During his Friday evening Under the Big Sky festival performance, Luke Grimes, a Yellowstone actor and young singer-songwriter,
looked across a sea of faces with the Rocky Mountains of Western Montana in the background and a BNSF freight train passing by.
“This is, by far, the biggest crowd I’ve ever played to — holy shit,” Grimes said of the estimated 20,000 attendees.
Under the Big Sky featured arena acts (Zach Bryan, CAAMP, Hank Williams Jr.), marquee names (Charley Crockett, Elle King, Whiskey Myers),
rising stars (Nikki Lane, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, 49 Winchester), and up-and-comers (Red Clay Strays, Hogslop String Band, the Local Honeys). And that magnificent scenery.
Hunting and fishing were my childhood pastimes in Ohio. Backstage, Grimes tells Rolling Stone, "We were a very outdoorsy family and I've always been pretty nature-driven."
" Because my wife and I live in Montana, this festival meant a lot. It's the ultimate outdoor spot.”
Shockey says he's been going to Whitefish since he was a kid. You have Glacier National Park, lakes, and mountains everywhere. Visitors to the festival also see Montana's other attractions. It's freedom's ultimate expression.”