Steamboat Pilot & Today

The Steamboat Springs Free Summer Concert Series has become a staple of the town's summertime allure.

There's nothing better than meeting half of town in the field at the bottom of Howelsen Hill or at the base of the ski area for music and the best social atmosphere Steamboat Springs has to offer.

The best part of the concert series? It doesn't cost a dime to watch and listen, said co-organizer Joe Kboudi.

This year's lineup includes Bela Fleck and the Flecktones on June 22, Sonia Dada on July 10, the South Austin Jug Band on July 30 and Galactic on Aug. 12. Little Feat and Delbert McClinton are scheduled for Labor Day weekend.

The Labor Day weekend concerts will be at the base of Headwall on the mountain. Locations for the other concerts will be announced closer to the dates of the show.

"The South Austin Jug Band is an up-and-coming bluegrass band, and we always like to (schedule) bluegrass, if we can," Kboudi said. "There are many, many bluegrass fans here in Steamboat. We could call it a bluegrass hotbed."

Galactic is for the younger listeners and the Labor Day concerts are two classic rock acts geared to bring people in from the Front Range and draw in the local audience.

In its 12th year, the Free Summer Concert Series started as a small gathering of music lovers on the courthouse lawn, but it has grown to an audience of thousands with the budget to bring in acts such as last year's lineup of Creedence Clearwater Revisited and Los Lobos.

The city of Steamboat Springs sponsors the series with $25,000. Other contributors are B&K Distributors, Steamboat Ski Corp., the Downtown Business Association and the Mountain Business Association.

The balance is made with individual donations and money made from concessions and beer sales.

"The concert series is pretty revered by the community," Kboudi said. "And it's always fun." n