Colfax Showed Up. So Did a Few Hundred of Its Friends.
The 2026 Live in Colfax Summer Concert Series opened May 30th with Wayward Buffalo, a closed Main Street, and proof that a town of 2,200 can pull off something that feels a whole lot bigger.
South Main Street closed to traffic at 5pm on Saturday, May 30th. By the time Wayward Buffalo hit the stage, it was hard to find a clear sightline from end to end.
That’s the short version. Here’s the longer one.
The 2026 Live in Colfax Summer Concert Series held its opening night at Art Park on South Main Street in Historic Downtown Colfax — five free outdoor concerts produced by the Historic Colfax Downtown Association, running May through September on a fully closed historic block. Concert #1 brought hundreds of residents, families, and visitors from across the I-80 corridor to a night that felt less like an event and more like the town remembering what it’s capable of.
The night itself
Michael James Cox opened the show. His sound sits somewhere between the Ozarks and the Sierra Foothills — outlaw country and bluegrass with enough edge to wake up a street. He held the crowd while the sun was still high and South Main was still filling in.
Then Wayward Buffalo took the stage. The Gold Country Americana band — known for honest songwriting and harmonies that feel like they were grown right here — played a set that was exactly what the night called for. Warm. Rooted. Completely unhurried. The kind of music that makes you want to stay.
People did stay. The restaurants on South Main Street reported a significant lift on concert night. Families brought chairs. Neighbors who hadn’t seen each other in months ran into each other at the beer garden. A fully closed Main Street will do that.
How a town of 2,200 built a free concert series
The Live in Colfax series exists because the community decided it was worth fighting for.
A year ago, the Historic Colfax Downtown Association competed for the national Levitt AMP Grant — a highly competitive program that funds free outdoor concert series in small and mid-sized cities. Out of hundreds of applicants, Colfax reached the top-50 finalists nationwide. For a town of 2,200 on the I-80 corridor between Sacramento and Truckee, that’s not a consolation prize. That’s a statement.
The grant didn’t come through. So the community built the series anyway.
Local businesses, residents, and regional supporters stepped in because they believed in what it could mean for Colfax.
The City of Colfax, Pioneer Energy, Smart Broadband, BLM Lending, Hills Flat Lumber, and the Placer County Arts Council made it real. What launched on May 30th is the result — five free Saturday concerts, a fully closed Main Street, and hundreds of people per show turning a downtown block into a neighborhood gathering place for the entire region.
Concert #2: Love Mischief comes to Colfax on June 20th
When a band chooses to include Colfax on a multi-state summer tour, we take that as a compliment. Love Mischief is making their way from San Francisco to Idaho and beyond this summer — and Colfax is one of only two California stops on the entire tour. They chose Historic Downtown Colfax. We’re not taking that lightly.
Hailing from Sacramento, Love Mischief is led by brothers Brian and Colin Curtin — both graduates of Berklee College of Music. Their live show blends funk, psychedelic rock, jazz fusion, and jam-band energy into something that resists easy categorization. Original music. Exceptional musicianship. A set that takes audiences somewhere they didn’t expect to go.
They’ve built a loyal following throughout Northern California and are gaining momentum across the West. This is a band worth discovering before everyone else does — and June 20th in Historic Downtown Colfax is your chance.
Colfax is one of only two California stops on their summer tour. We’re honored they chose Historic Downtown.
Opening act
Las Ninas Muertas – A five-piece all-women acoustic Grateful Dead tribute from the California foothills. Four-part harmony alongside banjo, mandolin, and upright bass — a sound that has built a devoted following throughout the region. The act was brought to the Live in Colfax series by Colfax City Councilman Larry Hillberg.
Bring your lawn chairs. Grab dinner from the food vendors. Enjoy local beer and wine from the on-site garden. Spend an evening on a closed South Main Street discovering your new favorite band.
This isn’t a local showcase. It’s a real concert series.
Every band on this summer’s lineup was hand-picked. Touring acts making a stop in Colfax. Working musicians who play Strawberry Music Festival, tour multi-state circuits, and rack up regional awards — then come do it on South Main Street for free.
That doesn’t happen by accident. The Historic Colfax Downtown Association spent months sourcing, vetting, and booking talent specifically to bring the kind of live music experience you’d drive an hour for — to your own backyard.
Five Saturdays. Real stages. Real bands. All summer long in Historic Downtown Colfax.
Full lineup and band bios at liveincolfax.com.
Colfax has always been worth stopping for. Most people just didn’t know it yet. The Live in Colfax Summer Concert Series exists to change that — one free Saturday night at a time. A closed Main Street. A real stage. A few hundred neighbors and strangers becoming the same thing for a couple of hours. That’s the mission. And it’s working.
None of it happens without the people who believed in it first. Thank you to the City of Colfax, Pioneer Energy, Smart Broadband, BLM Lending, Hills Flat Lumber, and the Placer County Arts Council for making this series possible. And thank you to every resident, business owner, and donor who stepped up when the grant didn’t come through. You built this. See you on Main Street.
