the sound of grace on the radio,” as a Rolling Stone reviewer once wrote, the Virginia-born pianist, composer, and singer-songwriter found himself compelled by two ostensibly separate areas of music. “One passion of mine was old-time American roots forms -– hymns, blues, country, bluegrass, old folk, shaped-note religious songs, on and on,” Hornsby says.
