When Andy Frasco and the U.N. take the stage at Howelsen Hill on Saturday, they won’t just be opening the 2025 Steamboat Free Summer Concert season — they’ll be bringing a message of presence, purpose and joy that has taken Frasco a lifetime to create.

“This is the best I’ve ever been,” Frasco said. “I’m stoked for people to see the growth in this band and the maturity that we’ve created. But we’re still going to have fun and we’re still going to celebrate. With the crazy times out there right now, let’s have each other’s backs.”

Andy Frasco and the U.N. will take the stage at 7:45 p.m. Saturday, following opener Graham Good & The Painters, who will begin performing at 6 p.m. Gates open at 5:30 p.m.

Known for his fan-focused antics, such as crowd-surfing at the 2024 WinterWonderGrass Music Festival in Steamboat Springs, Frasco has evolved throughout his career into more than just a high-energy frontman. At his core, he’s a self-taught and self-managed musician who built his career from the ground up with a focus on healing others instead of just entertaining. 

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Frasco began his career out of the spotlight. By 19, he was on the road learning instruments, booking gigs under a fake agent name (his own) and cold-calling venues with not much more than grit and a dream.

“I booked myself for the first seven years and learned an instrument on the road,” he said. “I was learning how to play while I was performing at bars at state schools and other venues.”

Frasco has now released 11 albums and has come a long way from those early tours, which he called “scrappy.” His relentless work ethic was instilled in him by his parents. A no-shortcuts upbringing, as well as his dedication to fans and their mental well-being, still drives everything he does.

“I’m a student of Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and Joe Montana — guys who demand excellence out of themselves,” he said. “I will just keep chipping away until I see my dreams come to fruition.”

Frasco’s dreams go far beyond success. At the center of his musical mission is the mental health of himself as well as his fans, friends and the communities he performs for. He explained that his approach to writing songs is to get people out of their heads and to allow them to live fully in the moment and to feel less alone.

“My goal is to get people to be present, because we’re in our heads more than we are actually present with others,” he said. “I want to be that outlet to get people out of the mundane aspects of their life and to feel alive again.”

Frasco calls his sound “optimistically depressing,” with an energy-laced folk-rock origin tied with lyrics about mental healing and human connection. For him, joy and sorrow aren’t opposites — they’re part of an honest conversation that he wants to have with his fans through the conduit of music. 

“I think people need to approach depression,” he said. “I’m trying to spin a different tale on trying to fight depression. It doesn’t have to be sad. It could be celebrated. Because how do we know what happiness is if we don’t know what sadness is?”

That approach has resonated deeply with fans, and with audiences in Steamboat Springs, which is a community Frasco has returned to time and time again to feel a certain connection that keeps him rolling along. 

“I love the community here. It’s my favorite snow town,” he said. “It’s not pretentious. They care about the local musicians. They treat me like their own and I’m not taking that for granted.”

Frasco said Steamboat was the first mountain town where fans knew every word to his songs — a moment that gave peace to him after more than a decade of spending over 250 days a year on tour. Now based in Denver, Frasco considers Colorado his home base, and Steamboat as a creative and emotional anchor for his creative talents. 

“I’ve never had roots,” he said. “I left L.A. when I was 19. This was the first state that I committed to.”

That sense of belonging is one of the reasons Frasco is so excited to return to Steamboat and open this year’s Free Summer Concert series.

Frasco is showing up on the heels of his more recent record, called “Growing Pains,” along with new bandmates and some of the most personal songs he’s ever written.

“This is the first record where I started writing songs to love myself instead of trying to help others,” he said. “I think you’ve got to love yourself before you can give advice about love. It took me 37 years to figure out how to love myself.”

New additions to the U.N. lineup include Andrew Cooney of 10th Mountain Division and Allie Kral of Yonder Mountain String Band. They join Frasco on vocals and piano, Shawn Eckels on guitar, Floyd Kellogg on bass, Andee Avila on drums and Sam Kelly on saxophone. 

Frasco added that the band is stronger and more connected than ever before.

“We live for those two hours on stage,” he said. “The other 22 hours are hard since we are traveling, eating poorly and spending time away from family. But if we’re not giving it our all, we shouldn’t be doing this.”

For Frasco, music is a powerful commitment — not to ego, but to honesty, connection and showing up for others, especially when they need it the most. In a world that he feels can be isolating and dividing, he hopes his concerts offer a different kind of energy and a unifying environment.

That authenticity is part of why Frasco’s fans, and communities like Steamboat, keep coming back.

“I don’t want to be stuck backstage,” he said. “I’m out there on the streets. I’m at the local bar. I’m getting breakfast at the local joint. I want to be part of the community.”

And for Frasco’s fans in Steamboat, the feeling is mutual.

For more information on Saturday’s show and upcoming Steamboat Free Summer Concerts, visit KeepinItFree.com.