Colorado’s Grand Valley offers several live outdoor music events each summer, one of them being the Riverfront Concert Series at the James M. Robb Colorado State Park in Fruita, located at 595 Hwy 340 near the Colorado River. This year’s riverfront concerts will take place September 9, 10 and 11.

The lineup includes The Motet, Thursday, September 9; Chris Daniels and the Kings, with Freddi Gowdy and special guest Hazel Miller on Friday, September 10; and Austin, Texas singer-songwriter Carrie Rodriguez, Saturday, September 11.

The Motet plays a happy, upbeat blend of funk, soul, jazz and rock, said Sandstone Entertainment concert promoter Ron Wilson. The Motet has been the headliner act at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado a half-dozen times, and have performed at numerous other festivals throughout the country, including BottleRock, Electric Forest, Bumbershoot, Summer Camp, and High Sierra festivals.

Chris Daniels and the Kings, a longtime band joined by Gowdy in 2019, has a similar vibe and includes a horn section like The Motet, but is more blues-based, Wilson said. Their latest album titled “What We Did,” with Hazel Miller and Dana Marsch, was released in July. Expect to hear some of that new music during the show where Miller will be joining the band. Daniels was inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame in 2013 along with Judy Collins. He’s appeared with Garth Brooks, B.B. King, Vince Gill, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Lumineers, Blues Traveler, The Neville Brothers, and many others.

Austin, Texas singer-songwriter Carrie Rodriguez will close out the riverfront concerts on Saturday where she’ll be promoting her newest project, the upcoming Spanish/English album “Lola.” Rodriguez, who plays guitar and fiddle, “delivers her own twangy, Texas-bred twist on Mexican Ranchera songs, creating culturally blended music for a culturally blended world,” according to her web site.

Local musician Javier de los Santos will open for Rodriguez with some flamingo guitar music.

There will be two or three food trucks, as well as beer, wine, soda and bottled water for sale. While picnics are welcome, no outside beverages are allowed. Funds are raised through the purchase of food and beverages for trail building and maintenance projects along the Colorado Riverfront Trail.

Gates open at 5:30 p.m. and all shows start at 7:30 p.m. Bring a lawn chair or blanket for the lawn.

Tickets are just $10 (plus a small service charge) for all three shows, or $5 for a single day pass, and are available at universe.com/crcs VIP tickets are also available for select seating and wristband for expedited beer and wine purchases. More information can also be found by calling Sandstone Entertainment at 970-243-8497.And be sure to mention you read about it in Moab Happenings.

Not only are there plenty of natural wonders to see in Moab, there’s also lots of fun entertainment available right downtown. Moab hosts a thriving music scene. If you’re looking for something totally different, there’s the Moab Backyard Theater, located right in the heart of downtown. It’s open to all ages and great fun for grown-ups and kids alike.

The Backyard Theater is one of the only open-air entertainment venues in the west, a throwback to the old west days when traveling shows entertained culture-starved pioneers on the dusty streets of the frontier towns. Located just a half-block off Main street in downtown, The Backyard Theater features Magic and Music four nights a week. The stage sits beneath a giant cottonwood tree that is older than the town itself. In its fifth year of operation, the theater has entertained thousands of people from all over the world. They come to see an old-fashioned type of American entertainment that has all but vanished in the rest of the country.

Every Wednesday, traditional bluegrass music returns to the theater. The band Quicksand Soup performs old-time standards and unique originals starting at 8 pm. The free show has become a downtown fixture over the last few years and it’s common to see both locals and tourists alike tapping their toes.

Thursday, Quicksand Soup sings Gospel, Western and classic country. Friday is honky-tonk fusion with Juniper Drive. On Saturday, The Four Corner’s only downtown Magic show returns with the award-winning magic of Rick Boretti. Rick’s hilarious routine changes constantly, but always involves lots of wisecracks and mystifying magic tricks. Folks have been known to return year after year for the show. Kids love Rick’s magic, but adults are often amazed at how much they love it too. If you haven’t caught a real magic show in a while, then you might have forgotten how fun they can be. Shows start at 8. Music is always free. Magic Prices are 10 dollars for folks over 12 and 5 dollars for kids over 3. 3 and under are free. There is a food truck serving Southwestern fare open most nights, and the theater allows outside food and drink as well. It is located just behind Zax at 56 W. 100 South.