String Cheese Returns to the Center for the Arts

More than three decades after four musicians happened to share a stage in Crested Butte for the first time, The String Cheese Incident returned to the town where it all began for two sold-out performances at the Center for the Arts on June 3 and 4.

For fans, the concerts offered a rare chance to experience an internationally renowned band in an intimate mountain-town setting. For the band and the community, the shows marked a homecoming to the place that played a pivotal role in shaping their story.

“It’s incredibly exciting,” said Wade Koeman, Performing Arts Manager at the Center for the Arts. “To have The String Cheese Incident back in Crested Butte, the place where it all began for the band more than 30 years ago, is a huge moment for the community. For the Center, it also feels like an important milestone in the evolution of the organization and the culmination of so much work since the new building opened in 2019. More than anything, it feels like a celebration.”

Where It All Began

The story of The String Cheese Incident in Crested Butte began in the winter of 1993–94, when Bill Nershi moved to town like so many others: for skiing.

“It wasn’t really about the music. It was mostly about the skiing,” Nershi said. “I moved to Crested Butte because I wanted to get a season pass and have the full experience.”

Music entered the picture almost by accident. During a talent night at the former Center for the Arts, Nershi, Michael Kang, Keith Moseley, and Travis Book found themselves on stage together for the first time.

“Just by coincidence, the four of us played together,” Nershi said. “Something clicked that was different than all the other gigs. It was really a turning point for all of us.”

The chemistry was immediate.

“After the show, people were coming up to us and saying, ‘You guys are great. How long have you been playing together?’” Nershi recalled. “And I would say, ‘About three hours.’”

What followed was never part of a grand plan.

“Nobody was saying, ‘We’re going to start a band and we’re going to tour,’” he said. “It was more like, ‘Let’s do another show like this.’”

More than 30 years later, that spontaneous collaboration has grown into one of the most beloved live acts in American music, performing at major festivals, iconic venues, and destinations around the world.

A True Homecoming

Yet returning to Crested Butte still carries a different kind of energy.

“It feels like a total throwback,” Nershi said. “I love coming back. It feels like home.”

Koeman noted that the hometown connection helped make the June performances especially meaningful.

“Compared with Red Rocks, amphitheaters, and festivals around the world, Crested Butte is a small town and the Center is a small room,” he said. “That alone makes these shows special. It’s also a homecoming of sorts, which brings a different level of energy from the band, the fans, and the community.”

The Center worked hard to bring the performances to fruition, including a locals-only presale designed to ensure community members had early access to tickets.

“Making sure locals were not locked out was critical,” Koeman said. “The in-person on-sale was a huge success, a total blast, and it sold out in a day.”

Full Circle

For many longtime residents, the concerts were a reminder that Crested Butte is woven into the band’s origin story in lasting ways.

“It’s in the lyrics and it’s in the songs,” Nershi said. “The mountain life always stays with you.”

That connection extends beyond the music itself. Over the years, The String Cheese Incident has built a devoted fan community that reflects many of the same values found in mountain towns like Crested Butte.

“I think now the thing that keeps the fan base together is the sense of community and family,” Nershi said. “If it feels like that community is healthy, happy and vibrant, then it makes us feel like we’re successful.”

For two nights in June, that sense of community came full circle. The town that helped spark the band’s beginnings welcomed them home once again, celebrating not only where The String Cheese Incident has gone, but where it all started.