Contributed photo
Contributed photo
RiverEdge Park issued the following announcement on May 28.
For more than a year, rock fans have been riding the storm out, just waiting for the return of live, in-person concerts.
What better way to celebrate the return of live music than experiencing the music of one of the most beloved classic rock bands, ever.
RiverEdge Park announced today rock icons REO Speedwagon will perform live at downtown Aurora’s beautiful outdoor summer concert venue on Friday, July 1, 2021. The concert marks REO Speedwagon’s first live show since the pandemic, and the first major outdoor rock concert anywhere in Chicago this summer. Opening act is Head East. The show starts at 8 p.m. All tickets are $45, general admission.
Tickets go on sale, online only, tomorrow, Saturday, May 29, at 10 a.m. Phone sales begin Monday, June 7, at 10 a.m. Tickets are available online only for the first two weeks. For tickets and information, visit RiverEdgeAurora.com, or call the RiverEdge Park box office, (630) 896-6666, Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fees not included.
Thomas J. Weisner RiverEdge Park, 360 N. Broadway St. in downtown Aurora, is a beautiful outdoor summer concert venue, serving up live music, delicious festival food, cool beverages and a great time. Tickets will also be sold on-site, day of show, pending availability.
Heads up: Stay tuned for another major summer concert announcement next week from RiverEdge Park.
Can’t Fight This Feeling: Why rock fans love REO Speedwagon
Formed in 1967, signed in 1971, and fronted by iconic vocalist Kevin Cronin since 1972, REO Speedwagon’s unrelenting drive, as well as non-stop touring and recording jump-started the burgeoning rock movement in the Midwest. Platinum albums and radio staples soon followed, setting the stage for the release of the band’s explosive Hi Infidelity in 1980, which contained the massive hit singles “Keep On Loving You” and “Take It On the Run.” That landmark album spent 15 weeks in the No. 1 slot and has since earned the RIAA’s coveted 10X Diamond Award for surpassing sales of 10 million units in the United States.
Today, REO Speedwagon has sold more than 40 million albums around the globe, and Cronin and bandmates Bruce Hall (bass), Neal Doughty (keyboards), Dave Amato (guitar), and Bryan Hitt (drums) are still electrifying audiences worldwide in concert with hits and fan-favorites such as “In Your Letter,” “Can’t Fight This Feeling,” “Time For Me To Fly,” “Roll With The Changes,” the aforementioned “Keep On Loving You” and “Take It On the Run,” and many, many more. For more, visit reospeedwagon.com.
Since You’ve Been Gone: Head East joins REO Speedwagon for first RiverEdge concert of 2021
The legendary classic rock band Head East has long set the standard for authentic, full-vocal, good time rock harmonies that few bands can equal. Their high-energy shows are filled with superb vocals, flashy guitar work and memorable keyboard melodies that continue to rock audiences of all ages. Their signature song, "Never Been Any Reason" with notable chorus "Save my life I'm going down for the last time" has long been considered by many radio stations across the country as "The Rock & Roll National Anthem." “Since You’ve Been Gone” is another popular Head East rock classic.
The five-piece band consists of Roger Boyd (keyboards and vocals), Greg Manahan (bass, lead guitar and vocals), Glen Bridger (lead guitar and vocals), Eddy Jones (drums and vocals) and Darren Walker (lead vocals and bass). The band has brought classic arena rock to countless audiences all across North America. Their music has been featured in the cult movie classic Dazed and Confused, as well as Sahara and The Education of Charlie Banks, Emmy award winning TV shows Friday Night Lights and That 70s Show.
Head East celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2019. According to founding member and keyboardist Boyd, the band will continue to bring their brand of dance and shout, good-time rock and roll to audiences of all ages for many years to come. "As long as I can lift my synthesizer over my head and the audience goes wild, we'll keep rockin' on!" For more, visit head-east.com.
More bands on tap at RiverEdge Park this summer
REO Speedwagon is a new addition to the RiverEdge Park 2021 summer concert season. Other shows, already announced and on sale, are One of These Nights, the nation’s top Eagles tribute band, Friday, July 9; TUSK: The Ultimate Fleetwood Mac Tribute, Friday, July 16; Stayin’ Alive: One Night of The Bee Gees, Friday, July 30; Hollywood Nights – A Bob Seger Experience, Friday, August 6; Get the Led Out: A Celebration of “The Mighty Zep,” Friday, August 20; and Poi Dog Pondering, Saturday, August 28.
To maintain a safe and healthy environment for all, each performance will take place outside on stage in the Park’s open-air John C. Dunham pavilion. The event will be staged in compliance with current state and CDC mandates. Specific attendance protocols will be confirmed and shared with ticket buyers before each show.
The RiverEdge Park 2021 Season is sponsored by the Dunham Foundation, Bud Light and City of Aurora. Park sponsor is Hollywood Casino Aurora.
Online press kit with images and b-roll video here.
About RiverEdge Park
RiverEdge Park, 360 N. Broadway St., in downtown Aurora, Illinois, is an idyllic outdoor summer concert venue, serving up live music, delicious festival food, cool beverages and a great time, all overlooking downtown Aurora and the gorgeous Fox River.
RiverEdge is located right across the street from Metra’s Aurora Transportation Center. Drivers can find paid parking in the Metra lot, with more public and private lots around the park and in downtown Aurora.
New this summer! A beautiful, 900-foot curved pedestrian bridge extending across the Fox River is a much-anticipated new amenity debuting at RiverEdge this summer. The bridge offers convenient access to the Park via a short walk between Aurora’s commuter parking lots on the west bank of the Fox River, terminating at a new pedestrian-only entrance to RiverEdge on the east bank of the river.
Concessions include a diverse menu and bar with domestic and craft beers, wine, sodas, bottled water and more. Outside food is also welcome. No alcohol or other outside beverages are allowed, with the exception of two sealed bottles of unflavored water per person. Visit the Park’s Plan Your Visit page for complete Park information, directions and parking options and outside food policies.
NOTE: Events at RiverEdge Park take place rain or shine, unless conditions endanger the safety of artists and the public. For the latest weather updates, follow @RiverEdgeAurora on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, call the RiverEdge Park Weather Line, (630) 723-2480, or text REPARK to 888777.
RiverEdge Park debuted in 2013 and was renamed Thomas J. Weisner RiverEdge Park in 2016 in honor of late Aurora Mayor Thomas J. Weisner. RiverEdge is anchored by the contemporary John C. Dunham performance pavilion, with state-of-the-art acoustics and lighting set against a beautiful night sky. With a capacity of up to 6,000, RiverEdge combines live concert excitement with a warm community feel and gorgeous views of the Fox River.
RiverEdge Park is managed and programmed by the Aurora Civic Center Authority (ACCA), which also oversees Aurora’s historic Paramount Theatre, the Paramount School of the Arts in the new John C. Dunham Aurora Arts Center and Copley Theatre.
RiverEdge Park is one of five live venues in downtown Aurora programmed and managed by the Aurora Civic Center Authority. ACCA also oversees Aurora’s historic Paramount Theatre, the newly-renovated, 165-seat Copley Theatre, right across the street from Paramount, the Paramount School of the Arts in the new John C. Dunham Aurora Arts Center, and Stolp Island Theatre, slated to open in summer 2022 as 99-seat immersive theater space.
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