Having grown up and spent a significant part of my life here in Bend, I still tend to thing of it as a small town, even though it’s growing by leaps and bounds. A such, I’m always amused at people’s reactions (my own included) when big-name music comes to town—it’s hard to imagine why bands would go out of their way to play our little logging town. Then I realize, not so little anymore.

Here’s a list of some of the groups that have played here recently or will be soon:

• Smash Mouth
• Willie Nelson
• Bob Dylan
• Trisha Yearwood
• Sixpence None the Richer
• Jimmy Cliff
• Coldplay
• Charlie Daniels
• Lyle Lovett
• The Beach Boys

You get the idea. They may not be the biggest names in the industry, but they’re sure a hell of a lot bigger than John Grant and the Rednecks.

(Yes, that’s a real band. Or it used to be. I grew up next door to that guy.)