Aurorans rock on at Downtown Alive
By Erika Wurst ewurst@stmedianetwork.com July 16, 2011 9:24PM
Fans of Double Shot dance to their tunes on Friday at Downtown Alive in Aurora. Terence Guider-Shaw~For Sun-Times Media
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Updated: November 5, 2011 5:21PM
Nearly 3,000 people descended on Aurora on Friday night to watch fan favorite American English rock the streets of Downtown — only instead of rocking in the streets, the Beatles tribute band rocked in a parking lot.
Downtown Alive has moved off the streets of Aurora and found a new home across from the old police station on River Street. The cleaner, safer, roomier location has received rave reviews from concertgoers, said Melissa Mercado, marketing director for the Paramount Theatre.
“(Fans) love it,” Mercado said. “It’s cleaner, it’s roomier, it’s really nice.”
Aurora resident Stacy Fleming stood in the blacktop lot around 8 p.m. enjoying the fact that she was bug bite-free.
“There are no mosquitoes in this parking lot,” she said with a smile.
Tina and Phil Widd were two more fans enjoying the new setup Friday night as Beatles tunes blasted in the background.
“We like it better here,” Tina Widd said, but lamented the loss of (Galena) Boulevard’s “tight knit” feel and real downtown charm. “The closest people to you are a lot farther away now.”
A lot has changed since last summer. New, restaurants have popped up with vendors in booths ready to peddle their products. Pulled pork sandwiches from the Comfort Zone were up for competition with Corned Beef Sliders from the Ballydoyle booth and staples such as the Wurst Kitchen’s Giant German Brats. It was like a miniature version of Restaurant Row, making decisions tough for the Widds.
“Sir, quit staring at the menu and come up and order,” a man with a megaphone shouted from next to the Ballydoyle booth. Alongside the Corned Beef Sliders in the Irish Combo were Corned Beef Bites and authentic Irish chips.
At $7 for the plateful of food, Widd decided to take the man up on his offer.
“I hadn’t tried (Ballydoyle) before,” Phil Widd said, but he was glad he did. Wife Tina, however, wasn’t up for anymore change on Friday. She stuck with a fan favorite of her own: Mexican food from Tecalitlan Restaurant.
For dessert, fans noshed on everything from funnel cakes to chocolate dipped mini doughnuts from Dick’s.
Giant beach balls made for good baby sitters as parents kicked back and danced. Groups of children laughed wildly as they tossed a ball as big as them into the air. On stage, American English kept bringing the hits, and the hits kept bringing the crowd to its feet.
One woman hopped out of the chairs and swayed wildly as they sung along with tunes nostalgic of their past.
In addition to the location, there was another change this summer. Admission to the Downtown Alive music festival, in its 13th year, is now being charged. The fee is $3.
“This year’s minimal fee makes it possible to bring you top-notch, headline entertainers,” the Downtown Alive website explains. Children under the age of 12 are still free.
Taking the stage before the Beatle boys was local ’80s rock cover band, DBL-Shot. Two more bands will invade Aurora on Aug. 15 for Downtown Alive’s Rock on the Fox concert.
Chicago-based cover band 28 Days will be opening for 7th Heaven.
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