Ian Munsick Makes History As First Wyoming Native To Headline Cheyenne Frontier Days

CHEYENNE — When Ian Munsick was writing his song “Cheyenne,” he was imagining what it would be like to headline the Cheyenne Frontier Days stage. 

Friday night, there was no more imagining. 

Munsick became the first Wyoming native to headline Cheyenne Frontier Days, with a chorus of adoring cheers and whistles from fans who had come for the show.

“I think I see a little bit of country in Cheyenne tonight!” Munsick told his fans during his first number, “I see Country.”

There were more cheers in response to that, and the songs rolled on into a steamy night that included just a little bit of rain and a lot of country music and fun.

Hours before the performance, Munsick talked with Cowboy State Daily about what the moment means to him and why it was so important. That’s when he became emotional.

To put his answer in perspective, Munsick first talked about his childhood growing up on a ranch in Sheridan, Wyoming.

“When I moved to Nashville when I was 18,13 years ago, there was no one from this part of the country who was putting on for the West in country music,” he said. “That always irked me, because I grew up on a ranch in Wyoming, and that’s as country as it gets.”

One thing Munsick promised himself at the time was that he not only wouldn’t forget Wyoming, but that he would take it with him everywhere he went. And that’s where his motto “Bringing the West to the Rest” comes from. 

Returning home to headline Cheyenne Frontier Days, after finishing his latest album Eagle Feather — an album of songs that were mostly written in Wyoming about Wyoming — Munsick sees his new Cheyenne Frontier Days milestone as a full-circle moment.

“It’s a homecoming for me as a kid from Wyoming who just wanted to make Wyoming proud,” he said, choking up a little as he said those words. “I feel like I’ve accomplished that now, and just, yeah, I’m getting a little bit emotional now, but it’s just a huge honor for me.”

The Whole Family Is Watching

Munsick announced his dream to headline Cheyenne Frontier Days last year after an equally iconic accomplishment — playing to a sold-out crowd at the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado. 

Red Rocks is a world-renowned venue that marries a beautiful natural setting with exceptional acoustics. It’s a coveted place for artists to perform. The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead — those are just a few of the big names who have checked the Red Rocks box.

But Munsick said he sees the Cheyenne stage as the biggest of his career to date, and it’s something he couldn’t wait to share with others who have inspired him along the way.

One of those was Travis Tritt. 

Asking Tritt to open for him was another full-circle moment for Munsick. He was the first country star who really embraced him, Munsick said, and it was not so very long ago that it was Tritt encouraging Munsick to become an artist. 

Munsick also reached out to Wyoming singer songwriters Ned LeDoux and Chancy Williams, to invite them to share the stage with him, but both were already booked.

“Friday night in July, odds are they’re going to be out playing somewhere,” Munsick said. “But we’ll have three Wyoming natives joining us on stage. My dad, my brother, and a guy named Ryan Charles, who is one of my good friends.”

Sharing his moment with other Wyoming natives is important to him, Munsick said. He wants to show his appreciation for the state, as well as for musicians who helped inspire him when he was young and just starting out.

“I love those guys,” Munsick said, referring to both LeDoux and Williams. “When I was in high school, they were the ones who were the country music stars of the state. 

“So, any time I have the opportunity to help give my spotlight to them, I will gladly do it. They have just been a huge inspiration for me as an artist.”

Munsick’s dad and younger brother weren’t the only family members in the audience. The entire clan was there for the moment, except for older brother Tris, who is touring in Germany.

“I don’t blame (Tris) for that,” Munsick added. “Because playing country music in Germany sounds like a pretty damn fun time. But my other brother is going to be here. His wife, his kids, my parents are going to be here. My wife is obviously here, and my 5-year-old boy is here, and my wife’s parents are here. So the whole family, yes ma’am.”

A Day Of Chaos

Munsick wasn’t nervous about playing for the big crowd at Cheyenne Frontier Days, even though it’s a high-pressure moment and the stakes feel high.

What he was really nervous about was playing for his dad in the audience. 

“My dad is the one who taught me how to play music,” Munsick said. “For me, it’s always kind of trying to prove myself. Like, ‘Hey dad, here I am now. Like, I’m trying to make you proud.’ So, there’s always a little bit of added pressure there.”

But Munsick has also reached a point in his life where he realizes that parents aren’t forever.

“They’re getting older,” he said. “I know that. I know they’re not always going to be there. So that just makes me have a gratitude that they’re here right now.”

Things have been a bit crazier than they usually are for Munsick leading into a big performance.

“It’s been chaos,” he said. “There’s been a lot of media stuff, a lot of interviews. We went to Boot Barn a couple of hours ago and did a big meet-and-greet appearance there because our jewelry line is dropping.”

He expects the chaos to continue until the moment his bus rolls out from Cheyenne Frontier Days at 1 a.m.

“These kinds of ones only happen a couple times a year,” he said. “So, for me to deal with this, as long as I have just little spurts throughout the day, just a half hour to be quiet or read or just lay down and close my eyes, that’s how I cope with that the best.”

Munsick will start getting ready for performances about an hour before showtime and planned nothing particularly different from his usual routine.

“I’ll do my exercises for my voice,” he said. “And I have a little back roller, so I’ll just hit that for a few minutes because it always feels really good. 

“And I’ll stretch, because I run around on stage like a maniac at times, and I’ll drink some tea and hit my humidifier mask, which helps my voice out here in the dry prairies of Wyoming.”

For his famous hair, which he has self-proclaimed the best in the West, he just takes a little bit of oil and rubs it on the ends. Although this time he also braided his hair ahead of the performance, so it would have a little bit of curl for the special occasion. 

Munsick and the band almost always huddle up together 10 minutes before the show to pray.

“That’s the kind of thing we like to do as a band,” Munsick said “We like to pray right before on stage. 

“All of my luck comes from God and just hopefully allowing myself to do his will and to spread job, because all things that are good, including joy comes from God, and I truly do believe that he wants me to spread joy through my music on stage.”

Just Remember, It’s All About Fun

Munsick is no stranger to stage disasters. After four years on the road and counting, things don’t always go according to plan.

“O’Neill, Nebraska, 2022,” he said. “They were having like their annual town party. And we rolled up and our tour bus broke down about an hour away with all of our gear on it.”

Munsick’s team called the town to let them know they needed some help getting their gear and everyone to the site.

“They hitched our trailer to a dually truck and brought it out there, but as we were coming into town, you could see the sky is just greenish black,” Munsick said. “And it’s like, ‘What is about to happen?’ I’m not sure if it was a tornado or what, but it was ugly.”

When Munsick and his crew pulled up to the stage, he could see it had been knocked flat, and the speakers were all lying in a pile on top of each other.

“Well, I don’t think we’re going to be playing the show tonight,” Munsick recalls saying. “But, classic country Nebraska, they pulled up a flatbed trailer and they had the local gym donate their speakers, and so we played on the back of a flatbed trailer for 5,000 people that night, and it was awesome.”

That’s the craziest thing Munsick recalls happening just before a show, but it didn’t derail anything, something he credits his wife, who is his manager. She took care of all the phone calls, he said, and put out all the fires.

Today, though, the Nebraska incident just reminds him about what’s really important when it comes to performing. It’s remembering that the audience is there to have fun. 

“As an artist, you just have to go with the flow,” he said. “Because the show must go on. And even if you are playing on a flatbed, the people who come to that concert, they don’t care. They just want have a good time.”

Munsick reminds himself of Nebraska often, and it was something he was thinking of ahead of his Cheyenne Frontier Days performance.

“We like put so much pressure on each other,” Munsick said. “Like this needs to be the best show of my career, because it’s the biggest stage of my career. But at the end of the day, people just want to have fun. So, just let it happen.”

And go with the flow.

Still, fun and flow aside, it will be a memory like no other, one Munsick plans to cherish. Along with the special souvenir he’ll be taking from the moment — a new Cheyenne Frontier Days belt buckle. 

This time, the one that’s presented to headliners.

He still has the buckle from Cheyenne Frontier Days when he opened for Parker McCollum in 2022.

“I didn’t know that was a thing,” Munsick said. “But when they handed it to me, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is the coolest thing ever.’ 

“And I’ve gotten to a lot more places throughout the last few years, but in the back of my head, I was always like, ‘I want that headline Cheyenne Frontier Days belt buckle, because that’s going to be the coolest one.”

Munsick plans to wear the new CFD buckle every day — until he gets a cooler one.

“That’s going to be hard,” he admitted. “The only one that’s going to be cooler would be when I come back next time as the headliner.” 

Contact Renee Jean at renee@cowboystatedaily.com

Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.