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The city of Helena kicked off its 2025 season of Helena Old Town Live on Saturday, April 5, welcoming Paul Thorn along with JJ Grey & Mofro to the stage to get the crowd excited with their tunes. (For the Reporter/Jeremy Raines)

By TYLER RALEY | Staff Writer

HELENA – With the sun shining and the temperature foreshadowing the seasons to come, residents from Helena and beyond came together at the Helena Amphitheater to kick off the 2025 series of Helena Old Town Live on Saturday, April 5.

With performances from southern rock artist Paul Thorn and rock band JJ Grey & Mofro, those in attendance got the opportunity to enjoy many serenading sounds once again, signifying that summer was soon on its way.

Helena City Council member Laura Joseph shared her positive takeaway from how the first concert of 2025 went, discussing how much she enjoyed the atmosphere.

“The first Old Town Live event of this year surpassed expectations,” Joseph said. “The crowd was one of the largest we’ve ever had, the artists put on a great show and the atmosphere was absolutely electric. It was a wonderful way to kick off this season—I couldn’t be happier.”

During the concert, patrons were also able to grab a bite to eat at a variety of food trucks. Adults could also grab drinks from Oversoul Brewing and enjoy themselves while kids could run around the open field near Buck Creek.

Joseph emphasized how much it meant for the entire city to be able to join for a night of fun and make an event like this successful.

“It’s really fulfilling, especially for the volunteers on the (Helena Old Town) Board who help make these events happen,” Joseph said. “To see something we’ve worked so hard on being enjoyed by so many people. It means a lot to know that these events have a lot of community support.”

Old Town Live is an annual concert series that has quickly become one of the biggest events to attend in Helena. Organized by the city’s HOT Board, Old Town Live receives a lot of support from volunteer efforts and the help of local businesses.

Being in its fifth year of existence, Joseph has enjoyed watching it grow from the smaller event it used to be to its bigger form now, welcoming thousands to Old Town.

“I remember when we first started out, we were thrilled to have a couple hundred people show up, and now crowds are in the thousands for each event,” Joseph said. “It’s really a testament to the hard work that the HOT Board has put in to grow Old Town Live into the huge event it’s become. They’ve taken everything they’ve learned from previous years, and each season it just keeps getting better and better.”

Joseph also took the time to thank the members on the HOT Board for all of the work they have put in in order to make the concert series possible, knowing this could not be done without them.

“I can’t say enough about how thankful I am for this wonderful group of people,” Joseph said. “They’re all volunteers who love working hard and serving our community, and honestly, they’re just a great group of humans to hang out with. Every month, they come out, help set up and ensure everything goes smoothly and it doesn’t matter if it’s hot, muddy, raining or whatever else—they’re dedicated to making sure that every concert in the series is a top-notch production and I think they deserve a ton of thanks and praise for everything they do.”

The next edition of the Helena Old Town Live series is set for Saturday, May 17, and will feature the talents of Birmingham singer-songwriter Drayton Farley, John R. Miller and local artist LeAlan Carter.

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