Plain White T's coming to Lisle for festival
The Plain White T's will headline Benedictine University's BenFest 2013 festivities on Aug. 24 at the Village of Lisle-Benedictine University Sports Complex, officials said Thursday.
Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 at the door. They will go on sale July 15 at www.ben.edu/BenFest and fans will have the choice between football stadium seating or standing-room-only tickets along the stadium track. Gates will open at 6 p.m. and the concert begins at 7 p.m.
Recording artist and first season finalist on NBC's “The Voice,” Vicci Martinez, will open the concert. Her latest self-titled album includes the single, “Come Along,” featuring Grammy winner Cee Lo Green.
The Plain White T's were founded in 1997, 10 years before their Grammy-nominated single “Hey There Delilah” put them on the musical map. Lead singer Tom Higgenson, who lives in Elmhurst, was playing drums in high school bands when he met bassist Ken Fletcher. The two became friends and launched their own band with Dave Tirio taking over on drums.
The band's current roster features Higgenson on vocals, Willowbrook High School graduate Tirio on rhythm guitar and backup vocals, and Tim Lopez of Austin, Texas, and Chicago residents De'Mar Hamilton and Mike Retondo.
“Hey There Delilah” was the group's breakout hit, gaining steam in late 2006 and early 2007, eventually topping the charts in 10 countries by summer 2007. It was the first drumless song to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in years.
The band's newest EP was released April 9 and includes four songs: “Should've Gone to Bed,” “The Giving Tree,” “Helium” and “Haven't Told Her.”