STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

Dr. Tom Archie’s Doghaus will be playing for The Advocates. Secuestrado will play for Higher Ground.

It’s the 5B Battle of the Bands being held from 1:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16, at The Liberty Theatre in Hailey.

Fourteen—yup, 14!—bands will perform at the event, which kicks off at 1:30 p.m. and runs through 9 p.m. when the awards will be presented.

Top bands win either an opportunity to perform at the 2025 Sawtooth Valley Gathering Music Festival in Stanley or a recording session at the Tonic Room Recording & Mastering Studio in Boise.

The two winning bands also will each win $1,000 for the nonprofit on whose behalf they are playing. The audience will have the opportunity to select the winning bands, along with a panel of judges.

“This is an opportunity to celebrate and support regional music, support local nonprofits, and increase audience familiarity with the Liberty Theatre as a venue for live music,” said Archie.

The lineup:

1:30pm Intro/Kick Off event

2pm Cool Cats

2:30pm Side Hustle

3pm dumprules

3:30pm System in Chains

4pm Jukebox Widowmakers

4:30pm Moonshine Schubert

5pm Melissa Gerard

5:30pm Heath Owens Band

6pm Georgia Blu

6:30pm Doghaus

7pm Up A Creek

7:30pm Work In Progress

8pm Honky Tonk Sue

8:30pm Secuestrado

9pm Awards

The Liberty Theatre is a beautiful venue with great sound and lights, said Archie.

“If audiences keep going, live music will keep coming back,” he added. “Live music is real-time art, and it is good for the individual and good for the community. Cultivating a local music scene is good for the health of the valley.”

Tickets to the Battle of the Bands are $25 for general admission and $50 for VIP tickets, available at https://www.libertytheaterhailey.com/events/battle-of-the-bands. VIP tickets include balcony access and free snacks and beverages. There also will be a DJ and food trucks on the scene.