CANTON, OHIO (July 13, 2011) – The Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival department of the Canton Regional Chamber and Mix 94.1 are pleased to announce that party band Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, with special guest Joe Grushecky and the House Rockers, will join the musical line-up during this year’s Ribs Burnoff. The band will rock the Emergency Medicine Physicians Stage on Friday, Aug. 5, beginning at approximately 7 p.m.
“There’s one thing I’ve always wanted to do,” Southside Johnny confesses, “and that is to sing.” And he has been doing just that for over a third of a century. In a business where success is defined as getting a second single and longevity measured in nanoseconds, just surviving for 30-plus years is a rare accomplishment. But Johnny and the Jukes have not just survived, they have flourished: over thirty albums, several EPs and a box set; thousands of live performances around the globe; a legion of dedicated and enthusiastic fans; dozens of classic songs; and the record “Hearts of Stone” that Rolling Stone called one of the “top 100 albums of the 70′s and 80′s.” The story continues as the band releases its newest studio album, “Pills and Ammo,” full of new material that is already getting rave reviews from fans who are excited about its rock and roll feel, described as a harder edge for harder times. Tunes like “Umbrella in My Drink” with guest vocals by Gary Bonds; “Keep on Movin’” an homage to Jerry Lee Lewis and the early rockabilly sound; and “One More Night to Rock” all place the band in their classic, jubilant “let’s play all night” mood. And the band has never sounded better. For more information about Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, visit http://bit.ly/southsidejohnny.
Playing with Southside Johnny at the Ribs Burnoff will be Joe Grushecky, who from 1979 to 1983 played in his first band, Iron City Houserockers, an homage to his beloved steel city of Pittsburgh. When the band broke up, Grushecky returned to Pittsburgh where he took a day job as a special education teacher, a job he still holds. In the ensuing years, he produced several singles. Then in 1995, he began a decade-long collaboration with another hard-rocking storyteller, Bruce Springsteen. In 1998, Grushecky released “Coming Home”; in 1999 “Down the Road a Piece Live”; and in 2002 “Fingerprints.”
To accommodate even more fans at the concert, chairs or seating of any kind will not be permitted anywhere on the track area; all track admission will be free, standing room only. Those wishing to have a reserved seat in the grandstands can purchase tickets for only $9 each. Tickets are available for walk-in purchase at the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce (222 Market Avenue North in downtown Canton) from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. each weekday. Phone orders will be accepted at (330) 458-2088.
In addition to the national musical acts in the evenings on the main stage, attendees can enjoy activities all day, including free musical entertainment on the daytime stage featuring The Brighter Side Band on Wednesday, Aug. 3, Wild West Band on Thursday, Aug. 4, and Mr. Trick on Friday, Aug. 5, all beginning at 5:15 p.m. Other family activities include an expansive children’s entertainment area with face painting, caricaturists, balloon twisters, Fantasy Football Zone of interactive inflatables powered by AEP Ohio, a master sand sculptor, Lowe’s Build & Grow, 2012 Ford Focus Tour and much more.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival Ribs Burnoff will run Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, Aug. 3, 4 and 5, beginning at 11 a.m. and concluding at 10:30 p.m. each day, at the Stark County Fairgrounds. In addition to fantastic ribs, a wide variety of other food will be showcased, including ice cream, buffalo wings, funnel cakes, apple dumplings, bloomin’ onions, Italian sausage and other delicious midway fare!
Admission to the Ribs Burnoff is free. Onsite parking at the fairgrounds will be free each day until 4 p.m., after which time a fee of $5 per vehicle will be charged. For more information, contact Laura Perry, event manager, at (330) 458-2054, or visit www.profootballhofef.com.
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