Weather Disrupts Spirited Cody Jinks Set at Under The Big Sky Fest
Under The Big Sky Fest in Whitefish, Montana commenced on Friday, July 17th will a massive lineup that included Kaitlin Butts, Benjamin Tod, Rattlesnake Milk, Old Crow Medicine Show, Marcus King Band, Of Monsters and Men, Chance Pena, and crowned by headliner Cody Jinks. Though the searing heat and sun was sometimes spelled by threatening-looking clouds and an occasional drop, the weather cooperated for the most part all day … until it didn’t.
As soon as Cody Jinks took the stage, rain started coming down steady. Then three songs in, the show was called due to lightning in the area. Fans we’re not told to evacuate the grounds or head for shelter, just simply to “hang tight” as Cody and band left the stage. But strangely, Chance Peña whose set started 30 minutes before on the festival’s second stage (called the “Big Mountain Stage”) kept going.
As rumors spread throughout the main stage crowd that the show had been called for good and Cody initially didn’t re-emerge, many headed for their cars, even as Peña continued to play while lightning streaked across the sky in the distance, and light to moderate rain continued to fall. But Cody eventually re-emerged as well, playing a spirited set for those that stuck around, which despite the crowd thinning out, was quite a few fans. Cody hasn’t been playing many live shows recently as he explained from the stage, and was in rare form.
Then at about 10:37 local time, Jinks was told to play just one more song before the worst of the weather got there. The lightning went from off in the distance, to nearly overhead. Cody asked the crowd what song they wanted him to play, and resoundingly the vote was “Hippies and Cowboys.” Right as Jinks finished up, the rain stared coming down hard.
Jinks ended up playing roughly 2/3rds to 3/4s of his set that was scheduled to end at 11:00 pm local time. Some who left early might feel a little short changed. But those who stuck it out got as much of Jinks as they could squeeze in safely, if not a little more before heading to the parking lot and shuttles, which became a logistical snafu in the weather. As this article is being posted, the Saving Country Music Mobile Command Unit is sitting at the back of the blue parking lot, and the line hasn’t moved in an hour.
Under The Big Sky continues on Saturday and Sunday, with headliners Zach Top and Chris Stapleton. Keep up with Saving Country Music on Instagram for updates and artist profiles, and there will be a full recap at the end of the fest.
July 18, 2026 @ 4:51 am
Saving Country Music Mobile Command Unit.
You’re a nut, Trig!
July 18, 2026 @ 9:08 am
The “Saving Country Music Mobile Command Unit”…
I’m picturing a dust-caked F-150 Lariat, about eight to ten years old, with piles of traveling gear filling the crew cab.
July 18, 2026 @ 9:25 am
A Prius?
July 19, 2026 @ 3:36 pm
The SCM mobile command unit is a tricked out van which includes sleeping and working quarters. Or so I’ve heard from reliable sources. It allows the man freedom as he requires no expensive hotel rooms. The sacrifices Kyle makes so that we the loyal readers can get balanced, fair and nuanced on-site reporting and critical commentary on these festivals is to be lauded. Kyle i do know a guy who can do a beautiful van body wrap with the glorious SCM logo should you ever decide to go next level.
July 19, 2026 @ 5:33 pm
Kyle flying down the interstate, blasting Dave Dudley doing “Six Days On The Road”.
“My rig’s a little old, but that don’t mean she’s slow…”
July 20, 2026 @ 1:57 pm
He’s living in a van down by the Whitefish River?
July 18, 2026 @ 9:27 am
Would seem quite ironic if he didn’t get Loud and Heavy in. Storms definitely have the power to energize artists. One of the most memorable and epic shows of my life was in 2010 when Pearl Jam’s outdoor show in Indiana was delayed by wicked storms and tornado warnings for well over an hour. They eventually hit the stage and delivered an insane performance playing well past curfew. I’m not a deep PJ fan but those that are know that show from bootleg recordings and it’s ranked in their top 5 performances of all time by the diehards.
July 18, 2026 @ 12:24 pm
Could have been worse…you could have had to deal with wildfire smoke, like us in the Great Lakes area.
July 18, 2026 @ 12:57 pm
Hello Trigger. I’m sorry to be posting here, but as the latest Charley Crockett post seems to have gotten out of hand, I’m saying it here, because I believe it needs to be said. I read in a comment where you expressed that you hadn’t seen a situation quite like the one with Crockett currently taking place in your 20 years of journalism. That really struck me as I’ve been very interested in this artist since Welcome To Hard Times in 2020. I initially wrote him off as a novelty. I too eye rolled at his awe shucks disposition. But then he released The Man From Waco which I would argue is a generational effort. From my view it could be argued that he’s released no less than 3 generational efforts. Waco, $10 Cowboys, and now Clovis. This is to say nothing of his trilogy on Island records which I admit I’ve hardly explored at all. 3 records in 12 months? It just doesn’t seem possible that he would be able to do that in a bureaucratic label system with the 2 year album cycle. Anyway, your observation that he’s taking it from all sides and in a way you’ve essentially never witnessed begs the question: is he the most unique artist in country music? Not the best. Not the first. But the most singular? I think he is. I think he’s having a Hank Williams like effect on the industry. Possibly even Elvis like. Blurring the lines that define country while at the same time giving it new life. I won’t go in to detail here, and it’s difficult to gage as entertainment consumption is now so compartmentalized, but I spent a lot of time researching figures fundamental to the shaping of commercial American music and I now believe Crockett fits into a lineage tying back to Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers, Bob Wills, Robert Johnson, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Waylon Jennings, and others who disrupted the business in a way that changed the platform permanently. How has Crockett done this? One easy place to see it statistically is the release output. There simply hasn’t been an artist associated with country and roots to release so prolifically this century with a national profile. The other indicator, is the influence he’s having from within the community of artists that make up the culture releasing music in the United States. The infamous observation that Hank Williams would have become the most hated man in Nashville had he lived another 3 years applies here and to this very specific situation. Emulation and jealousy are estimable tools to evaluate artist impact. The only other artist in roots music even anywhere remotely similar in their ability to merge so many different styles of early American music is Sierra Ferrell. Oddly, nobody is questioning her backstory, and she has been one of, if not, Crockett’s most consistent supporters among peers. He has sighted meeting Ferrell while they were both itinerants some 15 years ago. This has been corroborated by multiple other artists from a similar background including Benjamin Tod and Todd Day Wait. Deeper analysis only finds more and more evidence to support this. The entire theory that he’s “cosplaying” is essentially an effort to dismiss him, or even “cancel him” in this latest media fiasco. Many may not like him or even vehemently reject him. You can critique his singing, playing, performing, personality traits, etc., but the hard reality is there’s video evidence of Crockett playing on street corners and on public transit across America nearly 20 years back on youtube. Though it’s difficult to digest for many, he is a rare artist that arrived at this juncture by the same route as Jimmie Rodgers or Hank Williams adjusted for the 21st century, and that is not an easy place to be standing. These men are now romanticized and in death, elevated to mythical proportions. But in their short lives, they were scandalized and outright hated as much as they were admired by their contemporaries and portions of the public. There’s potent scholarly efforts pointing to their being a threat to business interests in their day. I’m certain the same is true with Crockett. So, I take it back to your comment trigger about the severity of the current situation and your observation that this issue has not arisen to this level once in 20 years with another artist. That to me is quite the revelation. Grateful to have discovered this outlet. Carry on good sir.
July 20, 2026 @ 1:32 pm
Im glad a Lomax family member is taking up defending Charley Crockett. I did it for years here and gave it up. Crockett is his own worst enemy, yet the talent is there. FWIW , Alan Lomaxs contributions to preserving American music are priceless.
July 18, 2026 @ 1:03 pm
We saw the Severe Thunderstorm Warning and looked at the radar and took off just before Jinx started. I’d already seen him and we were betting the show would be shut down. Sounds like we missed a great set, but we got right out and heard horror stories of it taking 1.5 hours to get out later.
July 18, 2026 @ 1:05 pm
Ended up being 1 hour, 45 minutes for me, and could’ve been longer if I didn’t luck out on a short cut through the shuttle exit.
July 18, 2026 @ 10:01 pm
Trigger – What solo artist(s) in country music has put together a catalogue of country music comparable to Cody Jinks over the last decade?
July 19, 2026 @ 12:20 am
That’s a real good question. Very solid and consistent output from Jinks. I would say Mike and the Moonpies/Silverada has had a pretty good run, and of course the Turnpike Troubadours, though they did take a hiatus.
July 19, 2026 @ 9:31 am
You aren’t asking me, but Corb Lund’s catalog is pretty damn prolific if you are into that kind of music and go back a full two decades. You go to a concert, like everything he played, and then on the way home, you think about the dozens of other good tunes you wish you could have heard.
July 19, 2026 @ 12:19 am
Maybe it’s time for Country Music shows to take place in indoor venues again. In addition to all the usual weather hassles, have you ever seen what hundreds of seagulls can do at the Plant City Strawberry Festival in Florida? While up in the concrete grandstand, watching your favorite artist (in my case, George Jones) you’ll notice an enormous flock of seagulls resting on the flat roof of a warehouse just outside the fairground. As the crowd rises to leave, that’s the cue for the gulls to rise as well.
In seconds they are circling and hovering overhead as the crowd slowly files down the narrow stairway, screaming and panicking as the wet, greasy droppings begin to fall among them.
I’ve read that the British soldiers lined up to board the vessels evacuating them off the beach at Dunkirk, had to simply stand there and take the artillery shells and aerial strafing the Germans were dishing out, or else they’d lose their place in line.
The end of every show at the Strawberry Festival is sort of a mini-Dunkirk.
July 19, 2026 @ 6:52 am
I was thinking about this in the context of purely solo artists. Turnpike is a favorite of all time, but they are a band. I consider the Silvermoonpies to be that as well. It seems to me, Cody has turned in a body of work over the last decade that rivals if not surpasses anyone in the genre in terms of both quality, and quantity, and consistency. I mean Charley Crockett comes to mind as the only person to come close, and even though Charley’s output may be higher in my opinion the quality across the board isn’t quite at the same standard as Cody. Just curious as to if you think anyone else belong in that same category as a solo artist.