Sugar Ray, Blues Traveler, Uncle Kracker Headline Under the Sun Tour at Aurora's RiverEdge Park, 7/6

On Sunday evening, July 6, consider downtown Aurora's RiverEdge Park your own private backyard party.

The only difference is your backyard is now 30 acres, it's on the Fox River, and three top party bands from the golden age of alternative pop rock n' roll - Sugar Ray, Blues Traveler and Uncle Kracker - are playing live, hit-after-good-time-hit.

RiverEdge Park,360 N. Broadway in downtown Aurora,opens at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, July 6 for the Under The Sun Tour featuring Sugar Ray, Blues Traveler and Uncle Kracker. The concert kicks off at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30.

To purchase, go to RiverEdgeAurora.com, call the RiverEdge box office, (630) 896-6666, or visit RiverEdge's satellite box office, the Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday-Saturday.

The RiverEdge box office is also open at the park for day-of sales from Noon until show time.

"Looking forward to once again spending the summer with my friends, performing the hits we all love. All three bands are capable of headlining Under The Sun, so get there early!" said Sugar Ray's Mark McGrath.

Uncle Kracker added, "this is going to be the party of the summer. Can't wait to hit the road with some of my old friends, looking forward to making some new ones."

More about the bands

Sugar Ray

After playing funk metal for 10 years, Mark McGrath and his friends from Orange County experimented with a new sound that propelled them to the top of the charts. It started in 1997 with "Fly," which hit No. 1 on Billboard's list and was voted as the #52 best song on VH1's Top 100 Songs of the 90's. Sugar Ray also dominated the charts with "Every Morning," "Some Day" and "When It's Over." For more information, log on to SugarRay.com.

In addition to touring the country with the Under The Sun Tour, Sugar Ray front man McGrath's busy summer includes a co-starring role in the highly anticipated sequel to the 2013 swim-away cult hit Sharknado, titled Sharknado 2: The Second One, premiering July 30 on SyFy.

Blues Traveler

They started as a Jersey garage rock band, played their first real gig at a frat party and went on to tour with the Rolling Stones, win a Grammy and record 14 records. Their unique blend of blues and folk rock, psychedelic rock and good ole southern soul jamming sound, popularized by their Top 40 singles "Run-Around" and "Hook" is unmistakable, especially front man John Popper's signature vocals and harmonica. For more, visit BluesTraveler.com.

Uncle Kracker

In '94, Kracker met Kid Rock at a turntables competition in Michigan. They became friends, and Kracker went on to play tables and featured vocals on Kid Rock's debut album. That set the foundation for Uncle Kracker's own album Double Wide, which hit no. 7 on Billboard's chart, followed by his cover of "Drift Away," which shattered the record for the most weeks at No. 1 on Adult Contemporary. His music was more rap-rock based at the start of his career before turning in a more country rock influenced sound on his later releases, including this most recent album, Midnight Special. For more information visit UncleKracker.com.

About RiverEdge Park

Chicago and Chicago's western suburbs have a beautiful, new outdoor concert venue to enjoy after last summer's grand opening of the new RiverEdge Park in downtown Aurora - Illinois' second largest city.

In addition to Lee DeWyze and 10,000 Maniacs, national acts playing RiverEdge this summer include 18th Annual Blues on the Fox headliners Jimmie Vaughan, Los Lonely Boys and Taj Mahal (June 27 & 28), Under the Sun Tour with Sugar Ray, Blues Traveler and Uncle Kracker (July 6), Lady Antebellum (August 7), Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland (August 29) and one more major concert TBA (August 10; announcement and ticket-on sale date is June 22).

Community festivals also will attract all ages to downtown Aurora including theColorVibe 5K Race (June 15), Aurora's Fourth of July Celebration, the Aurora Puerto Rican Heritage Festival (July 26 & 27) and the Fox Valley Irish Festival(August 2).

RiverEdge Park is inspired by outdoor entertainment facilities in Chicago's Millennium Park and Northerly Island, and Milwaukee's Summerfest. Anchored by the striking John C. Dunham performance pavilion, RiverEdge features 30 acres of beautiful riverfront grounds, state-of-the-art acoustics and lighting, and a full array of concessions. RiverEdge has a capacity of 8,500.

Anyone who has been knows RiverEdge is clean, staffed with friendly people and is easy to get to. RiverEdge Park is accessible via Metra's Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) line. Paid public parking is available in the Metra lot, additional private lots surrounding the park and in downtown Aurora just a few blocks from RiverEdge.

All events at RiverEdge are general admission. There will be limited bench seating on and event-by-event basis at RiverEdge in 2014. Guests are encouraged to bring folding bag chairs (shoulder height) or blankets. Some shows like Lady Antebellum and Jennifer Nettles will have standing room only in front of the stage with a designated area for chairs or blankets behind the sound tower. Visit RiverEdgeAurora.com for specifics about each performance.

Food and drink are available for purchase inside RiverEdge Park. No outside food or drink (except sealed water bottles) are allowed in the park. RiverEdge concessions offer a diversified menu from official food vendor Two Brothers Roundhouse, along with a bar featuring domestic and craft beers, wine, sodas, bottled water and more. A busy row of festival food vendors also set up tents to sell everything from hot dogs to funnel cakes.

Events take place at RiverEdge rain or shine, unless conditions endanger the safety of artists and the public. Concertgoers are advised to call the RiverEdge Park Weather Line,(630) 723-2480, to check status if inclement weather is pending.

The 2014 RiverEdge Season is sponsored by The Dunham Fund, City of Aurora andParamount Arts Center Endowment (PACE).

RiverEdge Park is managed and programmed by the Aurora Civic Center Authority (ACCA), which also oversees operations for Aurora's historic Paramount Theatre. Under the guidance of President and CEO Tim Rater, ACCA has a proven track record of attracting audiences to downtown Aurora, with first-year attendance at RiverEdge estimated at 100,000, and annual attendance at the Paramount Theatre having grown from 55,000 in 2010, to more than 250,000 for the recent 2013-2014 season.

For more information, visit RiverEdgeAurora.com or call the RiverEdge box office, (630) 896-6666.

Photo Credit: Tom Kin