2019 LAST FLING OFFERS NATIONAL AND LOCAL MUSIC ACTS
The Naperville Jaycees is proud to announce their full musical lineup for the Main Stage and Jackson Avenue Block Party Stage for the 2019 Last Fling. The Last Fling takes place all along the Riverwalk in Downtown Naperville over all 4 days of Labor Day weekend.
“This year’s event will feel a lot more like your typical music festival. We decided to open the Main Stage gates earlier than most previous years to give patrons an opportunity to enjoy music throughout the day and allow them to come and go as they please. I really feel as if we have a solid line up this year and I hope that the community will come out, have some fun and help raise some money with us at the 2019 Last Fling,” says Entertainment Co-Chair Danielle Tufano.
2019 Main Stage Acts:
The Last Fling Main Stage will start rocking on Friday night (August 30) with headliner Better Than Ezra. Before their omnipresent 1995 single “Good” hit No. 1, before their debut album Deluxe went double-platinum, before popular shows such as Desperate Housewives licensed their song “Juicy,” before Taylor Swift attested to their timeless appeal by covering their track “Breathless” — New Orleans’ Better Than Ezra was a pop-rock act paying its dues, traveling from town to town in a ramshackle van. Over two decades after the band formed, that vigilance still resonates strongly with the trio, who were finally rewarded after seven years of stubbornly chasing their dreams. “This band,” notes bassist Tom Drummond, “has never been handed anything.” Opening for Better Than Ezra is 7th Heaven, who has charted #1 on the Midwest Billboard Charts multiple times and has been heard on various radio stations in the Chicagoland area with their hits “This Is Where The Party’s At,” “Time Of Our Lives,” “Beautiful Life,” “Stoplight,” “Better This Way” and “Sing.” Gates open at 4:45PM and bands start at 5PM.
The Last Fling Main Stage party will continue on Saturday (August 31) and will feature Vertical Horizon (pictured) as the headlining band. Vertical Horizon was founded in the early 1990s, but it was seven years before lead singer Matt Scannell’s songs became the radio hits that brought the popular grass roots band to national attention. Vertical Horizon released three albums independently (There and Back Again, Running on Ice, and Live Stages) and toured extensively before signing with RCA Records in 1998. In 1999, they released their breakout album, Everything You Want, which went on to sell more than two million copies. The second single off the CD, the title track “Everything You Want,” captured the #1 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 and Adult Top 40 charts, and became Billboard’s Most Played Single of 2000. Having carved out a page in the annals of music history the band garnered further radio attention with “You’re a God” (#4 on Billboard’s Adult Chart) and “Best I Ever Had (Grey Sky Morning).”
In 2005, “Best I Ever Had” became a top 20 country hit for country star Gary Allan. Their follow-up album, Go, was released in 2003 and solidified the band as a no-nonsense pop rock entity. Eventually, the band took a hiatus to pursue individual interests. In 2007, feeling the time was right to start working on a new album, Matt began composing the songs which would eventually become Burning the Days. The album was critically acclaimed and produced two Hot AC radio singles, “Save Me from Myself” and “The Lucky One.” In 2013 Vertical Horizon released Echos From the Underground, named after a lyric from the song “Evermore.” In February 2018 Vertical Horizon released their latest album, The Lost Mile. Opening for Vertical Horizon will be 97Nine (the premier classic rock cover band in the Midwest), The Right Now (pop-meets-soul) and Take The Reins (Chicago-area rock band). Gates open at11:45AM and bands start at 12PM.
Sunday (September 1) on the Last Fling Main Stage is sure to be a crowd-pleaser with headliners Big Head Todd & The Monsters.Thirty years would seem like something to commemorate, specially with the same core lineup, an achievement few other name brand bands can boast of. Yet right now they’re less about celebrating stability than volatility, in the form of their eleventh studio album, New World Arisin’, which makes good on its forward-facing title with what might be the brashest rock and roll of their career. The old world can’t rest on any laurels, and neither will they. While they enjoy a robust fan base around the country, their success is outsized in Colorado, where they’re practically the unofficial state band. That’s evident in their ability to sell out Red Rocks, the most revered amphitheater in the nation, where they’ve headlined 19 times. Opening for Big Head Todd & The Monsters will be 16 Candles (bringing all the great 80's songs you love to life in full force), The Ron Burgundy’s (Yacht Rock and other softcore rock from the 60s, 70s and 80s) and Tres Moustache (bringing perfect live acoustic sound to any room, street or venue). Gates open at 11:45AM and bands start at 12PM.
2019 Jackson Avenue Block Party Acts: The Jackson Avenue Block Party Stage is THE place to be throughout Labor Day Weekend for some of the best local bands in the Chicagoland area!
Friday (August 30) will feature Hi Infidelity (rocking the 80s! Journey, Bon Jovi, REO, Def Leppard and more) with openers Libido Funk Circus (Chicago's premiere dance & party band) and INDIGO (up-tempo R&B/blues band). Gates and Music at 5PM.
Saturday’s (August 31) Block Party Stage headliners will be The Boy Band Night (paying tribute to everything that is boy bands -*NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, New Kids On The Block, One Direction, OTown and more) with opening acts that will include The Hair Band Night (delivering all your favorite air band hits – Van Halen, AC/DC, Def Leppard, Poison, Journey, Bon Jovi and more), ALT 101 (Chicagoland's premier 90's alternative rock tribute band), OMT (rock classic to current, there is something for everyone) and Double Identity (pop rock band fronted by twin sisters from North Central College, playing a mix of covers and originals). Music starts at 12PM.
The music will continue Sunday (September 1) on the Block Party Stage with Wedding Banned (80's and 90's music, throwing in other guilty pleasures, that take you back to great times in your life) as our headliners. Opening acts include Hello Weekend (nonstop, hit after hit, party band covering everything from Gaga to Whitney, Bruno to Bon Jovi), Gregory Hyde Band (upbeat, fun rock and pop songs you can sing and dance to), Billy Martin Band (high energy classic rock, pop and current hits) and AD3 Acoustic Trio (local musicians using an acoustic guitar and cajon while covering songs from varied genres). Music starts at 12PM.
Monday (September 2) will round out Labor Day Weekend on the Block Party Stage with our headliners Kashmir (The Led Zeppelin Show). Opening acts will include The Hat Guys (everything from rock & roll to country, from disco to hip hop, from current to the 1960’s), Strung Out (Chicago’s ultimate 70's experience. The greatest Rock, Pop, AM/FM Radio Cuts, and everything in between) and The Run Around (pop punk/alternative band from Naperville). Music starts at 12PM.
Ticket information for the 2019 Naperville Jaycees Last Fling will be announced soon. Please visit www.LastFling.org for more information and updates.
