Mad for music: Sioux City sizzles with summertime music festivals

"There's something special about going to a concert under the stars," he said. "I don't know what it is, but music and summer just naturally go together."

Siouxland music fans will certainly have a wide array of choices when it comes to music offerings this summer.

From classic rock to indie pop to tunes that are bit more classical, you'll have plenty of chances to tap your toes in a few hundreds (or more than 25,000) of warm-weathered friends.

TRIPLE THE FUN AT SATURDAY IN THE PARK

Some year, there is one big "get" at Saturday in the Park.

But for the 27th year of Sioux City's premiere outdoor summer festival, there will three big acts that can be considered the titular headliners.

First of all, British soul singer Joss Stone will hitting the Grandview Park Band Shell July 1. However, there's also the funk influenced Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue and rising indie rock stars The Revivalists moving up the ranks when it comes to the "it" factor.

"Given the lay of how these bands developed since we booked them, (it's) almost a triple headliner scenario," Dave Bernstein said.

Bernstein knows a thing or two when it comes to landing A-list talent. Over the years, he and co-founder Adam Feiges have booked everyone from the Neville Brothers to Carlos Santana to Aretha Franklin to play Saturday in the Park.

But Bernstein said there are more music events springing up every year.

"I mean that's our biggest challenge," he said. "Competition is fierce."

Hard Rock's Streeter can relate.

"It's crazy," he said. "And it's getting crazier every year."

Which is exactly why Streeter is pulling out all of the stops for the third year of the Hard Rock Battery Park summer concert series.

"We'll literally have something for just about every musical taste at Battery Park," he said.

A GENRE-DEFYING LINE-UP OF MUSICAL ACTS

While Streeter was pleased when American icon Willie Nelson served as Battery Park's season opener, he's ecstatic that the 2017 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted band Journey will be headliners for a June 30th concert.

"Plus (the classic rock band) Asia will be Journey's special guests," he said. "How cool is that?"

Well, how about Billy Currington with Chase Rice, Whiskey Myers and Fillmore (July 22); Bret Michaels (July 28); Alanis Morissette (Aug. 26); or Five Fingers Death Punch with All That Remains and Arson?

This is OK if you're into crowds. After all, Battery Park shows tend to draw at least 5,000 music fans while Saturday in the Park can assemble more than 25,000 people.

If you like more intimate shows, check out Downtown Live, which brings live music to the front law of the Sioux City Public Museum on several Thursday throughout the summer.

ALIVE WITH MUSIC

"We want to bring more people to downtown Sioux City," said Downtown Live music promoter Brent Stockton. "You can judge how vibrant a city is by the amount of foot traffic you see on a summer day."

This is especially true when you see acts like The Prairie Cats (July 6); The Bishops (July 13); and Shawn Holy & The Teardrops (July 20). 

We gotta admit, these acts are enticing. But do they represent fine art? The acts playing as part of Morningside College's Betty Ling Tsang Fine Arts Series will boast a theatrical pedigree during the shows presented at the Buhler Outdoor Performance Center.

PATRIOTISM ON DISPLAY

A Holiday Pops Concert featuring the U.S. Air Force Heartland of America Band will be stirring emotions at 8 p.m. July 4, while a quirky new kid's tale (written by Sioux Cityan Diane Guhin Wooley) titled "Uh-Oh!" will be coming to the Betty Ling Tsang series at 10 a.m., July 14.

This summer's series will conclude with a 7 p.m., Aug. 4 production of "The Robber Bridegroom" (think of it as Robin Hood, only set in America's Deep South).

THE OTHER ATTRACTION

While Saturday in the Park tends to send a greater number of people to Sioux City's Grandview Park, it can't hold a candle to the Sioux City Municipal Band.

Beginning with its inception as the Monahan Post Band in 1920, the Sioux City Municipal Band has been giving free Sunday night concerts every summer for countless generations of Siouxland residents.

If you hear music around in the streets of Sioux City, don't be startled. Instead, be grateful. The sound of live entertainment will be strong all summer long.