Lady Antebellum among acts as RiverEdge opens second season

The 2014 line up of concerts and events at RiverEdge Park, downtown Aurora’s outdoor concert venue, is ready to launch its second season this summer.

National acts include 18th Annual Blues on the Fox  headliners Jimmie Vaughan, Los Lonely Boys and Taj Mahal (June 27-28), Lee DeWyze and 10,000 Maniacs (July 5), Under the Sun Tour with Sugar Ray, Blues Traveler and Uncle Kracker (July 6), Lady Antebellum (Aug. 7), Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland (Aug. 29) and one more major concert to be announced (Aug. 10).

Aurora’s popular Downtown Alive! outdoor music series returns with Sixteen Candles (June 13) and American English (Aug. 1). Tickets are only $1 if purchased before June 2. 

Outdoor screenings of movie cult classics Sing-A-Long-A Grease (June 20) and The Rocky Horror Picture Show (June 21) also invite plenty of fun audience participation for only $5. 

Community festivals and fun special events will attract all ages to Aurora’s downtown business district including the Wisconsin Beer and Cheese Tour (May 31), Sacred Heart Annual Festival & Concert (June 8), the ColorVibe 5K Race (June 15), Aurora’s Fourth of July Celebration, the Aurora Puerto Rican Heritage Festival (July 26 & 27) and the Fox Valley Irish Festival (Aug. 2).

RiverEdge Park is located at 360 N. Broadway, directly across from the Metra station in downtown Aurora. Tickets go on sale Friday, May 2 at 10 a.m. for all performances except Lady Antebellum; the Under the Sun Tour with Sugar Ray, Blues Traveler and Uncle Kracker; and Jennifer Nettles. Tickets go on sale to the general public for those concerts Tuesday, May 6 at 10 a.m. 

Purchase tickets at RiverEdgeAurora.com, or call the RiverEdge box office at (630) 896-6666.

RiverEdge ticket prices are deeply discounted if purchased before June 2 (except Lady Antebellum, before Aug. 1). 

For residents of Aurora and Chicago’s western suburbs, advance tickets can easily be purchased at RiverEdge’s satellite box office, the Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday-Saturday. 

The RiverEdge box office is also open at the park on show days starting from noon to show time.

Aurora Mayor Thomas Weisner, joined by Tim Rater, President and CEO of the Aurora Civic Center Authority, announced the new RiverEdge season at his annual State of the City address last week.

“This year’s RiverEdge Park lineup of concerts, community events and festivals is dynamic, exciting and features activities for all ages,” Weisner said. “We’ve raised the bar for the park’s sophomore season and look forward to welcoming thousands of people from across the Chicagoland area who will discover all that RiverEdge Park and downtown Aurora have to offer.” 

RiverEdge Park debuted last summer, attracted more than 100,000 people to Aurora in its first season, and instantly became a nice new addition to the short list of outdoor entertainment venues in and around Chicago. 

RiverEdge Park’s striking John C. Dunham performance pavilion includes 30 acres of beautiful grounds, with a capacity of 8,500. Anyone who has been knows RiverEdge is clean, beautiful, staffed with friendly people, boasts state-of-the-arts lighting and acoustics and is easy to get to.

“RiverEdge is a beautiful, new outdoor summer playground for the entire community, and it’s making downtown Aurora the place to be,” Rater said. “Because there’s nothing quite like experiencing a nationally known act like Lady Antebellum, or meeting your friends and neighbors at a community festival, in such an attractive and accommodating venue in the heart of the city. Join us for our 2014 season. You’ll see what I mean.”

Even Lady Antebellum made a special appearance at Weisner’s State of the City address, via a special video message. 

RiverEdge Park is inspired by outdoor entertainment facilities in Chicago’s Millennium Park and Northerly Island, and Milwaukee’s Summerfest.

 RiverEdge Park is easily accessible via Metra’s Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) line. 

Paid public parking is available in the Metra lot, additional private lots surrounding the park and in downtown Aurora just a few blocks from RiverEdge.

All events at RiverEdge are general admission. There will be no bench seating at RiverEdge in 2014. Guests are encouraged to bring folding bag chairs (shoulder height) or blankets. 

Some shows like Lady Antebellum and Jennifer Nettles will have standing room only in front of the stage with a designated area for chairs or blankets behind the sound tower. Visit RiverEdgeAurora.com for specifics about each performance. 

Food and drink are available for purchase inside RiverEdge Park. No outside food or drink (except sealed water bottles) are allowed in the park.  RiverEdge concessions offer a diversified menu from official food vendor Two Brothers Roundhouse, along with a bar featuring a selection of domestic and craft beers, wine, sodas, bottled water and more. 

A busy row of festival food vendors also set up tents to sell everything from hot dogs to funnel cakes.

Events take place at RiverEdge Park rain or shine, unless conditions endanger the safety of artists and the public. 

Concertgoers are advised to call the RiverEdge Park Weather Line, (630) 723-2480, to check status if inclement weather is pending.

The 2014 RiverEdge Season is sponsored by The Dunham Fund, City of Aurora and Paramount Arts Center Endowment (PACE).

RiverEdge Park is managed and programmed by the Aurora Civic Center Authority (ACCA), which also oversees operations for Aurora’s historic Paramount Theatre. 

Under the guidance of  Rater, ACCA has a proven track record of attracting audiences to downtown Aurora, with first-year attendance at RiverEdge estimated at 100,000, and annual attendance at the Paramount Theatre having grown from 55,000 in 2010, to more than 250,000 for the recent 2012-2013 season.

For more information, visit RiverEdgeAurora.com or call the RiverEdge box office, (630) 896-6666.

–News Bulletin news sources