Naper Nights pays tribute to the Boss, Dave Matthews Band
The musical journey through the History of Rock continues this weekend during the Naper Nights Community Concert Series.
Gates open at 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Aug. 23 and 24, at Naper Settlement, 523 S. Webster St., Naperville.
Friday night’s theme is the stadium rock of the 1980s featuring Michael McDermott and the Duke Street Kings performing a tribute to Bruce Springsteen.
“We’ve designed a set of what I’d want to hear at a Bruce show, some deeper tracks and some of the most well-known music as well,” McDermott said. “From as early as my first record, whether it was MTV or Rolling Stone, I’ve been compared to Bruce. Once or twice a year, we dust off the Bruce tunes and have some fun.”
McDermott, a Chicago native, said Springsteen always has been an influence. In 1994, McDermott met the famous rocker in New York City.
“He told me he had read an article about me and congratulated me because it was in The New York Times,” McDermott said. “I told him, ‘If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t even be here.’”
Friday’s opening act, the Gecko Club, has been playing in the Chicago area since 2004. Their tagline is “guitar-pop for a world gone mad,” which frontman Andrew Huber says is power-pop on steroids with big melody, big guitar, vocal harmonies and a few twists thrown in for good measure. He said the band has a great set lined up, including songs from Toad the Wet Sprocket, Gin Blossoms and Cheap Trick.
“We feel we can safely bank that everyone in the audience for our set will have at least one ‘Oh my gosh — I love that song!’ moment,” Huber said.
Saturday night’s band is named after a hit song by the Dave Matthews Band. Chicago’s Trippin Billies have been performing Matthews’ music for almost 20 years.
Lead singer Grant Chinouth that said when the Dave Matthews Band started in 1991, there was nothing like it.
“They were innovative, yet nostalgic to the Grateful Dead days and that type of concert experience,” Chinouth said. “I think their timelessness and the aura that surrounds their shows is the very reason we started Trippin Billies.”
Saturday’s opening act, the Mars Light, will pay tribute to the early jam-band pioneers, including the Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers, Jefferson Airplane and Traffic.
Food and drink will be for sale at the event; no outside food or beverages are allowed.
During the intermissions, visitors will be encouraged to form teams and answer rock music trivia questions via live social media. Top teams will receive prizes and the winning team will be named the champion of the Naper Nights History of Rock Trivia Challenge.
Tickets for Friday’s concert are $10 for adults and $5 for ages 4 through 12. Saturday tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for kids. For information, visit napernights.com.