Naper Nights concerts salute 'History of Rock'
Naper Settlement is turning back time with its second annual Naper Nights Community Concert Series, launching this weekend to take listeners through the “History of Rock.”
Beatles tribute band American English and Eagles tribute band Heartache Tonight will headline shows Friday and Saturday nights, respectively, as the settlement begins its celebration of summer and sound.
Doors open at 5 p.m. each evening with an opening act and a tribute band usually highlighting the same genre of music from the same decade, said Chris Korsgard, co-chairman of the volunteer committee that planned the concerts.
“I've spent the past year attending shows by these tribute bands to find the best in the Midwest,” Korsgard said. “These bands really have a passion for the particular band or performer that they're emulating ... it just makes for a great evening of music.”
The concert series also includes Friday and Saturday shows the fourth weekends in July and August, inviting people to bring lawn chairs or blankets to enjoy evening performances on the settlement's 12-acre grounds, which Korsgard called “somewhat undiscovered.”
“It's a very comfortable place to see music,” he said about the main lawn where families will have plenty of space to spread out. “It's a nice alternative to some of the bigger festivals.”
Outside food will not be allowed, but concertgoers can experience “a taste of Naperville” from a different restaurant each month, including Sullivan's Steakhouse, Q-BBQ and Hugo's Frog Bar & Fish House.
Leading off as opening night headliner is American English, which delighted audiences at last year's Naper Nights, Naper Settlement spokeswoman Donna DeFalco said.
“Everyone from the littlest toddlers to the grandparents were all dancing and singing along because there's such a universal appeal to Beatles music,” DeFalco said.
Opening for American English is a band of nine 2012 Benet High School graduates reuniting for a show as Ska to Catch 'Em All.
Saturday's lineup features Righteous Hillbillies playing southern and country rock by artists like Tom Petty and Johnny Cash opening for Eagles tribute band Heartache Tonight.
July's schedule includes Led Zeppelin tribute band Kashmir and Red Woody, which plays pop songs by Cheap Trick, Journey, Prince and Matchbox 20 on Friday, July 26, followed by classic rock cover band ARRA with Rolling Stones tribute band Tumbling Dice on Saturday, July 27.
The Friday, Aug. 23 schedule begins with Gecko club, which plays alternative rock from the '90s and 2000s including the Gin Blossoms, Goo Goo Dolls and Green Day.
The band will open for Bruce McDermott and the Duke Street Kings paying tribute to Bruce Springsteen. Saturday, Aug. 24's lineup includes The Mars Light paying tribute to early jam bands such as the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane, followed by Trippin Billies, named after a song by the group they imitate: Dave Matthews Band.
Between acts, organizers will use social media to host a music history trivia contest about the same era highlighted by each night's performers, Korsgard said.
Each winner from the first five nights will be invited back for the sixth and final concert so a rock trivia champion can be crowned.
<b>Naper Nights concert series</b>
<b>When:</b> 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, June 21, and Saturday, June 22
<b>Where:</b> Naper Settlement, 523 S. Webster St., Naperville
<b>Cost:</b> Friday adults $10, children 4-12 $5, children younger then 4 free; Saturday adults $15, children 4-12 $10, children younger than 4 free
<b>Info:</b> <a href="http://www.napernights.com" target="_blank">napernights.com</a> or (630) 420-6010