Despite summer heat wave, 20,000 music fans attend Under the Big Sky

Fans and water misters were as ubiquitous as cowboy hats as concertgoers did their best to beat the sweltering heat during the opening day of the Under the Big Sky music festival Friday.

The annual festival, now in its fifth year, has consistently featured some of the biggest acts in country and folk music on its stages, as well as some local favorites in Northwest Montana.   

Around 20,000 people were once again expected to flood into the Flathead Valley, according to organizers, which is on par for the last four festivals. Headliners like Miranda Lambert, Billy Strings and the Turnpike Troubadours were expected to draw in music lovers from across the country.   

Two stages were erected for attendees along with space for a rodeo interlude, all hemmed in by Montana’s natural beauty. Put on by Outriders Presents, this year’s event featured a variety of vendors, including big brand names like Tito’s Vodka and Pit Vipers, the latter’s attire well-represented among festival attendees.   

In addition to the bright, reflective Pit Viper sunglasses (typically accompanied by a mullet) concertgoers donned fringe miniskirts, cowboy boots, colorful flowy dresses, glitter freckles, and lots and lots of denim.   

Employees at Glacier Rim Hats kept busy Friday meeting the demand for cowboy hats. Co-founder Todd Horning said they do a lot of preparation for Under the Big Sky each year, where they sell around 300 hats over the course of the weekend.  

“Including all the ordering and the stuff that has to happen. Of course, we have to stock up on all of the embroidery stuff.  So we end up putting in a good two-and-a-half, three months of work for one weekend, or three days,” Horning said.   

Mandy Mohler of Field Guide Designs was also doing brisk business selling Western-inspired wares. She prepares for the festival by stocking up on her stationary and colorful bandanas, which are named after scenic places like Avalanche Lake and Old Faithful.   

She was selling a lot of her folding fans on Friday afternoon.  

“My whole goal is to make people cute and comfortable. So, I just try and imagine what people are experiencing with the weather and just being here all day long,” she said.   

As the summer heat warmed the ranch, attendees began settling into the woods in front of the Great Northern Stage. Those who splurged on VIP tickets enjoyed access to tents near the stage, which included couches and high-top tables close to bathrooms and a bar.   

But there wasn’t any shortage of places to duck out of the sun during the heat of the afternoon.   

Stephanie Tineoh, 43, and 43-year-old John Biggart, both of Dallas, Texas, were posted up in the woods near the Great Northern Stage. They own a house in Bigfork and were enjoying rafting and hiking, as well as attending the festival for the first time.  

Tineoh praised the layout of the festival, where attendees can amble from the Big Mountain Stage to the Great Northern Stage while passing amenities like water fill stations and bathrooms, as well as retail shops, food trucks and bars.    

“Just getting all the different venues on the way to each location, so you can just kind of like mosey along everywhere,” Tineoh said.   

Sierra Ramsey-Ortiz, 23, of New Mexico said she attended the festival last year and knew she’d want to return again this summer. This time, she convinced a friend to come along with her, and they were able to book an Airbnb in advance to avoid last summer’s mistake of waiting too late and paying a lot for a hotel.   

“I just loved it last year. And right when it ended, I was like, ‘I don’t care who’s performing next year, I have to come back again,” Ramsey-Ortiz said.   

Among the acts attendees told the Daily Inter Lake they were excited to see were Billy Strings, Charles Wesley Godwin, Tanya Tucker and Miranda Lambert.   

Local band Archertown kicked off the festival Friday for their fourth performance at Under the Big Sky. Members Natalie and Kyle Archer and John Kaye began their first year at the festival as an acoustic trio, but have added to their lineup every year since. This time, they had a keyboardist join them.  

“It’s been fun to kind of evolve with every year of the festival,” Natalie Archer said.  

She said when they moved back to the Flathead Valley 10 years ago, they didn’t expect to come back to a music scene. But opportunities have grown for musicians over the last decade.   

“I think that we’re just super grateful to be able to do music and to be having so much fun with it. And Outriders has really provided that to so many local artists,” Natalie Archer said.  

Kyle Archer, who is from Whitefish, said it’s special to play this kind of hometown show. He said it’s impressive to see so many celebrated, talented musicians performing in Northwest Montana.  

“It’s pretty special that it’s right here in our backyard ... And then, one thing that is very special is like the quality stage and sound being up there. When you’re playing and you feel that subs — it’s just kind of a big, special experience for us,” Kyle Archer said.  

One act which drew a large crowd Friday evening was Grammy award winner Tanya Tucker, who began her set with a warm and energized “Hello Montana!” to roaring applause. In between jokes about her recent hip replacement, Tucker performed all of her hits with the stage presence and charisma that has made her a country legend.   

Her band broke out into the song “Tequila” when she started talking about her own brand of tequila, Cosa Salvaje, and said “I don’t like to drink alone, I want ya’ll to try my tequila.”   

One person close to the stage who was lucky to get a shot was Remington owner Suzy Sheeran. As Tanya closed out her set, she walked toward her friends proudly proclaiming “I  just did a shot with Tanya-freakin-Tucker!”   

She said she enjoys having the festival in town, for the kind of people it attracts and the benefit to businesses.   

“I love it, it brings in revenue, and I love people, so the two together — I got no problem,” Sheeran said. 

    A festival-goer gets a flash tattoo at Under the Big Sky Friday, July 12. (Avery Howe/Bigfork Eagle)
  

    Natalie Archer of Archertown sings in the Under the Big Sky festival Friday, July 12.(Avery Howe/Bigfork Eagle)
  

    John Osborne of Brothers Osborne riles up the crowd at Under the Big Sky on Friday, July 12. (Avery Howe/Bigfork Eagle)
  

    A festival-goer tries on hats at the Glacier Rim Hats booth at Under the Big Sky Friday, July 12. (Avery Howe/Bigfork Eagle)