The Beach Boys and Bret Michaels return for Elk Grove summer concerts in 2024
Two of the most popular acts in the 14-year history of Elk Grove Village's summer concert series will return to the stage next year, officials announced.
The Beach Boys, led by co-founder Mike Love, will kick off the Mid-Summer Classics Concert Series on July 4. The series will wrap up July 30 with former Poison frontman Bret Michaels.
In between, the weekly free shows during July feature country artist Martina McBride, alternative rockers Neon Trees, and Motown's legendary Four Tops.
"It's a phenomenal lineup," Mayor Craig Johnson said at Tuesday night's village board meeting. "Let's be honest, what's more iconic than the 4th of July and the Beach Boys? You can't beat that."
After Michaels' 2018 performance in Elk Grove, a residents' survey ranked his the most popular concert the village has hosted, Johnson noted.
"Bret's coming back. He loved playing Elk Grove last time. I know he's looking forward to this time," Johnson said.
Here are more details on each show:
• Thursday, July 4: The Beach Boys will perform during the Lions Club's annual July 4 festival at Rotary Green on Lions Drive near Elk Grove High School. Village officials in 2021 said an estimated attendance of 20,000 was the largest ever on the Village Green - the space between village hall and the library - though the crowd overflowed into the nearby Elk Grove Town Center and neighborhood. "We'll have a lot more space at Rotary Green," Johnson said. "They're excited about coming back. They wanted to come back to Elk Grove."
• Tuesday, July 9: Martina McBride, who rose to fame in the late 1990s on the country charts with "Independence Day" and "My Baby Loves Me," will perform on the Village Green.
• Thursday, July 18: Neon Trees, who gained popularity with "Animal" and "Everybody Talks" in the 2010s, will be on the Rotary Green stage to perform on the second night of Rotary Fest.
• Tuesday, July 23: The Four Tops, led by founding member Abdul "Duke" Fakir, will perform on the Village Green.
• Tuesday, July 30: Bret Michaels will close out the series on the Village Green.
Most of the shows are set to begin at 7:30 p.m.
"We got, I would say, by far our biggest, best lineup ever from top to bottom and everywhere in between," Johnson said.
The village pays for the concerts using a mix of funds, including hotel taxes, tobacco licensee fees and video gambling revenues. The Elk Grove Park District also makes an annual sponsorship contribution.
Though Johnson was ready to announce the concert lineup at the board meeting Tuesday night, the board agenda didn't yet include the associated contract with Elk Grove-based Entertainment Management Group, which books and manages the shows.