There’s a new water tower in Idaho Falls. You’ve probably seen it. You’ve probably got an opinion about it, too—most people do. And if you’ve lived in Southeast Idaho long enough, you already know how rare it is for change to be welcomed here with open arms.
But the public reaction to the new water tower isn’t just about architecture or city planning—it’s a reflection of something much deeper. It’s a metaphor for the broader cultural resistance that permeates this region. It’s also a snapshot of what makes building something new—like a thriving underground house music scene in East Idaho—so damn hard around here.
Comfort Zones, Conservatism, and Chicken-Fried Steak
Southeast Idaho is deeply conservative. That’s not an insult; it’s just a fact. Around here, people like things the way they’ve always been. They like their chicken-fried steak, Alan Jackson on the jukebox, and their weekends on side-by-sides in the hills. That’s the cultural DNA of this place.
And when something new comes along—whether it’s a water tower with a modern design or a progressive house DJ in Idaho Falls trying to throw a party—it’s met with side-eyes and suspicion.
Change is uncomfortable. And this region is nothing if not a stronghold of comfort.
Why It’s Hard to Build a Scene Here
Trying to grow an underground house music community in Idaho Falls feels like trying to plant palm trees in the snow. It’s not that people here hate music. It’s not even that they hate electronic music. It’s that the culture has been conditioned to value tradition over experimentation. Familiarity over innovation.
And house music? House music isn’t familiar here. To many locals, it’s synonymous with drugs, neon lights, and “whatever those weird kids do at raves.” But the truth is, substance use is universal—walk into any country bar around here on a Friday night, and you’ll find a similar story playing out. So it’s not the music. It’s the unfamiliarity. The difference.
The Idaho Falls Water Tower Is a Mirror
This water tower debate—it’s a mirror. You can look at it and see what makes change difficult here. People say they want something new. They say we need more events, more culture, more diversity in entertainment. But then they see something unfamiliar and immediately reject it. They want innovation—but only if it looks, sounds, and feels exactly like what came before.
It’s not just Idaho Falls. That tension exists everywhere. But man, does it feel amplified here.
So, What Do You Do?
Honestly? I don’t know yet.
This post isn’t about solutions. It’s about observation. It’s about frustration. It’s about admitting that building a scene—especially a progressive, underground one—in a town that’s culturally wired to reject change is slow, painstaking work.
I get emails. I see the complaints. “There’s no scene here.” “Why don’t we have cool events?” But when something does get organized, people are hesitant. Or worse—dismissive.
Still, You Try.
You try because you believe it’s worth doing. You try because there’s a spark of progress here, even if it’s small. You try because you know that change doesn’t happen by accident—it happens because someone, somewhere, decides to push the boulder up the hill even when it rolls back down again.
That’s what I’m doing.
All the blog posts, all the event planning, all the DJ sets—it’s part of a grassroots effort to build something people don’t even know they want yet. And yeah, it’s frustrating. Yeah, I don’t have much time. I’ve got weddings to DJ. Bills to pay. And I can’t keep self-funding these efforts forever.
But I also can’t quit.
My Final Thoughts On The New Idaho Falls Water Tower
Maybe the Idaho Falls water tower doesn’t matter. Maybe it’s just a damn water tower. But maybe, just maybe, it’s also a reminder that even something as simple as a structure in the skyline can trigger our deepest resistance to change. And if that’s true, then building a music scene that challenges norms and expands minds is going to take time—and a whole lot of patience.
But we’re going to do it anyway.
The featured image in this post was created by me. You are more than welcome to use it under Creative Commons licensing.
All of this post was dictated by me and transcribed/edited with the help of AI for clarity, structure, and readability. All thoughts and opinions are my own.