For most students summer came to a close when classes began for the fall semester. For many in northwest Ohio, Riverfest is the event that brings the end of summer. The event closes the summer’s riverfront celebration season sponsored by Citifest.
This year’s Riverfest is highlighted by performances from The Knack and Bad Company, featuring former lead singer Brian Howe. The Knack will be performing at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, while Bad Company takes the stage at 8 p.m. Friday.
“We’re always excited when we get national recording acts,” said Eric Slough, marketing director for Citifest. Slough said the bands performing are determined by where the bands are playing before Toledo and how much money is in the Citifest budget.
“Bands are a lot more expensive today than they used to be,” he said. He added that many other bands were available to play in Toledo, but they were not able to make it to town on time.
The Knack is perhaps best known for its hit song “My Sharona.” The band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. Its debut record Get the Knack sold over five million copies just one year later. According to Rolling Stone magazine, the album was recorded in just 11 days, while costing under $20,000 to produce.
The band released two more albums, …But the Little Girls Understand and 1981’s Round Trip.
As a single, “My Sharona” sold over five million copies on its own. In 1994 new life was breathed into the song when it was included in the soundtrack for the film “Reality Bites.”
According to Tim Roberts, operations manager for Star 105-FM and Cumulus Broadcasting, having the band in town fits the bill for what his radio audience wants. The station airs several 80’s music shows including “The Way Back Lunch” and the “Big 80’s Friday.”
“We’ve long been a supporter of 80’s music. Of course ‘My Sharona’ and ‘Good Girls Don’t’ [from Get the Knack] were big 80’s hits,” he said. “They’re also a fun band to see.”
Slough has a reason for students in Bowling Green to make the trip up I-75. “Every jukebox in BG has ‘My Sharona’ on it.”
Bad Company formed in 1973 as a supergroup including vocalist Paul Rodgers, Boz Burrell (ex-King Crimson), Mick Ralphs, and Simon Kirke. The band was one of the first artists to sign to Led Zeppelin’s Vanity record label. That line up disbanded in 1982. Four years later Kirke and Ralphs decided to restart the band with Brian Howe on vocals, replacing Rodgers.
The band has had a string of hit albums, including Run With the Pack, Straight Shooter, and Burnin’ Sky. The band also had a string of hit singles, including “Feel Like Makin’ Love.” By 1993 the band expanded to include Rick Wills on bass and Dave Colwell on rhythm guitar.
The band continued to have hit singles in the1990s with “How About That” and “If You Needed Somebody.” They also released the live album The Best of Bad Company Live…What You Hear Is What You Get.
Along with national artists, there is a long list of local favorites to take the stage. Sugarbuzz, Eddie Boggs, Good Stuff Maynard and Uncle Sandwich are set to take the stage Saturday. Kerry Patrick Clark will take the stage Sunday.
The performances by the river attract large crowds from all over the region. According to Citifest’s website, the projected attendance for all three days is 125,000 people. “It’s nice to look out and see a crowd of 10,000 people,” Slough said.
There is more to the festivities than just the music. According to Slough, the day offers more family-oriented activities along with special activities for children. The evening brings out the rock crowd.
Sunday there will be the “Holy Toledo, Let’s Jam,” which is being billed as a family-oriented, non-demoniational day of Christian music. Performers for that night include national recording artist Nicole C. Mullen and the group The Katinas. The night will end with a fireworks display.
Citifest is also holding the Toledo Classic 10K run during the same weekend. The race will take place Saturday. The route for the race will take runners past historical landmarks in downtown Toledo.
Returning for a second year will be the teen-oriented SkateFest. There will also be a music stage for the teenage audience. All events for Riverfest take place at Promenade and Festival Parks, which are on the banks of the Maumee River in downtown Toledo. Riverfest hours are 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday. Riverfest continues Saturday and Sunday starting at 1 p.m. and ending at 9 p.m.
A full schedule of the bands performing at Riverfest will be available in Friday’s Arts and Entertainment page.
