Special Issues & Guides

The Les Schwab Amphitheater, Bend’s premier outdoor music venue, has assembled one of its best summer concert lineups in several years for this year. Before you head down to the Old Mill District, take a look right here to learn more about the awesome slate of performers.

Every summer the Sasquatch Music Festival at The Gorge Amphitheater provides its nearly 25,000 fans with some of music’s most memorable performances of the year. Because of its far-reaching fame, the event has become a perennial sell-out. The 11th annual edition will once again pair a handful of mainstream music’s biggest names with a healthy dose of independent and fresh new artists.
Past performers have included rock stalwarts Jane’s Addiction, Pavement and Wilco. This year that tradition continues with headlining sets by Beck and The Shins. Festivalgoers would also be fools to miss a show from the newly minted solo career of former White Stripes front man Jack White. His highly anticipated release Blunderbuss, displayed a more subdued version of White that should translate into one of the more memorable Sasquatch performances.

Huey Lewis and The News
tuesday, sept 11
6:30pm, $39-78 ADV
There’s really no song from the ‘80s to bring out the white man’s overbite quite like “The Power of Love,” Huey Lewis and the News’ excellent power ballad and the theme song from Back to the Future. That is, unless you consider “If This is It,” “Hip to be Square,” “Heart and Soul,” “Working for a Living” or anything else these guys wrote.
All in all, Huey Lewis and the News racked up 19 top-ten singles over the course of their glory days, which lasted through the ‘80s and into the early ‘90s. “Power of Love” was actually nominated for an Academy Award. Basically, they were total rock stars, and their live shows are just as much fun now as they were then.

1) Sitting on a pile of dirt outside the then unfinished amphitheater in 2003 during the Coldplay show with a six pack of beer and a handful of coworkers from The Bulletin while everyone waited for “that one song from the radio,” i.e. “Yellow” and speculated on Gwyneth Paltrow’s whereabouts.
2) Hearing Lynyrd Skynyrd play “Gimme Three Steps” on their 2006 tour and knowing that at least three of the roughly 10 people on stage may have had a hand in writing the song.
3) The impromptu fireworks display during the Band of Horses concert in 2010. The pyrotechnics were touched off on the “Shops” side of the river just as Ben Bridwell and company brought the power ballad “Monsters” to an epic crescendo.

The Outlaw Roadshow with Counting Crows and Special Guests
Tuesday, Aug. 7
6pm, $39-75 ADV/$43-78 DOS
The alt-rockers that brought you “Mr. Jones” are at it again and this spring released an album of cover songs called Underwater Sunshine. The new record is 15-songs strong and features remakes of songs from Bob Dyaln, Norman Blake, The Byrds, Gram Parsons and others. Sounds fun. An energetic cover of Dylan’s “You Ain’t Going Nowhere,” is a highlight for us here at the Source. We’re hoping to hear Counting Crows vocalist Adam Duritz bust out some of the old favorites as well as Counting Crows originals like Mr. Jones and Colorblind.

Sisters Folk Festival
An end of the summer treat, Sisters will hosts their annual Folk Fest with some downright rocking folk, bluegrass, country, blues and more. This six-stage festival takes place right in downtown Sisters. Past performers include Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter Dave Alvin, blues ledged John Hammond and folky Portland youngsters the Shook Twins. The 2012 line up hasn’t been released yet, but expect some killer acts and keep an eye on the Folk Fest webpage for the announcement. Sept 7-9 Sisters, OR sistersfolkfestival.org

Edgefield Concerts on the Lawn
Drawing some of the Northwest’s best acts and the nation’s most well known artists, Edgefield Amphitheater offers an outdoor concert experience only 15 minutes outside of Portland.
June 17-Sept. 29, Edgefield Amphitheater, 2126 SW Halsey St., Troutdale, OR. edgefieldconcerts.com
June 17- John Fogerty
June 27- Foster the People
July 5- Ben Harper
July 15- Ringo Starr
July 22- Florence + the Machine
July 26- Emmylou Harris and Steve Martin
Aug. 9- Sigur Rùs
Aug. 17- Norah Jones
Aug. 25 & 26- The Avett Brothers
Sept. 7- Bonnie Raitt and Mavis Staples
Sept. 22- Train
Sept. 27, 28 and 29- Further

Bite of Bend
A food festival downtown featuring Bend’s top chefs, a beer run, live music, and, of course, bite-sized delicacies from local restaurants.
Saturday, June 23
11am – Bill Keale
12:30pm – Joanna Lee
2pm – Leif James
3:30pm – Harley Bourbon
5pm – Stairway Denied
6:30pm – The Autonomics
8:30pm – Whitey Morgan and the 78’s
Sunday, June 24
11am – Allan Byer
12:30pm – Franchot Tone
2pm – Triur Amadan
3:30pm – Raise the Vibe
5pm – The Polyrhythmics
Bite of Bend main stage, Minnesota Avenue & Wall Street, thebiteofbend.com

General Topics of Importance:

The Sun: Most of the concerts you’ll attend this summer will start when the sun is still blazing, meaning you are likely to be really hot during the show, especially if you decide to dance, which we may or may not recommend depending on how attractive you are. To avoid medical difficulties, the two things you should do are drink a gallon two gallons of water in the 24 hours before the concert and wear sunscreen
Your Clothes: Here’s the thing about summers in the American West—in the afternoon you’ll be hot, but after the sun goes down you may be cold.