This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

With cost overruns eliciting pointed questions from the Salt Lake City Council, the future of the Twilight Concert Series remains up in the air.

In the present, though, Twilight is still here, and on Thursday revealed six of the seven headlining acts that will perform this summer for the event's 30th incarnation.

The weekly Thursday night shows at Salt Lake's Pioneer Park will kick off July 20 with Swedish electronica outfit Little Dragon and conclude Aug. 31 with hip-hop collective and Jimmy Fallon house band The Roots. In between are folk-rock group Kurt Vile & The Violators, jazz saxophone impresario Kamasi Washington, R&B singer Solange, and indie-rocker Cat Power.

The Aug. 24 show is to be determined after a scheduling conflict forced a late dropout.

Early-bird tickets are now on sale via 24Tix.com and at Graywhale locations and cost $5 per show or $35 for the entire season. Early-bird sales will continue through May 15. Afterward, tickets will cost $7.50 in advance and $10 the day of the show. VIP ticketing is back, with $25 per show or $165 per season in the early-bird plan or $35/$195 after.

Gates will open at Pioneer Park (350 W. 300 South) each Thursday at 5 p.m., with music slated to begin at 6:30.

Still, this year's slate is only taking place because the independent, nonprofit Salt Lake City Arts Council, which oversees the series, had an emergency request for a $200,000 budget addition approved at a Jan. 3 City Council work session.

That funding, in addition to an extra $150,000 granted to stage the 2016 series on top of an additional $60,000 in emergency funding for 2015, has some City Council members questioning the series' sustainability, especially considering that the Arts Council made a request for an annual $200,000 increase for the Twilight budget, which is currently around $1.7 million, while expenditures have reached about $2.2 million annually.

Council Chairman Stan Penfold said Thursday that while he sees definite value in the music series, the escalating cost has proven worrisome.

"I think it's really important to the council to discuss what Twilight brings to downtown. We want to have a more in-depth conversation about what we're spending on Twilight and what it brings. Personally, I think it's an incredible event and I don't have any hesitation for providing some funding. It gets people to a part of downtown we want, and it hits a unique demographic from a cultural perspective," he said. "But it's an expensive program and it's gotten very big. … Some of the conversation will focus on, 'Is it time to scale it back, move it back to Gallivan, bring in more local artists?' The conversation isn't about not doing anything, but to revisit it and modify it."

At that January meeting, several city council members expressed dismay that budget overruns had continued despite three years of recurring requests for additional funding.

"Here's my frustration … this is the third year that we're coming to, and it seems like every year we're getting two budget amendments asking for money to support Twilight," council member James Rogers noted then. "How are you going to make that deficit up of $500,000?"

Arts Council members revealed that myriad options have been considered, including raising ticket prices, reducing the number of shows, changing venues, booking less-appealing (and thus cheaper) acts, even putting the series on the shelf for a year to re-evaluate all possibilities.

They ultimately pitched a plan that would keep the series more or less as is while asking the city to bolster the budget.

Penfold was in favor of allocating the funds to put on this year's shows, but would not commit to an annual $200,000 increase ahead of scheduled budgeting sessions in May for the 2017-18 fiscal year.

He suggested Arts Council members use the intervening time to gather hard data corroborating their claim that the concert series is in fact the best way to spur economic development for the city related to those in the 20-to-40 age group the concerts target.

"One of the things I'd like you to consider in that process is, 'Is this the best way to reach this demographic?' and are there other things that you might want to do with $200,000?" Penfold said.

"There are probably a whole host of things we could do to encourage reaching that demographic in an arts and culture component for the city. I think that's the frustration we've been experiencing over time," he added. "What we'd like to see is some direct economic benefit connected to the demographic and to the city."

Underneath the politics, a musical foundation remains, and the 2017 Twilight lineup will present an eclectic sonic mix.

Gothenburg, Sweden-based electronic music band Little Dragon (July 20) formed in 1996, and was named after lead singer Yukimi Nagano's then-propensity for in-studio meltdowns. Their fourth album, 2014's "Nabuma Rubberband" was nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Album at the 57th annual Grammy Awards. Their fifth studio album, "Season High," is scheduled for release Friday.

Philadelphia-born singer-songwriter Kurt Vile (July 27) is known for his multi-instrumentalism — he plays guitar, banjo, trumpet and keyboards — and for crafting hazy, lo-fi, introspective folk-rock tunes. He records and tours with a three-piece backing band, The Violators, and their sixth studio album, "b'lieve i'm going down …," was released in September 2015.

Kamasi Washington (Aug. 3), born in Los Angeles to a pair of music teachers, is an accomplished jazz tenor saxophonist, having won the 1999 John Coltrane Music Competition. He was tapped to play on superstar rapper Kendrick Lamar's "To Pimp a Butterfly." His solo debut, 2015's "The Epic," featured a 10-piece band and led to an appearance at last year's Coachella Festival.

Solange Knowles (Aug. 10) is Beyoncé's younger sister, but doesn't share much in the way of musical inspiration or direction with her sibling, opting for a sound more influenced by Motown girl groups such as The Supremes, as well as English pop singer Dusty Springfield. Her latest album, "A Seat at the Table," released this past September, went to No. 1 in the United States.

Atlanta-born Chan Marshall, aka Cat Power (Aug. 17), has dabbled in many ventures, including modeling and acting, as well as in myriad musical genres, with her albums over the years taking turns populating the indie rock, folk, blues, and electronica worlds. Once best-known for her alcohol-fueled shambolic live performances, but her most recent album (2012's "Sun") debuting at a career-high No. 10 on the Billboard 200 shifted the narrative to her now-more-professional approach.

Originally from Philadelphia, The Roots — who have been serving as Jimmy Fallon's house band on his various television variety shows since 2009 — are known for bringing a multi-instrumental, jazz-centric approach to hip-hop music. The band, founded by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in 1987, traditionally features eight members, though it adds a pair of horn players for TV appearances. They have received 14 Grammy nominations since 2000 and have won three times.

ewalden@sltrib.com

Twitter: @esotericwalden —

Twilight Concert Series lineup

Weekly Thursday night concerts will be held at Salt Lake City's Pioneer Park (350 W. 300 South). Gates open at 5 p.m., and music begins at 6:30. Tickets are on sale at https://www.24tix.com/ and at Graywhale locations. Early-bird tickets (available now through May 15) cost $5 per show or $35 for the entire season. Afterward, tickets will cost $7.50 in advance and $10 the day of the show.

July 20 • Little Dragon, with Xenia Rubinos

July 27 • Kurt Vile & The Violators, with Whitney

Aug. 3 • Kamasi Washington, with Antibalas

Aug. 10 • Solange, with Kaytranada

Aug. 17 • Cat Power, with guest TBD

Aug. 24 • TBD

Aug. 31 • The Roots, with Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires