A couple of weeks before Blues on the Fox kicks off the 2024 concert series at RiverEdge Park in Aurora, Jim Jarvis is geeking out about jumbotrons.
Specifically, the park’s general manager is excited in the way only a concert fan can be about the new jumbotrons going up in RiverEdge park.
“We have new jumbotrons going in and we’ve replaced the old jumbotrons as well with these amazing, high-end ones, the same ones that are on tour with The Stones and KISS,” he said. “It’s going to be super cool.”
Two new giant jumbotrons will be on either side of the stage.
“The quality is absolutely amazing and the experience now for anyone who is going to be in the park is heightened even more,” he said. “And we replaced the old ones on the sound tower and back by the box office. No matter where you go, the experience is going to be absolutely awesome as far as viewing.”
Another change this summer will be a commitment to using local distributors for food and beverages, he said. That means in the craft beer tent you’ll find beers from recognizable local names like Alter Brewing, Brother Chimp Brewing, Sketchbook Brewing and Pig Minds Brewing.
“We’ve got a Plainfield wine which is absolutely wonderful — Sable Creek,” he said. “It’s cool — they’re wine pouches.”
Now, let’s talk about the music. The summer will include tributes to Bob Seger, Fleetwood Mac and the Bee Gees, as well as ‘90s nostalgia acts and an anniversary concert by indie darlings Poi Dog Pondering.
The 25th annual Blues on the Fox features Toronzo Cannon and Robert Randolph on June 14 and Wayne Baker Brooks, Guy King, Joanne Shaw Taylor and headliners Big Head Todd and the Monsters June 15.
“Toronzo Cannon — he has a great story. He is a Chicago bus driver who is also a blues player and hit it big,” Jarvis said. “Now he travels the world as a blues artist and still drives a Chicago bus. He has a new album that just dropped. He’s an award-winning guy and puts on an amazing show with great energy.”
As for June 15, each artist on the bill could be the headliner, he said.
“With concerts getting more and more expensive, our goal was always to keep stuff as reasonably priced as possible,” he said. “To see Wayne Baker Brooks, Guy King, Joanne Shaw Taylor and Big Head Todd and the Monsters for $25 is dirt cheap.”
Classic rockers Three Dog Night and Asia will perform June 21. On June 28, the Chicago Experience will kick off the Downtown Alive Concert Series of $5 shows. The last time they played at RiverEdge, they sold the park out, Jarvis said.
“They’re absolutely great. They sound like Chicago with that incredible horn section,” he said.
A Fourth of July celebration with fireworks, food trucks and a DJ is July 3 and on July 12, popular cover band Sixteen Candles brings the classic pop sounds of the 1980s to the park for another $5 Downtown Alive concert.
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Then comes the show sure to kickstart any Gen X member’s neglected, hose water-fueled heart: the I Love the ‘90s Tour on July 20. Vanilla Ice, Rob Base, Kid N Play, Tone Loc and Color Me Badd will bring all the nostalgia of the 1990s to Aurora.
“This is what music is about — this is what’s right in the world,” he said of the show.
Hollywood Nights – The Bob Seger Experience returns July 26 and Stayin’ Alive: One Night of the Bee Gees is Aug. 10.
“I tell people, you close your eyes and they sound dead-on like the Bee Gees,” Jarvis said. “I always called The Bee Gees my guilty pleasure. I was singing those with a hairbrush in the mirror as a kid, I just didn’t let anybody else see me doing it.”
Get the Led Out, the Philadelphia-based Led Zeppelin tribute band, takes the stage Aug. 16 and has sold out the park for the last decade, he said.
“Paul, the lead singer, sounds dead-on like Robert Plant. They are students of Led Zeppelin and artists of Led Zeppelin and they put on such a great show.”
On Aug. 17, the Chicago (by way of Honolulu and Austin) band Poi Dog Pondering celebrates its 40th anniversary celebration at the park. It’s a show he’s particularly excited about; he saw the band at The Vic Theatre in Chicago in 1991 and has been a Poi Dog fan ever since.
“Poi is such a great band live,” he said. “That’s how people know them. They’re one of those bands you want to see live. That one will sell out.”
The Fleetwood Mac tribute act Tusk is Aug. 31. The patriotic celebration Fiestas Patrias will be two yet-to-be-announced dates in September. And finally, the Water Lantern Festival will also return in September.
“Then we take a month off and we start building Christkindlmarket in October,” he said.
The entire park is general admission. The cemented areas are striped and concert-goers are asked to put the back leg of their lawn chairs on the white lines to create aisles. Jarvis stressed that the park is truly ADA-friendly, he said. They even have ADA golf carts with a wheelchair ramp.
Annie Alleman is a freelance reporter for the Beacon-News.
RiverEdge Park Summer Concert Series
When: June-September
Where: RiverEdge Park, 360 N. Broadway, Aurora
Information: 630-896–6666; riveredgeaurora.com
2024 Concerts
Blues on the Fox: 7 p.m. June 14, 3 p.m. June 15; $20-$25
Three Dog Night: 8 p.m. June 21; $37
The Chicago Experience: 8 p.m. June 28, $5
Fourth of July Celebration: 6 p.m. July 3; free
Sixteen Candles: 8 p.m. July 12; $5
I Love the 90s Tour: 7:30 p.m. July 20; $45
Hollywood Nights: 8 p.m. July 26; $20
Stayin’ Alive: 8 p.m. Aug. 10; $20
Get the Led Out: 8 p.m. Aug. 16; $24
Poi Dog Pondering: 8 p.m. Aug. 17; $40
Tusk: 8 p.m. Aug. 31; $20
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