(Lander, WY) – Thursday night’s opening show of the 2026 Lander Presents season kicked off with a bang under the cottonwoods of City Park.
Music fans dance in front of the stage in City Park Thursday night for J. Roddy and the Automatic Band. h/t Carl Cote Gage Heinfling and KT Ruth Harms take a break from the action at Lander Presents Thursday. h/t Carl Cote A mosh pit breaks out in front of the stage in City Park. h/t Carl Cote J. Roddy and the Automatic Band get the crowd going at Lander Presents Thursday night in City Park. h/t Carl Cote
J. Roddy and the Automatic Band, the reformed outfit built around the legendary J. Roddy Walston, who longtime rock fans will know as the driving force behind J. Roddy Walston and the Business, headlined the evening alongside opening local act Big Bob in the Sky. Walston built his reputation on a hard-hitting, piano-driven approach to Southern rock and Americana, and the reformed project carries that same raw, danceable energy into a new chapter for his music.
A hard afternoon storm rolled through and soaked City Park, but the skies cleared and the grass dried out in time for showtime, turning what could have been messy into a perfect summer evening under open skies.
Peter Cella spreads bubbles in front of the stage in City Park during J. Roddy and the Automatic Band Thursday. h/t Carl Cote J. Roddy summons clapping from the crowd Thrusday in City Park. h/t Carl Cote A young Landerite dances in the grass under the cottonwoods in City Park. h/t Carl Cote 
J. Roddy and the Automatic Band play on the stage in City Park Thursday. h/t Carl Cote A young music fan gets muddy in a puddle left from rain earlier in the day Thursday. h/t Carl Cote Lander Presents president Jeff Stanbury smiles after taking a video of J. Roddy in front of the stage Thursday. h/t Carl Cote Landerites get down in front of the stage at Lander Presents Thursday. h/t Carl Cote
It was a strong first installation of what promises to be an excellent season of music. Lander Presents has lined up a compelling run of shows through August:
July 16 Lucero with special guest Thomas Dollbaum
July 30 Futurebirds with special guest Deloyd Elze
August 13 and 14 Shadowgrass with special guest Matthew Wilburn Skinner
Lander Presents runs entirely on donations, and keeping acts of this caliber coming through a town the size of Lander is no small feat. If you enjoyed Thursday’s show or are looking forward to what’s ahead, consider throwing in what you can. Every dollar goes directly toward bringing quality live music to our community.