Introducing King Concerts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE on May 2, 2023


Jackson, WY – Snow King Mountain is pleased to announce the 2023 King Concerts summer series hosting six nights of music on the mountaintop. “We are excited to expand our musical programming this summer and share the recently improved summit venue with the community,” said Snow King General Manager, Ryan Stanley. “With a quick ride up the high-speed gondola, patrons will enjoy great bands, local food and beverages, and the best views of Jackson Hole.” 

King Concerts will break in its new stage on July 7, 8 and 9 with a three-night run of Dark Star Orchestra, celebrating the Grateful Dead concert experience. On July 16, Trampled by Turtles will shift the vibe with its hard-driving bluegrass music. Amigo the Devil will kick off the show. Denver favorites, The Motet, will bring their mix of funk, soul and jazz to the summit stage on July 21, with local funk/jam band Sghetti kicking off this party night. The concert series will culminate on August 2 with Colorado jam band, The String Cheese Incident. 

Last summer, the King Concerts inaugural event, featuring Duane Betts and His Friends, brought 4,000 music enthusiasts up the Town Hill for the two consecutive evenings. “The feedback was tremendous and we expect this summer to be even better with a new stage and venue layout,” Stanley stated.

2023 King Concerts summer series will feature:

  • July 7, 8, 9: Dark Star Orchestra
  • July 16: Trampled by Turtles with Amigo the Devil
  • July 21: The Motet with Sghetti
  • August 2: The String Cheese Incident 

Tickets will be available online at www.kingconcerts.com on Friday, May 5 at 10 a.m. MT.

Ticket holders will gain access to the concert venue, food and beverage concessions, and unlimited use of the gondola. Patrons are encouraged to bring blankets, low-back chairs, sturdy shoes and mountain weather appropriate clothing to enjoy the alpine environment in comfort. Ticket prices vary for each concert. Venue gates will open at 4:30 p.m. with band start times varying each night. Limited VIP Express tickets include priority loading and downloading on the gondola, and access to a stage side VIP zone and tents for complimentary beer, wine, soft drinks and limited appetizers from 4:30 to 8 p.m. 

King Concerts is sponsored by the Bank of Jackson Hole, Brooks Lake Lodge & Spa, Earth Elements Design Center, Jackson Hole Radio, Wyoming Whiskey, Snow King Resort Master Association, Snow King Mountain, High Point Cider, Pure Madness Brewery Group, Crystal Creek Capital, Stio, Cafe Genevive, Orsetto, and Genevieve Catering.  

ARTISTS SPOTLIGHT

Dark Star Orchestra  Performing to critical acclaim for over 25 years and over 3100 shows, Dark Star Orchestra continues the Grateful Dead live concert experience. Their shows are built off the Dead’s extensive catalog and the talent of these seven fine musicians. On any given night, the band will perform a show based on a set list from the Grateful Dead’s 30 years of extensive touring or use their catalog to program a unique set list for the show. This allows fans both young and old to share in the experience. By recreating set lists from the past, and by developing their own sets of Dead songs, Dark Star Orchestra offers a continually evolving artistic outlet within this musical canon. Honoring both the band and the fans, Dark Star Orchestra’s members seek out the unique style and sound of each era while simultaneously offering their own informed improvisations.

Dark Star Orchestra offers much more than the sound of the Grateful Dead, they truly encapsulate the energy and the experience. It’s about a sense of familiarity. It’s about a feeling that grabs listeners and takes over. It’s about that contagious energy…in short, it’s about the complete experience and consistent quality show that the fan receives when attending a Dark Star Orchestra show. www.darkstarorchestra.net

Trampled by Turtles  Trampled by Turtles are from Duluth, Minnesota, where frontman Dave Simonett initially formed the group as a side project in 2003. At the time, Simonett had lost most of his music gear, thanks to a group of enterprising car thieves who’d ransacked his vehicle while he played a show with his previous band. Left with nothing more than an acoustic guitar, he began piecing together a new band, this time taking inspiration from bluegrass, folk, and other genres that didn’t rely on amplification. Simonett hadn’t played any bluegrass music before, and he filled his lineup with other newcomers to the genre, including fiddler Ryan Young (who’d previously played drums in a speed metal act) and bassist Tim Saxhaug. Along with mandolinist Erik Berry and banjo player Dave Carroll, the group began carving out a fast, frenetic sound that owed as much to rock & roll as bluegrass. www.trampledbyturtles.com

The Motet  Since 1998, The Motet has inspired the world with their unique style of dance music. Dave Watts (drums), Joey Porter (key), Garrett Sayers (bass), Drew Sayers (keys & saxophone), and Ryan Jalbert (guitar) have been delighting fans in the Tetons since its inception. Over the course of nine full-length albums, they’ve traversed the lines between funk, soul, jazz, and rock and built a diehard audience in the process. They’ve headlined Red Rocks Amphitheatre six times and sold out countless legendary venues coast-to-coast. In addition to racking up nearly 20 million total streams and views, they’ve also garnered widespread acclaim from numerous publications including Relix, Glide Magazine, and AXS.  The band has also graced the stages of festivals such as Bonnaroo, Bottlerock, Electric Forest, Bumbershoot, Summer Camp, and High Sierra. www.themotet.com

The String Cheese Incident  The String Cheese Incident (SCI) is an American jam band from Crested Butte and Telluride, Colorado, formed in 1993. The band is composed of Michael Kang (acoustic/electric mandolin, electric guitar, and violin), Michael Travis (drums and percussion), Bill Nershi (acoustic guitar, lap steel guitar, and electric slide guitar), Kyle Hollingsworth (piano, organ, Rhodes, and accordion), and Keith Moseley (bass guitar), and, since 2004, Jason Hann (auxiliary percussion). Their music has elements of bluegrass, as well as rock, electronica, calypso, country, funk, jazz, Latin, progressive rock, reggae, and psychedelia. All members write original compositions and sing. Their annual events such as Electric Forest and Hulaween, and holiday shows such as New Year’s Eve, have helped redefine the concert experience and have garnered the band a reputation as live music vibe innovators. www.stringcheeseincident.com