Ryan Bingham Concert -- BILLINGS -- July 26th

Ryan Bingham was in the back of a van in North Dakota when he wrote ‘The Weary Kind,’ a song that became the centerpiece of the 2010 film ‘Crazy Heart’ starring Jeff Bridges. It earned him an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a Grammy, and skyrocketed him into the spotlight. Amidst the incredible success, though, was tragic loss behind the scenes that few knew about.

“A lot of peopled didn’t realize when that Oscar stuff was going on and ‘Junky Star’ was released, I was dealing with the loss of my parents,” says Bingham, who released the follow-up album Tomorrowland as a direct reaction to the emotional turmoil that surrounded him. “My mother drank herself to death, and my father shot himself. I was also going through a huge transition with the band—we were breaking up—and I felt so lost playing with different musicians for the first time in years.”

There were positive changes in his life during that time, too, including his marriage, which serves as a frequent well of inspiration on Fear and Saturday Night, particularly on tracks like “Snow Falls In June” and “Top Shelf Drug,” a Stones-esque rocker that’s bound to become a live favorite.

Bingham’s hard-learned lessons, through both good times and bad, helped make him the man he is today. Fear and Saturday Night is an authentic, personal, and deeply moving portrait of the man.

Time: 8:00 pm

Location: Babcock Theather