The opening night of the 21st annual Bank of the Cascades Bend Summer Festival July 8 will feature live music on two stages from Toad the Wet Sprocket and Night Ranger.
The event has the appeal of a neighborhood block party with all the perks of a world-class event. Nationally-acclaimed entertainment paired with food and drinks available from Bend’s favorites such as Marz Cart, Deschutes Brewery, and Longboard Louie’s make this the must-attend event of the summer. Both concerts are free thanks to The Bank of The Cascades, Clear 101.7, Classic Rock 98.3 The Twins and C3 Events.
The Clear 101.7 main stage on Oregon Avenue between Wall St. and Bond St. will host Toad the Wet Sprocket. The performance at 9:30pm will kick-off the festival on a high note. Night Ranger will rock downtown in Troy Field beginning at 8:30pm as part of Classic Rock 98.3’s 2011 Listener Appreciation Concerts. Ticket information for the Night Ranger performance is available by listening to Classic Rock 98.3 and participating in the Twinster Appreciation Contest.
Toad the Wet Sprocket consists of singer Glen Phillips, guitarist Todd Nichols, bassist Dean Dinning, and drummer Randy Guss. The band was one of the most successful alternative rock bands of the early 90s.
The group formed in 1996 and chose their name from a Monty Python skit. They gained a loyal following in local bars and a contact with Columbia Records in 1988. Their commercial break came in 1991 with the single “All I Want” from the album Fear which later went platinum.
Their next album Dulcinea included the single “Fall Down” a Top 40 hit that spent six weeks as number one on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks. The band recorded two more records before parting ways in 1998. Even with the split, PS (A Toad Perspective) was released in 1999 and provided a posthumous look at the group’s career through a collection of hits and fan favorites.
The band began touring together again in 2006 while also working on new recordings of fan favorites for the album All You Want. “The process of recording this music again brought us closer together as a band, and closer to the songs that we’ve lived with for so long,” the band said in a statement. “These songs still mean a lot to us, and we hope our fans enjoy listening to them as much as we enjoyed making them.”
Night Ranger is an American rock band from San Francisco that gained popularity during the 80s. They are best-known for hits such as “(You Can Still) Rock in America” and “Sister Christian”. The band combined the energy of heavy metal, hook-heavy rock songs, a twin lead guitar team and radio-friendly power ballads to create “metal power pop”.
The band’s line-up consisted of ex-Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Brad Gillis, former Montrose keyboardist Alan Fitzgerald, Jack Blades on vocals and bass, Jeff Watson on guitar and Kelly Keagy on the drums. The group joined forces in 1981 and with the help of promoter Bill Graham the group scored supporting slots at Judas Priest, Santana and Doobie Brothers concerts.
Their first album, Dawn Patrol, in 1982 reached number 38 on the US charts and was followed by 1983’s Midnight Madness which sold a million copies. The band recorded three more albums before splitting-up in 1989.
Night Ranger reunited in 1996 for a tour of Japan and a summer US tour, which proved Night Ranger could still attract a crowd. The band received another boost in 1997, when the Oscar-nominated film “Boogie Nights” spotlighted “Sister Christian” on their soundtrack. Since then the band has spent nearly every summer touring across the country with acts such as Journey, REO Speedwagon, Styx and Boston.
With their latest record, Somewhere in California, just released June 21, Night Ranger is ready to hit the road for their summer tour. Frontman/bassist Jack Blades commented, “Night Ranger is back with a vengeance! We are so proud of our new album…classic NR in every sense…can’t wait to see all the fans on tour this summer. Rock n’ roll!”
