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Last Fling bringing '90s rock headliners to Naperville

The Last Fling in Naperville is taking on the vibe of a true music festival this year, and bringing in a long list of national and local acts to set the beat.

Headliners for the Labor Day weekend event are '90s acts Better Than Ezra, Vertical Horizon and Big Head Todd & The Monsters. Local opening groups include 7th Heaven, 97Nine, The Right Now, Take the Reins, 16 Candles, The Ron Burgundy's and Tres Moustache.

The Fling begins Friday, Aug. 30, and runs through Monday, Sept. 2, with main stage shows playing the first three nights.

7th Heaven is set to take the stage first at 5 p.m. Aug. 30 at Rotary Hill along the Riverwalk, opening for the '90s pop-rock group Better Than Ezra.

Known for more than two decades for the 1995 hit "Good," Better Than Ezra continued making a name for itself when the ABC show "Desperate Housewives" licensed its song "Juicy" and when Taylor Swift covered "Breathless."

The Saturday Fling lineup for Aug. 31 starts at noon with the Midwest classic rock cover band 97Nine, then a pop-meets-soul group called The Right Now and Take the Reins, a Chicago-area rock group. All three acts are openers for Vertical Horizon.

As Saturday's headliner, Vertical Horizon will bring hits spanning the years from the pop-rock band's breakout 1999 album "Everything You Want" to its newer releases, 2013's "Echoes from the Underground" and 2018's "The Lost Mile."

On Sunday, Sept. 1, the Last Fling's main stage opens with a noon performance by '80s cover band 16 Candles, followed by "yacht rock" cover band The Ron Burgundy's playing tunes from the '60s, '70s and '80s, and Tres Moustache, a live acoustic group.

Then it's time for the festival's closing act, Big Head Todd & The Monsters. After 30 years with the same core lineup, the rockers have released their 11th album, "New World Arisin,'" while they continue to be known for songs like "Bittersweet" from 1990 and "Broken Hearted Savior" from 1993.

Danielle Tufano, co-chairwoman of entertainment for the annual festival planned by the Naperville Jaycees, said in a news release she hopes the "solid" lineup will bring crowds to the event, which raises money for a variety of charities. She said opening the main stage area earlier in the day - 4:45 p.m. on Friday and noon Saturday and Sunday - will allow music fans to check out the concerts they'd like to see, then come and go as they please to other areas of the festival, such as a carnival, kids area and business expo.

The other musical option at the Last Fling is the "block party stage" on Jackson Avenue. Shows there are set to take place Friday through Monday, with 18 local acts booked.

The Jaycees plan to announce ticket prices and sale dates for main stage shows soon at lastfling.org.

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Vertical Horizon is set to make a stop in Naperville to headline the Jaycees Last Fling on Saturday, Aug. 31. Courtesy of Naperville Jaycees
Big Head Todd & The Monsters is the scheduled headliner for Sunday, Sept. 1, during the Naperville Jaycees Last Fling festival. Courtesy of Naperville Jaycees
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