Live After 5 creates festive scene each Wednesday in downtown Cd'A
Courtesy photo Live After 5 owners Tyler Davis and his wife, Ilke, have organized concerts at McEuen Park on Wednesday nights.
Many shops stay open later on Wednesday evenings during the summer months in downtown Coeur d’Alene. Merchants, artisans and farmers line Fifth Street and offer their goods. The pubs fill and sidewalk patios are shoulder-to-shoulder with anticipatory energy. Savory smells from restaurant kitchens waft into the street and dining rooms are alive with a thousand conversations.
As the sun drops lower, the lines of foot traffic from the beaches, bars and bistros lead Wednesday’s main event: Tyler Davis’ Live After 5 Concert Series. For the last five years, Davis has enhanced Coeur d’Alene’s Wednesday evening charm with his mini music festival for the community’s concert lovers, lawn blanket enthusiasts and barefoot dancers.
Live After 5 combines world-class entertainment, food vendors and cool beverages in a family friendly atmosphere and places it in the center of beautiful downtown Coeur d’Alene.
“I wanted to create an event I would take my family to,” Davis says. “A weekly event where the community can gather with their kids and have dinner and music. I’m honored to have the opportunity to host a weekly celebration of Coeur d’Alene.”
Davis was born in Bellingham, but has lived in Idaho for half his life.
“I grew up at the Gorge Amphitheater, and the excitement of that kind of atmosphere inspired me to create my own festival.”
And so he has. But not without a lot of years learning and preparing. While working as a social worker for the state of Idaho, in his off time he assisted in fundraising, booking and building of both the Boise and Idaho Falls Alive After Five festivals. When he relocated to Coeur d’Alene nine years ago, he was introduced to the vibrant art community and emerging music scene.
“I fell in love with the charm of Coeur d’Alene and my way of celebrating it was to host a gathering.”
In 2013, Live After 5 debuted and has since become a Lake City summer staple. It is a beloved and important addition to the midweek of many North Idahoans, visitors and business owners alike.
An average Live After 5 show attracts 1,300 concert-goers, giving downtown businesses a surge of energy.
But the Live After 5 effect and Davis’ efforts extend well beyond Wednesdays. Live After 5 is a proud supporter of the K27 Foundation, Emerge Gallery, St. Vincent de Paul and the Ales for Trails among others. As a board member of the Coeur d’Alene Arts and Culture Alliance he has lent his event coordinating and fundraising expertise to help promote the performing arts for the Thursday Concert Series at Riverstone Park. Now in its fifth season, Live After 5 has moved from its Sherman location to McEuen Park.
Davis’ vision for the future of the event is a cascade of attractions from symphonies and fireworks, to major national touring acts like Santana and Willie Nelson, to supporting community benefits and causes.
“Live After 5 was always about bringing people together, and it is my joy to continue creating a place for all of us to gather.”
There is a long list of charms that make up our little lake town, and Tyler Davis’ Live After 5 is yet another not to be missed. Davis and his wife, Ilke, invite you to join them at McEuen Park on Wednesday evenings from 5 to 8:30, with gates opening at 4:30. Admission is $5 for ages 13 and older, and children 12 and younger are free.
This week come down and enjoy The Rub, a local rock favorite. Proceeds from this week’s show will benefit the K27 Memorial Fund.