From Loggins and Messina to Buffalo Springfield and Poco, Jim Messina helped establish the genre of country/rock.
Too Far North Productions brings its second rock icon, guitarist, producer and songwriter Jim Messina, to the Panida Theater in scenic Sandpoint, Idaho, Sunday, May 21.
The other iconic musician, Graham Nash, performs at The Panida July 7; tickets to that show sold out in two hours, with the exception of a few VIP seats.
Messina arrives with a full band and will perform tunes from his days with Buffalo Springfield, Poco and Loggins & Messina.
Few musical artists’ resumes list membership in a band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Fewer still can lay claim to being a founding member of the seminal band credited with creating Country Rock genre; and only one artist can claim all of the above, in addition to being half of one of the most successful duo of the 1970s.
A supremely gifted guitarist, Messina began working with Buffalo Springfield in 1966 as a recording engineer. He eventually became the band’s player, and toured and recorded with them through the release of their final album, Last Time Around.
He formed Poco with fellow Buffalo Springfield member Richie Furay, and the band’s 1969 debut album laid the blueprint for the musical marriage of country and rock.
He left the band in 1970, and began recording with a promising young songwriter, Kenny Loggins. The duo went on to release a series of albums, including Full Sail, So Fine and Best of Friends, cementing their legacy as one of the most successful recording duos ever.
After they split up, Messina went on to record critically acclaimed solo albums, and reunite with old friends for occasional concerts, including Rusty Young for a live concert at the Lobero Theater in Santa Barbara.
More than 50 years after first stepping into the spotlight, Messina is back on the road, guitar in hand, to tell the stories and play the songs that made Buffalo Springfield, Poco, and Loggins & Messina iconic American groups.
His performance in Sandpoint begins at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, May 21. Tickets start at $39 and can be ordered online.
There are 30 VIP tickets available that include up-front orchestra seating and an after show “Conversation with Jim Messina.”