BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Welcome to another year of LehighValleyNew.com's Fest in Show, a daily offering of some of the can't-miss acts on the 16 free stages of Bethlehem's Musikfest festival.
This year, more than 400 acts will play those stages during the festival's 11 days.
Read us daily during Musikfest for suggestions of the best music — and more.
Here are music acts you should see today, Saturday, Aug. 2:
Jimmy Sturr & His Orchestra, noon Festplatz
It's not often you can hear an 18-time Grammy Award-winner perform, much less free. But that’s what Sturr has (out of 24 nominations over his 43 years of recording) achieved. He has five gold albums, as well. If you're looking for a connection to Musikfest's formative years, which leaned heavily on polka and Bethlehem's historic German connection, this is the act to see.
Conor & the Wild Hunt, 1:30 p.m. Zinzenplatz and 7 p.m. Liederplatz
A Baltimore trio whose songs address deep self-reflection, love, loss and contemplations of the times. ArtsQuest Chief Programming Officer Patrick Brogan likens them to the lo-fi folk of Sufjan Stephens and indie pop-rockers Death Cab for Cutie. It's "that kind of indie folk," Brogan said. "A little bit on the softer side is the wrong word, but just that melodic sound."
October Rose, 2 p.m. Lagerplatz and 5:30 p.m. Liederplatz New York City country duo who opened for hitmaker Maren Morris on the main Steel Stage last year and previously headlined at the former PigPen Fun Bar in Allentown. They've also opened for Lee Brice, Jake Owen and others, and their social media videos have tens of millions of views.
Boys Go To Jupiter, 7:30 p.m. Americaplatz
Brooklyn, New York, based indie-pop trio with a female lead singer with a sound that Brogan said reminds him of charting indie band Jukebox the Ghost. "This is a fun band," Brogan said. "They've got a kind of pop fun sound, mixed with a little bit of almost, like, a vintage '70s, almost ABBA feel." They're playing Musikfest for the first time.
Boathouse Row, 9:30 p.m. Americaplatz
With the popularity of Yacht Rock — that all-inclusive guilty-pleasure genre of soft rock music from the 1970s — seemingly endlessly popular, you knew Musikfest was going to offer it. And Boathouse Row is among the most successful purveyors of the style — they've played paid-ticket shows at Musikfest Cafe and "would typically be a $25 to $50 ticket price at a number of clubs in the area," Brogan said. A laid-back, late-night offering.
