Floating the Clark Fork, using clean portable restrooms, and getting sausage from a mountain man who traps beavers may seem normal for all of us who live in Montana. For the Barenaked Ladies, Ben Fold's Five, Guster, and Boothby Graffoe it came as a bit of a pleasant surprise.
None of these bands had been to Montana before, so naturally they were overtaken with the beauty and diversity Montana has to offer. Ed Robertson and his band Barenaked Ladies floated the Clark Fork before their show and were quick to comment on how beautiful the scenery was.

For Guster though, they were amazed at the beauty and cleanliness of the portable bathrooms at the Big Sky Brewing Company venue - so much so that they even tweeted about it. 

The music lineup in Missoula this summer is amazing. There are so many bands that are coming (or have come) to Montana for the first time and we are loving them, just as much as they are loving us.

If you've never been to a concert at the Big Sky Brewery, you are certainly missing out. For me, walking up to the venue for the first time was incredible. When I walked inside, the opening bands hadn't even taken the stage, yet people were sprawled all over the lawn waiting eagerly for them.

The first act to take the stage was a funny gentleman from Britain named, Boothby Graffoe. I don't think many people knew who he was when he got on stage, but by the time he got to his song, "Kittens in a bag," the whole crowd was in laughter. It was a great way to open the show and really get the crowd amped up for the next two acts, Guster and Ben Fold's Five.

As darkness grew, so did the anticipation for the Barenaked Ladies to take the stage. I remember jamming out to, "One Week," on the radio with my mom when I was a kid. Now to see them perform live was great.

I had to chuckle when the audience threw underwear on to the stage during their hit song, "Pinch Me." Each member of the band walked up to a pair, hung it from the head stock on their guitar and continued playing. After performing for 25 years together, they sure must have a lot of underwear.

The show was fantastic and left the crowd wanting more, after three encore songs they finally took their leave and we started to pack up.

From floating the river to meeting mountain men who make sausage, I think Montana gave the bands a pleasant surprise, and hopefully that won't be the last we see of the Barenaked Ladies, or any of the other bands.

 

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