08/20/2026
For those at last Saturday’s Philipsburg Rotary Summer Concert, there seems to be a question that needs a little more clarification: Why did the music stop when the storm still seemed some distance away?
The answer is lightning — and how outdoor-event safety has changed. For those who thought we acted hastily we want you to know the background.
Our sound company, Montana Pro Audio was electronically monitoring lightning. Brian Walker, their onsite project manager has some 20 years experience with the safety issues of Montana outdoor concerts. The safety protocol is simple: when a strike comes within a 10 mile radius, the concert stops and a 30-minute safety clock begins. Every new strike restarts that clock. And the underlying threat is the tall metal sound systems, light poles and people standing on damp open ground are at risk.
We waited, but the strikes kept coming. Finally, with a major band of lightning moving over the Bitterroots toward Philipsburg, I consulted with our Rotary Board and our concert Safety Officer, former Sheriff Steve Immenschuh. There really wasn’t a choice. We stopped the outdoor show.
I’ve been involved with these concerts since the first one in 2010, and weather has always been the great unknown. You can spend months booking bands, finding sponsors, gathering auction items and putting up tents — and then Mother Nature gets a vote.
But what happened next was so wonderfully Philipsburg.
The non-profit Philipsburg Theatre graciously opened their doors and the final band was able to play on the stage inside their historic building. Many concertgoers experienced Montana’s oldest operating theatre for the first time. The performance got rave reviews.
That seemed particularly appropriate for an event whose auctions, sponsorships and generosity have raised more than $1 million in our tiny Montana town. Philipsburg has always punched way above its weight.
So perhaps 2026 gets an asterisk: the year lightning stopped the outdoor concert, but it certainly didn’t stop Philipsburg from having a good time.
Safety occasionally has to take precedence over the show.
Fortunately, around here, we’re pretty good at finding another stage.
