Above / Exchange Club of Naperville has announced that country star Brantley Gilbert will headline the 2019 Navistar Main Stage for Naperville’s Ribfest on Thurs., July 5, at Knoch Park. (Photo courtesy Ribfest)
Naperville Ribfest will be sizzling with the sounds of country music hitmaker Brantley Gilbert. The singer/songwriter will take the Navistar Main Stage on Friday, July 5.
“We’re always thrilled to get a performer of Brantley Gilbert’s caliber,” noted Sandy Rocush who is serving as 2019 Ribfest co-chair along with Pete Paulsen. “Brantley Gilbert’s music has so much depth. It’s the best of country: fabulous music with rich and real storytelling. We can’t wait to hear him.”
For Paulsen, Brantley Gilbert is an ideal selection for Ribfest 2019.
“His talent is only exceeded by his philanthropy,” added Paulsen. “He’s performed USO tours and headlined a benefit for families of servicemen. He’s met countless Make a Wish kids. Someone with a heart for others makes him a great fit for Ribfest. He’ll bring a party for our mission.”
Brantley Gilbert tickets will go on sale at 10AM Friday, Feb. 8, through ribfest.net.
Tickets are already on sale for Billy Idol’s July 3 performance at Ribfest.
Current Ribfest 2019 Grand Sponsors include ABC7 Chicago, Great Lakes Coca-Cola, D & J Amusements, Jewel-Osco, Miller Lite, Euclid Beverage, Nathan’s Famous Beef Franks, and Navistar. July 4th fireworks will again be sponsored by Meijer.
Brantley Gilbert Brief Bio
Brantley Gilbert lives in Jefferson, Georgia, because it’s home. Or, as he sings in “Grown Ass Man” from his platinum Just As I Am, “I got a home.”
That home is rich with life, truth, friends, history –and those are the raw materials that have made Gilbert one of only four country artists with back-to-back platinum certified albums. For Gilbert, who won the 2014 American Music Award for Favorite Country Album for Just As I Am, every album is another chapter in the life the unrepentant good ole boy has led. Whether it’s raising hell, standing tall or bottoming out, Gilbert’s truth speaks to the heart of blue-collar life in the 21st century: hard working, fun loving and deeply committed to the people he loves.
With The Devil Don’t Sleep, the songwriter/rocker delivers sixteen songs that consider life after letting go of the bottle. But this is not a sober record: it takes on love, getting the girl back, finding the thrill in the moment, standing up for those you love and remaining vigilant in a world filled with temptations and bad deals.
“Every love song I’ve ever written,” the man nominated for the CMA Song of the Year for Jason Aldean’s “Dirt Road Anthem” admits shyly, “has been about my wife. Meeting her, loving her, losing her –and getting her back. Life takes you a lot of places, but how I felt about Amber never really changed,” Gilbert continued.
“The rest of the album are songs from my life. ‘Bro Code’ isn’t what you think. It’s putting a guy on notice about how he’s treating his girlfriend –and ‘Bullet In A Bonfire’ tells an abusive old boyfriend how it’s gonna be. To me, that’s what it means to be a man: stand up for the people who need it, especially women.”
Naperville’s Ribfest since 1989
Mission-driven and volunteer run, Exchange Club of Naperville’s Ribfest is a premier Midwestern 4th of July concert series and celebration. In cooperation with its partners, the City of Naperville and the Naperville Park District, Ribfest, in its 32nd year, now draws more than 150,000 visitors annually. Net proceeds from Ribfest directly support 50+ agencies that work tirelessly to eliminate child abuse and domestic violence in all forms. To date, Exchange has donated over $17.5 million to these agencies.
Story and photo submitted by Mary Howenstine, Director of Marketing & Public Relations, for Exchange Club of Naperville’s Ribfest 2019.
