TETON VALLEY, Idaho — On what would have been Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival weekend in Teton Valley, lovers of the al fresco concert experience will have three days of socially-distanced opportunities this week at the Spud Drive-in in Driggs. Venues and organizations across the country are being forced to think outside the box when it comes to offering audiences a safe and enjoyable live music experience.
The first of these in-person-plus-livestream shows will be Teton Valley Foundation’s Music on MainStream “Dark Side of the Rainbow” fundraiser, a concept born out of the thirteenth season of Music on Main concert series that was cancelled on May 22 due to the pandemic. The situation left the nonprofit with “a major financial hit,” and this fundraiser will be a way to support it’s programming.
“When we made the heart-wrenching decision to cancel the 2020 Music on Main season due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Teton Valley Foundation lost $70,000 in revenue from concessions and donations made throughout the summer,” said Amy Fradley, Teton Valley Foundation’s Executive Director. “These funds directly support our ability to keep the Kotler Ice Arena running each winter and the music playing at Music on Main each summer.”
The event will feature cover band Pinky & the Floyd performing Pink Floyd’s 1973 album Dark Side of the Moon during a showing of the 1949 film, The Wizard of Oz. The mash-up of these two pieces of classic art, dubbed “Dark Side of the Rainbow,” became a pop culture phenomenon in the mid-90’s. Starting the band’s album as the MGM lion roars for the first time onscreen, the songs and the video sync up in eerie ways in several places. Despite the similarities, the band has long denied any conscious decisions to pair the two.
The event will run 7-11 p.m. Thursday. Tickets are $150 per car for up to four people, $25 for an Extra Passenger Ticket, and $500 for a VIP Entry Ticket, which allows prime second row parking spots for up to four people in one vehicle. Patrons must stay in their cars, or sit in lawn chairs in each car’s designated area. Masks will be required when leaving a party’s designated area.
A free livestream of the event, 9-11 p.m. Thursday, will also feature a silent auction and the opportunity to donate or sponsor the event.
“I think you’ll agree, this summer’s Thursdays are way too quiet and we miss Music on Main as much as you do,” said Jenny Wade, Teton Valley Foundation Board Chair.
