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Urban to headline music fest in Escanaba in July

KEITH URBAN WILL be the featured headliner for Visit Escanaba’s new Northern Lights Music Fest, set for July 21-22 at the U.P. State Fairgrounds in Escanaba. (Courtesy photo)

ESCANABA — Keith Urban will be the featured headliner for Visit Escanaba’s new Northern Lights Music Fest, set for July 21-22 at the U.P. State Fairgrounds in Escanaba.

The two-day summer event will offer rock and country performances, unique food vendors and on-site camping in the Upper Peninsula.

“We’ve had a growing demand from locals and tourists for more live music events to supplement our annual U.P. State Fair grandstand performances and various Ludington Park music series,” Visit Escanaba CEO Robert Micheau said. “The fairgrounds have a capacity of 15,000 and we hope this event sells every seat in the house. This is really the first event of this magnitude and we intend to make it an annual summer occurrence.”

The festival, produced by HB Concerts Inc., will kick-start on Friday, July 21, with Rock Night, featuring American ’80s rock band Steelheart; the original voice of Skid Row, Sebastian Bach; and Michigan hard rock band Pop Evil, to close the night. Escanaba native Kevin Chown will represent the Upper Peninsula when he takes the stage on bass guitar for both Steelheart and Bach. Saturday, July 22, will be a day for country hits, starting with Austin Snell, who has coined “grunge country,” a mix of country and rock, followed by Grammy-winning superstar Urban.

Urban, an Australian-American guitarist, singer and songwriter, is known for hits like “Days Go By,” “Somebody Like You,” “Blue Ain’t Your Color” and most recently, “Wild Hearts” and “Street Called Main.”

THE ORIGINAL VOICE of Skid Row, Sebastian Bach, will perform at the Northern Lights Music Festival. (Courtesy photo)

“It’s very exciting to have these talented, well-known names performing for the first year of our festival,” Micheau said. “We’re setting the bar high for upcoming years and hoping to draw a new crowd to Escanaba, not only for the live music scene but to enjoy the gorgeous Bays de Noc region’s nature, culture and attractions during its peak season.”

Tickets go on sale Friday and can be purchased at NorthernLightsMusicFestival.com and VisitEscanaba.com.

Showtimes will be released closer to the festival weekend. Patrons who purchase a ticket for Saturday’s lineup shall receive free entry for Rock Night on Friday, July 21, if they present a valid ticket at the gate.

The event is being sponsored and presented in part by the Delta Chamber of Commerce, Radio Results Network, and the Upper Peninsula State Fairgrounds. Visit Escanaba encourages other potential business partners, vendors with unique food, and organizations who would like to be involved to email Morgan@visitescanaba.com to learn more and apply to join the festival lineup.

“Just like its namesake, we expect this festival to be a spectacle that becomes synonymous with the Upper Peninsula and Escanaba,” Micheau said.

Tickets for Friday, July 21, are $46.50, with all ticket fees included. Ticket prices for Saturday, July 22, range from $52.50 to $120.50, again all fees included.

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