Opening night Ribfest concert in Naperville had lots of Heart

Thousands of fans went crazy on Heart Thursday, filling Naperville's Knoch Park to capacity on the opening night of Ribfest.

The band headed by Ann and Nancy Wilson also sold out the Naperville Exchange Club's annual bash in 2007, drawing fans who couldn't wait to hear "Barracuda" and "Crazy on You."

"Having Heart start out the event was really good for us, gave us a lot of momentum going into the next three days," Chairman Dave Harrington said.

He said Blue Oyster Cult, the NBA Jam Van and Titanic exhibit also helped fill the park. It reached its capacity of 39,000 at about 8:30 p.m. just as Heart took the stage.

In the past, a sellout meant the park was closed for the rest of the night. But this time around a new real-time attendance system allowed the Exchange Club to let 10 more people in every time 10 left the park as long as they had purchased a ticket in advance.

Harrington said the club will tweak that process as the weekend goes on to make sure they can let in as many people as they safely can but encourages people to arrive early.

Also new this year is a rule not allowing people to spread out their blankets and chairs right in front of the main stage. Harrington said he didn't hear complaints and believed it helped compression issues of the past. However, he may reduce the size of the restricted area as the weekend goes on.

Denise Bender of Naperville had a bit of an obstructed view from her seat in the chair and blanket area and said she'd prefer to be closer but was grateful for a large screen so she wouldn't miss anything.

Lauren Allen of North Riverside opted to stand near the stage and said she likes the new policy better than having people sitting and standing mixed together.

"There will be time to sit when you're old," chimed in Tony Pilasiewicz of Downers Grove who stood with her.

Some fans didn't have to worry about the new policy as they watched the show from their perch on the elevated party deck that also comes with food, beverages and guaranteed admission.

Denise Wright of Joliet was the first on the deck. She saw Heart from the lawn in 2007 and was happy for the upgrade but would have been excited to see them from anywhere.

"It was our (era), the 70s," Wright said. And they're women and they jam."

Ribfest runs from noon to 10 p.m. through Sunday.