Concert to honor band killed in crash

 The Montana Band’s 25th Anniversary Tribute Tour comes to Whitefish Wednesday, bringing the music of the state’s most popular “homegrown” musicians back to life for one evening of country, rock and bluegrass music — followed by fireworks.

The event will also feature the outlaw jam-grass music of the Moonshine Mountain band, as well as rock ‘n’ roll by the Flathead Valley’s own House of Quist.

Until last year’s Labor Day Music Festival in Whitefish, original Montana Band members Rob Quist, Mark Wittman and Jerry Zalnoski hadn’t played together in nearly three decades, since well before the July 4, 1987, plane crash near Flathead Lake that killed band members Terry Robinson, Kurt Bergeron, Alan Larson, Cliff Tipton and Grady Whitfield.

But with the anniversary of that fatal day coming up, Quist, Wittman and Zalnoski are once again on the road, bringing the band’s glory days back to life after a 25-year hiatus.  

In addition to the three original Montana Band-mates, the 2012 edition of the group includes multi-instrumentalist David Griffith on guitars, mandolin, keyboards, pedal steel and horns; guitarist Craig Davey on electric and acoustic guitars, and bass guitar-playing vocalist Halladay Quist.

House of Quist will open the show at 5 p.m., with Moonshine Mountain taking the stage at 6:45 p.m. The Montana Band will close the show with an 8:30 p.m. set.

The free concert takes place at the Great Northern Veterans Peace Park. Parking is available at Idaho Timber, 75 Karrow Ave.

Beer, wine and food vendors will be on hand, and event-goers are encouraged to bring their own picnic dinners, lawn chairs and blankets.  No pets or outside alcohol will be allowed on site.

“The Peace Park is still in the development phase,” said Whitefish Chamber of Commerce Director Kevin Gartland, “but we want to invite the public out to the site so they can see what’s there today, see our plans for development of the Montana Band-Shell and Amphitheater, enjoy a wonderful evening of Montana music, do a little dancing and watch fireworks light-up the night sky over Whitefish.”

The amphitheater is intended as a state-of-the-art outdoor performing arts facility named in honor of the Montana Band. All proceeds from the Montana Band Tribute Tour will help fund the Montana Band-Shell, which is slated for construction this fall at the Peace Park.

For more information, call the Whitefish Chamber at 862-3501.