Memorial Day Weekend At The Gorge: Live Nation Teases Sasquatch! Replacement

Mat Hayward / Getty Images – The Gorge Amphitheatre
George, Wash., May 22, 2015

While the Sasquatch! Music Festival at the picturesque Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Wash., announced 2018 would be its last, venue operator and concert promoter Live Nation announced that this Memorial Day Weekend “will see a new generation of contemporary artists carry on the tradition at this iconic Northwest intuition.”

“The Gorge’s LONG tradition of Memorial Day Weekend concerts continues in 2019 and beyond,” reads a statement signed by Live Nation Northwest President Jeff Trisler, co-founder of The Gorge Amphitheatre. “Details will follow in the weeks to come, but put it in your calendars: May 24-25-26, 2019 will see a new generation of contemporary artists carry on the tradition at this iconic Northwest intuition. 

“A tradition born in 1987 and embraced by music fans for decades happily moves forward to welcome new audiences and artists to this magical venue where moments and memories will continue to be created and shared for years to come.”

The statement notes pre-Sasquatch Memorial Day events at the outdoor venue, including Chuck berry in 1987, Stevie Ray Vaughan in 1989, Fleetwood Mac (1990), Page And Plant (95) and many others before the first Sasquatch! in 2002, which the statement described as kicking off a “magical 17-year run” that hosted celebrated artists including Coldplay, Foo Fighters, Mumford and Sons, Outkast, and R.E.M.

In late June, Sasquatch founder Adam Zacks announced he was stepping down, leaving the future of the event unclear.

“Sasquatch! will forever remain a tapestry of the people who worked with us,” Zacks said in a press statement. “The artists who inspired us, and the varied experiences of the fans who attended it… of friendships made, engagements, hilltop weddings, permanent tattoos, once in a lifetime collaborations, weather events both treacherous and magnificent, at least one very public conception, and, of course, hundreds of awe inspiring performances. My humblest gratitude to all of you.” 

Upcoming shows at The Gorge include Echoes Through The Canyon (Brandi Carlile with Emmylou Harris & Neko Case), Dead & Company, Paradiso Festival, Eric Church, Bass Canyon Festival (topped by Excision), Watershed Festival, and The Avett Brothers with Lake Street Dive & Trampled By Turtles.

Other major music festivals events to announce they wouldn’t take place in 2019 include Panorama Festival on Randall’s Island in New York, the new InCuya Music Festival in Cleveland, and Grandoozy in Denver.