Thursday was the second day of Downtown Boise’s Treefort Music Fest (March 26, 2026). A strong breeze continued to chill the audience by the time Blondshell came on to the main stage, which stood at the back of the playfully decorated Julia Davis Park. Fans sang along to her hits as children climbed on what seemed to be a hanging chain of wooden pretzels. As the day progressed, Chloe Gendrow and Cat Clyde gave some stellar performances on the secondary stage, “the bandshell” to crowds that looked not so different than what you’d find at Kilby Court. The sun was out and a troupe of eyeballs on roller-skates weaved through the transient festival attendees.
Back at the main stage, Samia played a beautiful set with a full band to accompany the broader soundscape of her new material. She danced and hopped around the stage, whimsical as ever. At times, she would scoot up close to her bandmates, placing a hand on their shoulder or staring deeply at their focused faces.
Treefort is spread out among multiple indoor and outdoor venues, quite a different experience from most other music festivals. A short walk to Payette Brewery leads to a more intimate stage with dangling lights and a large fire pit. The Last Wild Buffalo, a local Utah band hailing from Eagle Mountain, performed an enthralling bluegrass and folk set. In the small space between the audience and the stage, a brave couple swing danced and twirled around to the thumping stand-up bass and swooning fiddle double-stops.
The sun may have set, but that didn’t stop anyone from catching the wide array of late-night sets in downtown Boise. At Treefort Music Hall, Kishi Bashi played his fantastical violin loops along with funky keyboards and bass to back him up. The crowd was jumping and the venue made for a more traditional concert experience. By the time he got to his iconic rendition of “This Must Be The Place” by the Talking Heads, everyone was singing along to his beautiful falsetto.
Gallery by Natalie Simpson | Beehive Photo
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