6:45 pm

Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater

During the 1950s, Chicago’s West Side was a breeding ground for some of the world’s greatest bluesmen. Magic Sam, Otis Rush, Freddie King and others ruled the clubs. With his fierce guitar playing, soulful and emotive vocals and wild stage shows, Eddy “The Chief” Clearwater easily belongs on this list. A Chicago legend, Clearwater is an intense, flamboyant blues-rocking showman. He’s equally comfortable playing the deepest, most heartfelt blues or rocking, good-time party music. DownBeat said, “Left-hander Eddy Clearwater is a forceful six-stringer...He lays down some gritty West Side shuffles and belly-grinding slow blues that highlight his raw chops, soulful vocals, and earthy, humorous lyrics.” We welcome “The Chief” back home to Blues on the Fox with open arms on Friday night!

8:30 pm

Elvin Bishop

Elvin Bishop's latest release, Booty Bumpin', captures the blues legend at home in front of a live audience, doing what he does best; stirring up a party with a bluesy stew of slide guitar and groovin' rhythms. With a set featuring both old favorites and recent triumphs, the album exemplifies why Elvin has become one of the most respected and beloved artists to come out of the 60's blues-rock explosion. You can’t miss the man who and fell in love with and honored the Chicago blues joining the Paul Butterfield Blues Band in his early 20’s. We can’t wait to see him perform at Blues on the Fox on Friday night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3:00 pm

Hix Brothers Junior All-Stars

Aurora’s first family of music, the Hix Brothers, promise to provide the cream of the crop of young students of the Blues. The biggest complaint at last year’s festival was that these kids didn’t play long enough. See Aurora’s emerging blues artists kick-off Saturday’s performances at Blues on the Fox.

4:00 pm

Corey Harris

Corey Harris burst onto the scene in 1995 with his debut recording Between Midnight and Day, an acclaimed exploration of acoustic, rural blues styles. At the time, few really grasped the scope and range of Harris's musical persona. He had solid blues credentials. After street-busking and taking small gigs wherever he could drive to from his home outside New Orleans, he was "discovered" by writer and producer Larry Hoffman at the King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena, Georgia. But scratch a little deeper, and it quickly became clear that pigeonholing Harris as a blues musician was never going to work. Harris’s all inclusive approach to songcraft is nothing less than a way of life.

5:30 pm

Bettye LaVette

Bettye LaVette is one of the greatest soul singers in American music history, possessed of an incredibly expressive voice that one moment will exude a formidable level of strength and intensity and the next will appear vulnerable, reflective, reeking of heartbreak. Ms. LaVette has been rediscovered and we are honored to have us at our festival. Don’t miss this impressive performance at Blues on the Fox.

7:00 pm

Marcia Ball

According to The Boston Sunday Herald, “Piano pounding Marcia Ball plays masterful, red hot tracks from the Texas-Louisiana border. Her voice can break your heart with a ballad or break your back with a rocker.” The Austin Chronicle heralds her as “a class act whose soulful, horn-laden swamp pop and murderous honky-tonk make her a stellar example of musical artistry.” For more than 30 years, Ball has been delivering her signature brand of Texas blues, Louisiana R&B and Gulf Coast swamp pop to audiences all over the world. She has earned a huge and intensely loyal following through critically acclaimed albums and continued non-stop touring. Live, she’s simply unbeatable. You will be boogying and stompin’ to that New Orlean’s beat with Marcia Ball on Saturday evening at Blues on the Fox.

8:30 pm

Kenny Wayne Shepherd
with special guest Hubert Sumlin

Kenny Wayne Shepherd and his group exploded on the scene in the mid-'90s and garnered huge amounts of radio airplay on commercial radio, which historically has not been a solid home for blues and blues-rock music, with the exception of Stevie Ray Vaughan in the mid-'80s. Kenny Wayne has recently paid his great respects to the blues with projects like the 2007 10 Days Out (Blues from the Backroads). Kenny Wayne will be celebrating his 31st birthday at Blues on the Fox this year. Blues legend Hubert Sumlin will be joining Kenny Wayne in the celebration.

 

 

 

 

 

Hotel California

This national Eagles tribute band, Hotel California, faithfully reproduces the sound of the Eagles studio recordings while recreating a classic sound which transcends the boundaries of Rock, R&B, and Country while delivering a modern, action-packed performance. Additional activities sponsored by Fox Valley Park District.

 

 

 

 

August

August is a horn-driven Rock & Roll, Soul, and Rhythm & Blues band, with a hint of jazz thrown in for good measure. With its 7+ piece horn section and 7 piece rhythm section, there are few bands performing today that match their powerful on stage presence.

 

 

 

 

Dickey Betts & Great Southern

Dickey Betts is a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band. Along with being one of the most influential guitar players of all time, he is credited with both writing and singing the group’s biggest hit, “Ramblin’ Man.” Having helped define the genre, Dickey Betts & Great Southern continue to tour and break new ground in the grand tradition of great Southern Rock.

 

 

 

 

 

The Moods

Be transported to another era as The Moods blend their voices together and perform the best of Motown, Blues, Pop, Rock & Roll and a taste of Jazz. A perennial favorite of Downtown Alive patrons, don’t miss “Sitting On the Dock of the Bay,” “Don’t Rock the Boat” or  “What’s Goin On.”

 

 

 

 

American English

The Fab Four live on with these remarkable musicians from American English who take their legendary music to the highest level possible. The show begins with the songs from the early years, “She Loves You” and “Twist and Shout,” and with elaborate wardrobe changes continues to the psychedelic era and through final years with “Let It Be.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

6:30 pm

Problem Child

Begin the night with Problem Child, Chicago’s Bon Scott — AC/DC tribute band. 

 

8:30 pm

Blue Oyster Cult

Then join pioneers in heavy metal, Blue Oyster Cult for some of their best known work including 1976’s “Don’t Fear the Reaper,”1977’s “Godzilla” and 1981’s “Burnin’ for You.”  

 

 

 

 

 

3:00 pm

DBL-SHOT

Local cover band, DBL-SHOT, covers all the classics that you know and then some. 

 

4:30 pm

ARRA

Then, ARRA one of the best classic rock cover bands in Chicagoland.

 

6:30 pm

Molly Hatchet

Molly Hatchet brings Southern Rock to Aurora with their hit “Flirtin’ with Disaster.”

 

8:30pm

UFO

Rock legends, UFO will take the stage with the Heavy Metal classics — “Light’s out,” “Too Hot to Handle” and “Love to Love.”