Whitefish’s Depot Park is going to get pretty funky in August and, according to the Great Northern Brewing Company, the funkier the jam, the better.
The brewery will host a couple of big-name concerts at Whitefish’s Depot Park in August as part of an ongoing effort to develop the Great Northern Veterans Peace Park.
The weekend begins on Saturday, Aug. 4, with Keller Williams, who is known for his ability to play a multitude of music genres on stage, including bluegrass, folk, alternative rock, reggae, electronica, dance, jazz, funk, and more.
Williams is also referred to as a “one-man jam band,” and his music is dynamic, fun and entirely danceable.
Then, on Sunday Aug. 5, Kyle Hollingsworth of the jam band the String Cheese Incident takes the stage as the headliner. When he’s not playing with his band, Hollingsworth performs as an accomplished composer and keyboardist.
Jam groups veer from genre to genre, sometimes within the same song, and his peers and fans praise Hollingsworth for being able to perform various types of music at a moment’s notice, seamlessly.
Jessica Lucey of the Great Northern Brewing Company said she is excited for both Keller and Hollingsworth to perform, and nabbing Hollingsworth is especially a treat for a concert in downtown Whitefish.
“I think Kyle’s show is going to be amazing,” Lucey said. “He’s really funky and very energetic.”
The brewery has also lined up an impressive set of openers for the headliners. On Aug. 4, The Dirty Shame out of Bozeman and Missoula’s Lil’ Smokies will open up for Williams, and the Flathead’s 20 Grand and Moonshine Mountain bands will perform before Hollingsworth takes the stage on Aug. 5.
The headliners will begin at 7 p.m.
Gates for the shows open each day at 2 p.m., and the brewery will have a selection of its beers available for $3 a piece.
Tickets for the concerts have been on sale since May, but Lucey said the brewery hopes to move most of them well before the show dates. There are 1,000 tickets available, she said.
To help spur potential concertgoers to buy their tickets beforehand, the brewery has a few specials going. Buying tickets for both nights’ shows costs $45, and in addition to saving $5, the purchaser also gets a commemorative poster designed by Pete Thomas.
The posters will normally sell for $20, Lucey said, and they are creatively interactive. Each show’s ticket will have a drawing on the back and can be attached to the poster to give it new details.
For example, the ticket to Williams’ show adds the ski runs to the poster’s plain Big Mountain, and Hollingsworth’s ticket puts a stein in the poster’s lumberjack’s hand. That addition is a bit of a nod to the brewery’s stein club, Lucey said.
The tickets and poster will likely be available in August, but not for $45, Lucey said.
There is also a $100 ticket that will get its purchaser into the Keller Williams lounge for a day, where they will experience an all-you-can drink music atmosphere.
Both nights of music are part of the brewery’s continued effort to support the Great Northern Veterans Peace Park, located along U.S. Highway 93 west of the city.
Lucey said there is momentum behind the idea of building a permanent amphitheater at the park that could host major music events.
“(The park) has a great view of the lake and it would be ideal to have some big acts come through the Flathead,” Lucey said. “We’re really excited because you have to see the bigger picture.”
With that bigger picture in mind, Lucey said she hopes the tickets for the concerts sell well, and that residents come out to support the family-friendly weekend and enjoy each others’ company in the park with a cold brew.
“Hopefully it will be a beautiful summer day,” she said.
For ticketing information, visit www.greatnorthernbrewing.com/store. Tickets are also available at the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce and at the Great Northern Brewing Company. Admission is free for children under 5.