Launch into the unknown with acts coming to Fridays on the Plaza in June
Cheyenne’s popular free outdoor music festival is making its return to the Cheyenne Depot Plaza this Friday.
This summer’s Fridays on the Plaza lineup features 29 artists with different music styles, Grammy nominations and awards, multiple gold and multi-platinum records, artists who have played at festivals such as Lollapalooza and Coachella, local favorites and more.
For the month of June, Cheyenne Presents has booked a diverse lineup of bands and individual artists to give concert-goers an experience that “defies the laws of ordinary entertainment.” Each Friday, the event will start at 5:30 p.m., with the first band taking the stage at 6 p.m.
Courtney Sanchez, the Cheyenne Presents marketing operations manager, said the team makes the artist lineup based on genre. To be appealing to everyone, they come up with a variety of genres, and then choose an artist that has been influential within each.
Sanchez said there will be artists ranging from the 1960s to the 2000s and the lineup will jump decades as they go on. The first few weeks are more recently popular artists, and the last few start to go back in time.
“We’re really about transcending into another dimension and defying the laws of ordinary entertainment,” Sanchez said. “So we’re just bringing this free community event to people, bringing a bunch of different genres, giving opportunity to people that might not have opportunities to see artists of this caliber.
“So, it’s just breaking that norm of what entertainment is and what it could be — trying to bring something new and fresh to the Cheyenne community.”
Each Friday night concert will feature an opener and a headliner. Here is some background on the headliners gracing the stage in June.
June 7: Hot Chelle Rae w/Harpoon, the Whale
Gen Z-ers and Millennials are sure to remember the early 2010s, when Hot Chelle Rae was played on every pop radio station in the country. Looking to be thrown back to your middle school and high school years? This Fridays on the Plaza opener is the perfect concert for you.
Hot Chelle Rae formed in Nashville in 2005. The band members are Ryan Follesé, Nash Overstreet and Jamie Follesé. Because the three of them grew up in musical households, they all immersed themselves in the Nashville songwriting community early in life.
The band rose to fame with their 2011 triple platinum single “Tonight Tonight,” which soared to #1 on Top 40 radio and sold over 3 million copies. Treading closely behind, their single “I Like It Like That” reached #28 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Aside from their top-selling songs, Hot Chelle Rae has toured alongside notable artists such as Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato and Justin Bieber.
Notable Tracks: “Tonight Tonight” (2011), “I Like It Like That” (2011), “Why Don’t You Love Me” ft. Demi Lovato (2011).
June 14: Hinder w/Thousand Frames
HINDER, a rocking group of multi-platinum band members, has persisted in popularity through the years. The band’s 2005 debut album, “ExtremeBehavior,” climbed to #6 on the Billboard 200 chart and was the second Top Rock album.
“Get Stoned” was the album’s first radio single, climbing to a #4 mainstream rock spot. “Lips of an Angel” followed, which peaked within the top 10 across several Billboard singles charts, including #1 in the Top 40 and Pop 100. In 2008, their sophomore effort, “Take It To The Limit,” surpassed their debut by peaking at #4 on the Billboard 200 and hitting the Mainstream Rock chart at #3 with the single “Use Me.”
HINDER’s many successes led them to be launched into the rock world and playing in arenas with Aerosmith, Mötley Crüe, Nickelback, 3 Doors Down, Papa Roach and many others.
Notable Tracks: “Lips Of An Angel” (2006), “Get Stoned” (2005), “Better Than Me” (2005).
June 21: Marc Broussard w/Mason McTell
Marc Broussard’s sound is one that stands out among the June headliners with his unique way of taking classic R&B, rock and soul and turning it into a contemporary sound. His father, Ted, who was the guitarist of The Boogie Kings and can be seen in the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, encouraged Broussard’s musical inclination at a young age.
Broussard signed his first record deal at age 20 with Island Records after releasing an independent EP. His song “Home” was incredibly successful and led him to the national touring stage.
Broussard has recently returned to his independent roots after releasing multiple albums with major record labels. He now focuses on originals and covers, the latter of which have benefitted charities through his Save Our Soul foundation.
Notable Tracks: “Home” (2004), “Cry To Me” (2016), “Love And Happiness” (2007), “These Arms Of Mine” (2016).
June 28: Alien Ant Farm w/Red Painted Black
Alien Ant Farm, a rock band formed in 1995, has seen worldwide success over the course of their four studio albums, including a Grammy nomination, four Top 10 singles and more. The band built a massive following early in their career due to runs in 2001 with Linkin Park, Papa Roach, Warped and through a headlining performance on an MTV-presented Fall Tour.
Vocalist Dryden Mitchell and guitarist Terry Corso are known for their clever humor, contributing to the band’s visual imagery used in their music videos, and landing them on several MTV channel programs, such as “Celebrity Dismissed,” “MTV Cribs” and “House of Style.” Alien Ant Farm also had several broadcast television appearances on The Tonight Show, Extra, CNN, Access Hollywood, Mad-TV and many more.
With 4.3 million monthly listeners on Spotify, the band has only seen success with their most recent 2024 album release, Mantras.
Notable Tracks: “Smooth Criminal” (2001), “Movies” (1999), “Wish” (2001), “Last dAntz” (2024).