As the weather heats up, so does the area concert scene.
Outdoor venues RiverEdge Park and Grand Victoria’s Festival Park offer numerous chances to spend a summer night under, and with, the stars.
RiverEdge Park
“There’s not a cooler, better place to be to enjoy music out here in the suburbs than RiverEdge Park on a summer day or night,” said Jim Jarvis, vice president of programming and sales
“The park itself is beautiful. It’s right along the river, you get a nice breeze. At nighttime the city of Aurora is behind you and it’s all lit up. We’ve got this beautiful stage with a $100.000 light system built into the wall that artists use. It’s just got this really cool vibe.”
Now in its sixth year, RiverEdge Park in downtown Aurora hosts internationally known musicians and is the home to the city’s annual Blues on the Fox festival, which kicks off the 2018 season.
While the entire season schedule at the park had yet to be announced at press time, musicians from a variety of genres will perform at RiverEdge, including the blues.
“One of the biggest events that we have for the summer is the 22nd Annual Blues on the Fox,” Jarvis said. “A lot of people don’t realize the rich history that Aurora has with the blues. Back in the 1930s Bluebird Records used to literally record right across the street at Leland Tower.”
Opening at the festival at 7 p.m. June 15 is blues-rocker Samantha Fish, followed by Elle King from the band Ex’s and Oh’s at 9 p.m.
“Having two music powerhouses like that on the stage is going to be awesome,” Jarvis said. “We couldn’t think of a better way to kick off Blues on the Fox.”
Opening the festival at 3 p.m. June 16 is 14-year-old Brandon “Taz” Niederauer, who starred in “School of Rock” on Broadway. At 5 p.m. Toronzo Cannon, who despite becoming an international blues star still drives a bus for the Chicago Transit Authority, takes the stage. The King of Slideco, Sonny Landreth, performs at 7 p.m. with his blend of rock, blues and zydeco. The festival closes with three-time Grammy Award-winner Aaron Neville.
“We’ve tried for years to get Aaron Neville and it’s never worked out for us,” Jarvis said. “And we finally got that perfect storm in the schedule together … We couldn’t get more excited about it.”
People from 41 different states came to RiverEdge Park for the festival last year, along with visitors from Germany and Japan.
“It kind of a feels like I would envision how a Woodstock concert is. You have people from all walks of life. People who bring their kids with them because we’re such a family-friendly venue,” Jarvis said. “This show for RiverEdge is still a general admission show. So people bring their own bag chairs and coolers and they set up shop and they’re there and they love and appreciate music.”
Advance tickets to Blues on the Fox are $20 per day through May 31. On June 1 the price increases to $30 per day.
“It’s truly one of the most affordable festivals that you can go to,” Jarvis said.
After Blues on the Fox, RiverEdge will add its new permanent seats, a move prompted after surveying concertgoers at the park. Previously the venue had benches and was general admission.
“We kept hearing people that ‘hey, general admission is great but I don’t want to have to get there at 3 o’clock in the afternoon,'” Jarvis said. “For a band like KISS (which played the park in 2017), we had people lined up at 8 o’clock in the morning.”
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RiverEdge is installing 4,000 permanent seats, leaving 2,000 general admission seats for a total venue capacity of 6,000.
“We’re doing it because that’s exactly what our patrons said they wanted us to do. And then we’ll still have a section farther by the hill that people can still bring in blankets and bag chairs,” Jarvis said. “We’re trying to combine the best of both worlds and pretty much have a price point for everybody from general admission up to the front row.”
Among the other concerts scheduled at RiverEdge this summer are George Thorogood and the Destroyers, with Foghat opening, on Aug. 4.
Led Zeppelin tribute band Get the Led Out performs Aug. 24. Before that though, The O’Jays will be opening for Gladys Knight on Aug. 18.
“What more is there to say than it’s the O’Jays. One of the greatest Motown bands of all time,” Jarvis said. “Those folks alone could be a headliner and to think that they’re going to be opening up for Gladys Knight, who, to me is one of greatest queens of Motown of all time.
“It’s going to be one of those nights where everybody’s going to be up and they’re going to be dancing and it’s going to kinda be giant singalong.”
RiverEdge Park
Where: 360 N. Broadway, Aurora
Dates: Season opens June 15 with Blues on the Fox
Tickets: Vary by concert; see website
Information: 630-896-6666; www.riveredgeaurora.com
Festival Park
If you like fireworks after an outdoor concert, head to Festival Park in downtown Elgin, where a spectacular will light up the sky after the July 4 concert by Kool & the Gang and The Commodores.
The park is located adjacent to Grand Victoria Casino, which has hosted summer concerts since 2013.
“Grand Victoria started to host this concert series in an effort to boost tourism, widen our reach and bring new audiences to Elgin,” said Marilou Pilman, interim director of marketing at the casino. “Starting in 2014, a fireworks spectacular, paid for by Grand Victoria, was added to the concert held around the 4th of July and kept this tradition since.”
In the last four years, Grand Victoria presented 25 family-friendly, all ages concerts featuring artists like Heart, Boston and Huey Lewis & the News, she said. Concert attendance has ranged from 2,000 to 4,500 people, depending on the act and the weather.
“Festival Park comes alive during the concerts. Downtown Elgin teems with thousands of concert-goers from all over, ready to have a great time — we’ve had attendees from nearby states, some hailing from as far away as New York and California,” Pilman said. “Restaurants in downtown Elgin as well as area hotels experience a boost to their business levels, as well.”
This summer only one concert will be held at Festival Park due to the high cost to produce the shows, she said. Reserved seats and general admission lawn tickets are available.
“… We plan on giving away autographed memorabilia in the casino, after the concert,” Pilman said. “Kool & the Gang and The Commodores fans will have a chance to win a guitar, drum, and framed poster autographed by members of the bands.”
The fun in Festival Park isn’t over after July 4 though. On Aug. 10, Grand Victoria and The Mix-FM will host its 3rd Annual Food Truck Fest there. Last year 40 food trucks participated, drawing more than 5,000 people.
Kool & The Gang and The Commodores
Where: Festival Park, located adjacent Grand Victoria Casino, 250 S. Grove, Elgin
Date: 7 p.m. July 4
Tickets: $35-$75
Information: 847-468-7000; www.grandvictoriacasino.com
Kathy Cichon is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
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