Here’s the music lineup for 2025’s Festival at Sandpoint
The Festival at Sandpoint summer series is back and offers an array of genres, local showcases, and bands of legend alongside more recent risers.
Neon Trees will kick things off Thursday. The Utah-born alt-rock band has been in the game for two decades and caught their first whiff of traction after opening for the Killers in 2008. Soon after, their debut record, “Habits,” produced the smash lead single, “Animal.” They have become known for other songs like “Everybody Talks,” “Sleeping with a Friend,” and “1983.” Neon Trees will be joined by upcoming pop-rock artist kylekelly.
Friday will feature two major Americana acts in the form of Sierra Ferrell and Washington’s own Brudi Brothers.
Ferrell has become a voice of folk, bluegrass and Americana. She recently won four Grammy Awards for her 2024 record, “Trail of Flowers,” but before that the West Virginia native spent extended time busking in Seattle – even releasing a 2019 record titled “Washington by the Sea.” Ferrell is known for songs like “In Dreams,” “American Dreaming,” “Foxhunt” and her collaborations with artists like Zach Bryan, Post Malone, Billy Strings and Shaboozey.
Ferrel’s opener, the Brudi Brothers, is a three-piece folk, blues and Americana group from Seattle. They have garnered quick success through their viral song, “Me More Cowboy Than You,” and the recent single “Motherland.”
On July 26, alt-rock group Toad the Wet Sprocket will take to the Sandpoint stage. The band emerged in the late 1980s and found a slew of success in the ‘90s, including songs like “All I Want,” “Fall Down,” “Walk on the Ocean” and “Good Intentions.” They will be joined by alt-country band the Jayhawks as well as Christian alt-rock group Sixpence None The Richer.
Week 1 will be rounded off on July 27 by iconic alt-rock band Third Eye Blind. The rockers of San Francisco origin need little introduction thanks to massive hits like their debut single “Semi-Charmed Life,” “Jumper,” “How’s It Going To Be” and “Never Let You Go.” They will be joined by local rock group Snacks at Midnight.
After a few days off, July 30 will consist of multiple Inland Northwest acts during Community Night. The evening will feature four sets ranging from country to rock to indie-folk from JoJo Dodge, Brittany’s House, Harold’s IGA and the Real McCoy.
On July 31, country duo Brothers Osborne will make the journey to North Idaho. The two primarily known for their rocking modern country sound and songs like “It Ain’t My Fault,” “Stay A Little Longer,” “Rum” and “Finish This Drink.”
Aug. 1 features the iconic rock band Kansas. The group was founded in 1973 in Topeka, Kansas, but the Midwest rockers would soon find international fame with multi-platinum records like “Leftoverture” in 1976 and “Point of Know Return” in 1977. The dramatic, high production band produced all-time classics like “Carry on Wayward Son,” “Dust in the Wind” and “Point of Know Return.”
Opening for Kansas are local favorites Vika & The Velvets, led by Olivia Vika, who has been listening to the band for years and is still shellshocked by the opportunity.
“It’s actually surreal, because I’ve loved Kansas for so long,” Vika said. “It’s just going to be awesome to get to hear them after we play and sit down and get to experience their music.”
Vika and the band are also coming off their recent full-length album debut, “Like a Spade,” and will be playing very young songs from the record.
“It’s super fun,” Vika said. “It feels like a new era, which is refreshing.”
Although Dispatch, who are performing Aug. 2, have explored an array of sounds, many categorize them as indie folk. The group was founded in the early ‘90s and experienced a surge of popularity into the early 2000s before going on hiatus. They would play a handful of shows together before officially reuniting in 2011 and have continued to find success. Favorite tracks include “The General,” “Only the Wild Ones,” “Flying Horses” and “Bang Bang.”
Dispatch will be joined by American-Australian singer-songwriter John Butler. On Aug. 3, the “Grand Finale: Sounds of Summer” will feature the Festival at Sandpoint Orchestra, many of which have played with the Spokane Symphony. The orchestra will be led by Spokane Symphony resident conductor Morihiko Nakahara and Sandpoint native Jason Moody as concertmaster. The ensemble will perform selections evoking the spirit and timbre of the summer months, including pieces from the likes of Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons,” “From The New World” by Dvořák, and “Summertime” by Gershwin.