Before we actually bring the 27 Good Living Tour acts to Greater Nebraska, our team of journalists spent a day in each of the nine concert-hosting cities.

In Valentine, Scottsbluff, Ogallala, Imperial, North Platte, Kearney, Grand Island, West Point and Nebraska City, we found local music stories and interviewed young professionals about why they choose to stay, and invest in, Greater Nebraska communities. The stories and video pieces will be published in conjunction with the Good Living Tour later this month. Check out a sampling of photos below that chart our travels across the state.

We met the kind of ambitious people, visited the community hubs, and saw so many of beautiful vistas, that make Nebraska great.

For all the lineups, venues and dates, visit GoodLivingTour.com.

Tubing the Niobrara River | Bridget McQuillan

Norden Dance Hall, about 35 miles from Valentine | Bridget McQuillan

Norden sunset | Bridget McQuillan

Valentine’s Main Street signs | Bridget McQuillan

En route to Scottsbluff | Bridget McQuillan

Chimney Rock | Bridget McQuillan

Scottsbluff’s National Monument | Bridget McQuillan

Scottsbluff | Bridget McQuillan

Blue Water Gallery in Lewellen | Bridget McQuillan

Crystal Palace Revue at Ogallala’s Front Street Steakhouse | Chris Dinan

Ender’s Lake | Bridget McQuillan

Caravan Skate Shop in North Platte | Bridget McQuillan

Brad Hoshaw at North Platte’s Nebraskaland Days | Bridget McQuillan

Buffalo Records in Kearney | Bridget McQuillan

Touring the nooks of Kearney’s World Theatre | Bridget McQuillan

World Theatre basement | Bridget McQuillan

HN’s storytelling team in Kearney

Kearney’s Yanney Park, site of the July 22 show | Bridget McQuillan

We visited a few Western outfitters | Chris Dinan