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Tag: Live in Colfax

Crowd gathered on Historic Main Street in Colfax, CA for the Late for the Train concert

Late for the Train Brought the House Down in Colfax, CA

Show 4 of the Live in Colfax concert series is officially in the books, and what a night it was. On August 15th, hundreds of people packed South Main Street in Colfax, CA as it closed down for another free night of live music — and Late for the Train, alongside opener The Breakovers, gave this Placer County town a show it won’t forget.

A String Quartet That Lit Up the Street

Late for the Train’s blend of American folk and bluegrass — anchored by David Pascoe on guitar, Laura Benson on fiddle, Thom Beneduci on stand-up bass, and Bud Dillard on mandolin — turned Art Park into a foot-stomping, fiddle-driven celebration. If you love the sound of Sierra Ferrell, The Wood Brothers, Greensky Bluegrass, or Watchhouse, this was your night.

And credit where it’s due — The Breakovers were fantastic. They took the stage first and delivered a set full of energy that had the crowd locked in long before the headliner ever picked up an instrument. Opening a show is no small task, and they set the tone perfectly for the night ahead.

From the first note, it was clear: this is exactly the kind of world-class live music Live in Colfax set out to bring home when this series began.

A Night Colfax Showed Up For

Gates opened at 5PM, The Breakovers kicked things off at 6PM, and Late for the Train closed out the night starting at 7:15PM — and the crowd stayed the whole way through. Neighbors, families, and music lovers from up and down the I-80 corridor filled Historic Main Street, grabbed a bite from our food vendors, and settled in for one more unforgettable summer evening in downtown Colfax.

Thank You to the Sponsors Who Make This Possible

None of this happens without the businesses and organizations who believe in what we’re building here. A huge thank you to our founding sponsors:

Your support is what allows the Historic Colfax Downtown Association to keep these shows free, all summer long, for the whole community.

And Our Community Partners

This series is truly a community effort, and Show 4 was no exception. Thank you to:

One Show Left in 2026

We’ve got one more show before the season wraps — SteelHorse Stampede takes the Art Park stage in Colfax, CA on September 26th, and it’s going to be one to remember. Head to liveincolfax.com to get all the details and start planning your night.

Thank you, Colfax, for showing up and proving — again — that this Placer County town deserves live music like this.

Live in Colfax is produced by the Historic Colfax Downtown Association — a community-built 501(c)(3) dedicated to bringing Historic Main Street back to life. We launched this series with a belief that Colfax deserves world-class live music. Turns out, we were right.

Hundreds of people filling South Main Street in Historic Downtown Colfax CA for the opening night of the Live in Colfax free outdoor summer concert series, May 2026

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.

Crowd gathered in front of the stage at the Live in Colfax 2026 Summer Concert Series on South Main Street in Historic Downtown Colfax CA

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.

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