Naperville Park District's free summer concert series opens
John Fogerty won't be performing "Proud Mary" and neither will Tina Turner, but there will be plenty of local bands heating up the stage this summer during Naperville Park District's Rollin' on the River concert series along the downtown Riverwalk.
The free Friday night concerts open June 8 and continue through Aug. 17, with performances from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Riverwalk Pavilion at Jackson Avenue and Webster Street.
Bands scheduled to play this summer include Andrew Huber, Sinister Finch, Into the Real, Wacky Keys, Rock it, Dave Byron, Andy B. White, Elizabeth Carol Krunnfusz and Gecko Club.
The School of Rock Naperville, an assembly of youngsters who've learned to play and perform rock music, also will perform.
Kicking off the festival tonight are the second- and third-place finishers - This Week's Trend and Coffeehouse Tipsters - of the park district's Battle of the Bands, which featured groups from Naperville-area high schools.
"The concert series is something to liven up and add some entertainment to the downtown area on Friday evenings," said Brett Lindahl, park district sponsorship and events manager. "A lot of people enjoy stopping by and hanging out to listen to the music for a while before carrying on elsewhere, or stay for an artist's whole set."
He said the bands will perform music that will cover almost every taste.
"We try to mix it up with some variety," Lindahl said. There's rock, with bands like Sinister Finch, Into the Real, This Week's Trend and Coffee House Tipsters; hip-hop artist Rock it; Hawaiian artist Wacky Keys; and solo acts Elizabeth Carol Krunnfusz, Andy B. White, Dave Byron and Andrew Huber.
Huber, a veteran musician who performs throughout the Midwest, is playing for the Rollin' on the River series after drawing big crowds in years past. Huber also will perform with his band, Gecko Club.
"I like the ambience and vibrant community you find in downtown Naperville," Huber said. "There's such a diverse range of ages and groups of people, as well as tons of families from grandparents to grandkids."
Huber said he doesn't mind playing in front of a nonpaying audience.
"Some shows are good exposure, some are gigs that pay well," he said. "But I love to perform."
If you go
What: Rollin' on the River concert series opens with This Week's Trend and Coffeehouse Tipsters
When: 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, June 8, and continuing weekly through Aug. 17
Where: Riverwalk Pavilion, along Jackson Avenue at Webster Street, Naperville
Cost: Free
Info: napervilleparks.org