The 12th annual Open Highway Music Festival, taking place Friday, June 16 and Saturday, June 17, 2023, features Americana heavyweights Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Blackberry Smoke, S.G. Goodman, the Heavy Heavy, and many more!
Open Highway Music Festival continues to provide St. Louis with its own homegrown, world-class roots-music festival. The 2023 edition will return to Chesterfield Amphitheater for two stellar summer nights of music and revelry.
Open Highway founder John Henry says the festival is reaching new heights as it turns 12 years old.“We are excited to keep growing sustainably, while putting the experience of our audience and the artists playing the festival first,” Henry says.
Last year, Open Highway once again took over Chesterfield Amphitheater for the festival’s second consecutive outdoor edition, featuring Margo Price, Drive-By Truckers, Shovels and Rope, James McMurtry, Hayes Carll, John Moreland, as well as some of the most exciting artists from St. Louis’s vibrant music scene.
This year’s lineup is even bigger.
The 2023 festival’s opening night, Friday, June 16, will feature headliner Blackberry Smoke, the acclaimed Atlanta-bred seven-piece standard bearers of a crowd-pleasing hybrid of classic rock, blues, and country packed with swaggering guitars and killer songs.
UK sensation the Heavy Heavy will bring their groovy, psych-tinged sunshine pop to Open Highway highlighted by shimmering co-ed harmonies and timeless danceability.
Open Highway also continues its commitment to showcasing the best in St. Louis-area bands, as Beth Bombara will showcase her warm, literate singer-songwriter rock stylings. Mattie Schell, one-half of folkgrass duo and OHMF alums River Kittens, will bring her mandolin to the side stage for three unique sets spaced throughout the evening.
The great Jason Isbell will make Open Highway history on Saturday, June 17, with a headlining set that will feature his award-winning band the 400 Unit, and a career-spanning set that demonstrates what has made Isbell a roots-rock giant and one of the greatest songwriters of our time.
Spellbinding Americana star S.G. Goodman will make her OHMF debut with her raw, distinctive voice and intelligent songs on the heels of her fantastic sophomore album Teeth Marks for one of the weekend’s can’t-miss moments.
This year’s fest will also present a very special reunion set from the Sleepy Rubies, as sisters Emily Wallace and Ali Ruby, both vocal dynamos and songwriting aces, fill the amphitheater with their ambrosial harmonies and melodies.
St. Louis’s favorite musical party-starters, the Funky Butt Brass Band, are also back at Open Highway. The deeply talented ensemble will bring the horn-drenched hootenanny that have made them local legends.
Over on the side stage, the pride of Columbia, MO, the Burney Sisters, will show off their immaculate three-part harmonies and prodigious multi-instrumental virtuosity. Rising star Matt Jordan’s heartland country-rock will be an afternoon highlight. And Hillary Fitz will get things going with her gorgeous sophisticated folkicana for two special sets.
And it all takes place in Chesterfield Amphitheater’s beautiful setting offering sunshine, shade, the area’s favorite food trucks (presented by Sauce Magazine), delicious libations, and, of course, musical magic under the stars.
Ticket prices for Open Highway 2023 are $35 for general admission seating on Friday and $75 for GA on Saturday. Weekend passes (Fri/Sat) are available for $100 (GA) and $120 (includes lower-level seating). Children 12 and under are free for Friday and Saturday. All tickets go on sale March 24 at 10 a.m.
Once again, Open Highway remains committed to supporting local charities. This year, a portion of all ticket sales will benefit St. Patrick Center, an organization that combats homelessness in the St. Louis area.
Open Highway Music Festival is made possible in part by the generous support of the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis and U.S. Soy.
For more information about the Open Highway Music Festival, schedules, artist information, and involvement opportunities, please visit openhighwaymusic.com.