Upcoming Summer Concerts

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Lots to talk about folks!!!  I did a segment on WCIU You and Me This Morning today and I chatted about some summer concerts and music festivals that are coming up in the near future (See full segment here)... but in this blog, I'm also going to include several other that I wasn't able to mention on air.  Who's ready to rock?!?!

Ravinia Festival-  June 26th and 27th Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett.  This normally isn't up my alley but this is such a great pairing of old school and new school talent.  Tix are still available on Stubhub and other ticket sites.   Also, coming up this summer:  ETR Picks of course

The Doobie Brothers June 30

Blondie and Melissa Etheridge July 2

Rob Thomas July 18

Bluegill Music Festival-  July 4th.  Rend Lake Dam in Benton, IL -  If you don't have plans yet for 4th of July... NOW YOU DO!!  Come to Bluegill Fest and see me and 20 amazing country artists get down and dirty at the dam.  I'm the official Bluegill correspondent and I'll be mingling on the 4th with the headliner, Eli Young Band, as well as other amazing artists like Lo Cash, and my good friends, Clayton Anderson and Stella James Band.  General Admission tix are only $30 and VIP are $60.  Yee Haw!!!

The Beach Boys with Kool and the Gang- Montrose Beach June 26th-  This is huge folks... you get to see the Beach Boys ON the Beach!!!  I saw them in 1995 in Las Vegas and I was BLOWN away.  They are some of the major pioneers of pop-rock and i've always loved them.  They're still killin' it!  If you haven't seen them yet, now is your chance.  

The Windy City SmokeOut- River North at Grand Ave-  July 10-12.  My FAVORITE event of the year.  The 3rd annual Smokeout and I'm an ambassador this year!  Woo!  Some of my favorite artists and friends will be playing this year such as Lee Brice, Chris Young, Kacey Musgraves, A Thousand Horses, and Sundy Best.  PLUS some of the greatest pit masters in the country will be showing off their BBQ skills alongside host, Bub City.  

And NO, I'm not forgetting about Lollapalooza or Riot Fest... those will get their own very special dedicated posts as the dates draw nearer.... (as Metallicaaaaaaa is whispered in the background)

Oyster Fest And Lee Brice (2012)

When you think of Oysters, do you also think of Country Music?  No? Well in Chicago, we do.  They go hand in hand just like Shaw’s Crab House and Joe’s Bar go hand in hand.  Last week, these two institutions joined forces to put on one hell of an event in River North.  A massive parking lot was transformed and packed full of 4,000 attendees who were visibly hungry for two things… delicious oysters and live country music. Lettuce Entertain You supplied all types of delectable goodies, but their oysters stole the show.  Actually, the oysters shared the spotlight with County Music star Lee Brice.  I’ve met Lee before and we have a ton of mutual friends, so it was a good ol’ time catching up with him on his tour bus before he took the stage. We got to chat about his recent #1 hit and his coveted CMA Award nomination for Best New Artist.  You can catch the entire interview by clicking here.

The crowd seemed to forget how cold this October night was once Lee commanded the stage.  His bold performance, powerful melodies, and poignant yet fun lyrics captivated the audience.  He rocked through his biggest hits:  Hard To Love, A Woman Like You, Love Like Crazy, as well as the fun-time anthem, Beer.   He also surprised me by performing "Crazy Girl."  This was a recent #1 hit by Eli Young Band and one of my favorite songs because of its haunting beauty… I had no idea that it was Lee who penned it... almost a decade ago for an ex-girlfriend.  The outdoor festivities were immensely successful… but we all know the fun couldn't stop there.  The die-hard music fans retreated back to Joe’s for the after party.  Tyler Farr performed to an exuberant crowd and Lee sneaked back on stage for an impromptu performance of MY REQUEST: More Than A Memory!!  Another painfully gorgeous remnant of his songwriting days… which happened to be a #1 hit for an obscure and up-and-coming artist, Garth Brooks. :-)  It's always a pleasure when Lee or any of his buddies (Jerrod Niemann, Jamey Johnson, Randy Houser, Jake Owen) visit Joe's.  They're a blast, yet so down-to-earth and easy going.  Can't wait to see when some of the other guys will be coming back... StayTuned!!