Magician, comedians and rock band to perform at Aurora Hollywood Casino
A magician, comedians and a Midwest rock band are set to take the stage at the new Hollywood Casino and Hotel Aurora this winter.
The winter lineup includes rock band Umphrey’s McGee on Jan. 16, comedian Michael Blaustein on Jan. 30 and magician Rob Lake on Feb. 21, according to a press release from Hollywood Casino.
Tickets are now on sale for the shows and are available through Ticketmaster.
Casino officials also announced recently that former “Saturday Night Live” cast member and “Tommy Boy” star David Spade would take the stage Feb. 27.
The casino is touting “something for everyone” in its first winter season at its new location in Aurora. Casino officials have emphasized a message of broader entertainment, even calling it evolutionary, since the facility’s move from downtown Aurora to a $360 million entertainment complex along Interstate 88 in the city this summer.
“This winter lineup brings something for everyone,” said Greg Moore, vice president and general manager of Hollywood Casino in Aurora, in a press release. “We’re excited to welcome these acts to our event center and give our guests even more reasons to spend an evening with us.”
Since opening in late June, the casino has boasted hundreds of thousands of visitors and tens of millions of dollars in revenue, even catapulting to No. 3 among the state’s 17 casinos the same month it opened. The complex generated roughly $17.4 million in revenue and 156,000 visitors in July, around $30 million in revenue and 263,000 visitors in August and over $14 million in revenue and 124,000 visitors in September, according to Illinois Gaming Board data.
Moore hinted at the casino’s excitement over hosting the new acts, especially Rob Lake, earlier this month. He said the casino aims to host a variety of acts to gauge local interest.
Lake, who found fame as a contestant on “America’s Got Talent,” has performed shows on Broadway, the Las Vegas Strip and in more than 60 countries, the press release said. He designs and engineers every illusion in his show and has served as an illusion designer for productions including Disney’s “Aladdin” and Adele’s Las Vegas residency at Caesars Palace.
The Midwest rock band Umphrey’s McGee is known for pairing progressive rock with nightly improvisation.
Comedian Michael Blaustein has drawn more than 2 billion views on his viral stand-up clips in the last year and closed out his 2025 tour with more than 70,000 tickets sold, according to the release. Blaustein also co-hosts the “Stiff Socks” podcast and YouTube channel with comedian Trevor Wallace.
For details on the events, see pennentertainment.com/hollywood-aurora.
awright@chicagotribune.com