Greeley Tribune (Nov. 26 2002)

Playing their dues

Let’s face it. Festival free stages generally don’t have killer bands.

There might be a guy who has played acoustic folk guitar since he attended sit-ins in the 1960s, and you might see a band that knows “Louie Louie” and, well, that’s it, and you might see a country band that plays once a year, in between harvests. Although the Greeley Independence Stampede has its share of local acts, it also brings in some national talent on the verge of making it big.

Last year, Trick Pony played the free stage, and the band was named the Top New Vocal Group of the Year by the Academy of Country Music. Lonestar played there several years ago, and Montgomery Gentry, one of this year’s acts for the Stampede’s headline concerts on the big stage, got its start on the free stage a couple of years ago.

“It seems like we get them the year before they take off and get huge,” said Brian Gary, music director of K99-FM, the radio station that sponsors the Stampede’s free stage. “It’s a great chance to see some acts that might be on the big stage in a year or two.”

That might be especially true for two acts, Blake Shelton and Pin Monkey. Both seem to be on the cusp of stardom, but both acts also realize they’ve got a few more dues to pay and are happy to be playing anywhere.

“I feel like I’m still at the growth stage, so I’m trying to get in front of as many people as I can,” Shelton said in a phone interview. “I do a lot of free shows. It’s still not uncommon for me.”

Even so, Shelton said his self-titled debut album is about to achieve gold status, meaning it’s sold close to 500,000 copies. He’s playing six nights a week, so now there are nights when he’s playing a festival in Michigan in front of 50,000 people and nights when he’s playing in a restaurant in front of 200 people.Shelton, in fact, played both those gigs just a couple of weeks ago.

“I sat on a stool, and we couldn’t even bring in all our equipment,” Shelton said of the night in the Illinois restaurant. “But we’re happy to have a gig every night.”