I Bar in southwest Colorado draws national acts with summerlong ‘festival feel’

By Steve Graham

For a great summer day in the mountains, you can’t do much better than hiking and fly fishing along Tomichi Creek, then wandering from your campsite to a Nitty Gritty Dirt Band show in the meadow under the stars.

Camping and concerts happen all summer at the I Bar Ranch in Gunnison, which is gaining a reputation as one of the best live music venues on the Western Slope. As the classic Western name suggests, the I-Bar has drawn its share of country and bluegrass acts including the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Charlie Daniels. But it has also hosted shows by the Motet and the Wailers.

Even during the locked down COVID summer of 2020, the I Bar hosted drive-in movies and 18 shows, including eight performances by Easy Jim, a local Grateful Dead cover band.

The final show of the 2021 season at the I Bar Ranch is on Saturday, Oct. 9. Funky Gunnison jazz-rock group MILLK (Main Intent Live Like Kings) is headlining a fundraiser for Western State’s track and cross country teams. Click here for tickets or buy them directly from a Western student athlete.

“They pull off a great performance, and the valley just kept coming out,” said I Bar owner Bryan Wickenhauser. “Dead heads saved our stage.”

Wickenhauser said he is in talks with several Colorado bands and national touring acts for this summer, but wouldn’t reveal any names pending more firm guidance from county and state health authorities.

It’s a frustrating situation for Wickenhauser, who has been building the crowds and reputation of the I Bar since opening the events center in 2013.

Chucking the Chuck Wagon

Wickenhauser is a multi-sport athlete who has traveled the world for races and events. He is still involved in local ski races and Nordic groups. He married his wife, a running champion and coach, in 2004. They had their reception at the I Bar, though such events were rare. From 1992 to 2004, you only went to the I Bar to eat a classic chuck wagon dinner and dance to the I Bar Wranglers house band.

By 2012, they were ready for a new adventure closer to home. One night, they drove to Lake City to see Asleep at the Wheel. On the hour-long drive home from the concert, they started talking about hosting shows in Gunnison and remembered their wedding reception venue.

“It was kind of a lightbulb moment,” he said. “We said ‘Why did we just have to drive an hour. Why wasn’t the I Bar up and running.’”

The next year, they reopened the I Bar without the chuck wagon, or even the kitchen. The ranch has a bar, and brings out local restaurants to sell food during concerts and cater weddings. Wickenhauser said the outdoor venue and “festival feel” distinguish the ranch from the Gunnison Arts Center and other indoor venues.

“We’ve created our little niche in the sandbox,” he said. “We’ve all figured each other out. We play nicely together.”

Thursday Night Live

Wickenhauser also found his niche in the concert industry, and the wedding market.

“I knew that brides love Saturday weddings, and I knew that national touring acts get their big paydays on Friday nights and Saturday nights in major metro areas,” he said. “It’s tougher to find those Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday gigs.”

So he launched a Classic Colorado concert series with midweek shows.

The I Bar also typically has a Tuesday night Burgers N Brews series, with smaller family-friendly regional bands.

The biggest show at the I Bar has been 820 people for late country legend Charlie Daniels, but with a sprawling meadow, the crowd could be significantly larger. And Wickenhauser said it’s getting easier to sell tickets because an I Bar show is as much about the atmosphere as the music.

“It doesn’t matter almost who’s on stage sometimes,” Wickenhauser said. “It’s just the wide open views camping and the experience and the camping. … More and more of that is resonating through the community.”

Like everything, this summer’s concert season is still in flux, but Wickenhauser has tentative plans to host some nationally known bands and local Colorado favorites. As he said about three times during our phone call, “live music is essential.”

Other scenic music venues around Colorado

Mishawaka Amphitheatre

Along the Poudre Canyon between Fort Collins and Walden, you’ll pass what appears to be just a rustic mountain diner. But the wood fence is also hiding a 1,000-seat concert venue with fantastic river views. Watch rafters ply the Poudre during dinner, then settle in for a show.

Last year, the 105-year-old Mish staged a few seated concerts with creative social distancing and limited numbers. Fingers crossed, the 2021 season is slated to include Head for the Hills, Samantha Fish, Steep Canyon Rangers, Trout Steak Revival, and the Jayhawks.

The Amp at LC Park

Across the state, about 100 years after the Mishawaka opened, the city of Grand Junction built a new amphitheater along the Colorado River. The 4,000-seat venue is a new centerpiece of the 130-acre riverfront park. It’s a serious upgrade from the site’s former lives as a uranium mill and junkyard.

Boz Scaggs, the Beach Boys, the Dead South, and KC and the Sunshine Band are tentatively on the schedule for this summer, along with several other shows.

Denver Botanic Gardens

To be surrounded by beautiful sights and smells, check out a concert at the Denver Botanic Gardens on York Street. Audiences fill all four sides of a lawn that slopes down to the stage, amid impressively colorful xeric Colorado gardens and plants from all over the world.

The 2020 concert season was canceled, but the gardens have some big plans for this summer, including July shows by the Indigo Girls, Judy Collins and Chris Botti; and August gigs with Randy Newman, Del McCoury, and DeVotchKa.

Gerald Ford Amphitheater

For a wider view, grab a spot on the lawn at the Gerald Ford Amphitheater overlooking the top of the Rockies and the Vail ski area. In addition to national touring pop and rock bands, the GFA hosts a variety of additional events most summers, including movies, dance performances and classical concerts.

This year’s lineup might not be as full, and seating is more limited, but planned shows include human upper Michael Franti in June and pop electric violinist Lindsey Stirling in July.