July 2025

Scotty McCreery Village Green Elk Grove Village, IL Tuesday, July 22nd, 2025 at 7:30pm Scotty McCreery in Elk Grove Village, 2025 With the sun shining on a warm July evening, fans began to enter the venue looking for the perfect place to sit for Scotty McCreery’s free outdoor concert in Elk Grove Village. As the sun began to set and audience anticipation rose, McCreery took the stage. Spence Peppard, Scotty McCreery, and Jeffery Harper in Elk Grove Village, 2025 McCreery got his start on American Idol, where he won the tenth season back in 2011. His debut album, later released in October of 2011, was certified gold in the United States. Since then, McCreery has released five more studio albums, with his most recent being Rise & Fall, released in 2024. McCreery made history with his debut album, becoming the first country act to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 with their first studio album, as well as being the youngest man to open at the top of the chart with his debut release. He later wrote a book titled Go Big or Go Home, which was released in 2016. “Five More Minutes” was the first song released without a record label to ever chart on the Country Aircheck Top 50. It later became McCreery’s first number one single on the country charts. Scotty McCreery in Elk Grove Village, 2025 As the band began playing, McCreery emerged from the side of the stage and kicked off the show with his song “Can’t Pass the Bar.” McCreery’s music draws comparisons to 1990’s country music, drawing in fans from a wide range of ages, from young children to senior fans. “Cab in a Solo,” “And Countin’,” “In Between,” and “It Matters to Her” are just a few of the many songs McCreery performed in the beginning of his set. Spence Peppard and Scotty McCreery in Elk Grove Village, 2025 McCreery is always known for sharing stories about his life on stage. He met his wife when they were just five years old, and he knew that they would one day be married. Later in 2022, McCreery and his wife had their first child, a baby boy, and are expecting their second child this fall. Having fancy lighting, smoke, and pyrotechnics is something that McCreery believes is not always necessary on stage. He prefers to be out with his band and focusing on storytelling through his songs. Scotty McCreery in Elk Grove Village, 2025 Later in his set, McCreery sang a new unreleased song “Swim Up Bar,” which was very fitting for a perfect warm summer night. In the middle of his song set, he spent time covering a variety of older country songs from other artists, including “Forever and Ever Amen” by Randy Travis, “Chattahoochee” by Alan Jackson, and “Sold” by John Michael Montgomery. McCreery then followed with his first number one single “Five More Minutes” and “Damn Strait,” which he wrote about George Strait. Nathan Thomas in Elk Grove Village, 2025 As the night came to a close, McCreery sang his newest song “Bottle Rockets,” which was recorded with Hootie and the Blowfish. Fans were singing along and soaking up the memories of the night. With the sundown, the show came to a close; however, fans lingered and enjoyed the electrifying, warm summer night reminiscing about the memories McCreery gave them. Scotty McCreery in Elk Grove Village, 2025 For additional information on concerts at Elk Grove Village and Scotty McCreery, please visit: Elk Grove Village- https://www.elkgrove.org Scotty McCreery- https://www.scottymccreery.com/index.php Concerts in Elk Grove Village-  https://www.elkgrove.org/community/mid-summer-classics-concert-series#ad-image-0 Additional Images: Spence Peppard in Elk Grove Village, 2025 Scotty McCreery and Band in Elk Grove Village, 2025 Scotty McCreery in Elk Grove Village, 2025 Fan Sign for Scotty McCreery in Elk Grove Village, 2025 Photographs and writing by Jaclyn Duske

Country Thunder Wisconsin Twin Lakes, Wisconsin 2305 Richmond Road Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, 53181 July 17th-20th, 2025 Dierks Bentley and Ben Helson at Country Thunder Wisconsin, 2025 Country music has made its way back to Twin Lakes, Wisconsin in 2025, bringing fans in from all over the country. This has become an annual gathering for many fans, while bringing together some of the biggest names in the genre along with up-and-coming artists. This year was extra special, where they recognized the 1 millionth ticket buyer. The winner was brought on stage and presented with a $35,000 prize package, lifetime camping, and front row reserved seats for upcoming Country Thunder festivals. Cole Swindell with a fan at Country Thunder Wisconsin, 2025 Thursday July 17th The festival kicked off with Nolan Sotillo, who is an actor and singer. He is best known for his role in the Fox drama series Red Band Society. Sotillo delivered a strong set, getting the fans excited for the day of music ahead. Owen Riegling, a Canadian singer-songwriter was next to hit the stage. A new artist to the scene with his career beginning in 2019, Riegling brought his traditional country and rock country sound to the stage. He released his debut album Bruce County (From the Beginning), which he shared with the audience. Sara Evans at Country Thunder Wisconsin, 2025 A larger crowd began to gather as Sara Evans took the stage. Evans has released 11 studio albums, with her most recent being Unbroke back in 2024. She received her peak success in the early 2000’s with her songs “I Keep Looking” and “Suds in the Bucket.” Her career later took a pause to handle some personal matters, but she came back to entertain her fans in 2011 with her album Stronger. She sang many of her hits, including “Back Seat of a Greyhound Bus” and “A Little Bit Stronger.” Evans’ fans have stayed loyal to her and sang along to her whole set which charged everyone up for the rest of the night. Gavin Adcock at Country Thunder Wisconsin, 2025 Gavin Adcock emerged onto the stage with an infectious energy kicking a case of beer. Adcock grew up in Georgia playing football, but after an injury, turned to his songwriting. He released his first single and his career took off. Since then, he has gained over 1 billion global streams from his music. Some of the songs he performed were “Never Call Again,” “Four Leaf Clover,” and “Past Actions.” While his career may still be taking off, Adcock had the crowd on their feet singing and dancing along, wanting the night to never end. Cole Swindell at Country Thunder Wisconsin, 2025 As the sun set, Cole Swindell took the stage to close out the first day of Country Thunder. Swindell is a singer-songwriter, who has written singles for Thomas Rhett, Luke Bryan, Craig Campbell, and Scotty McCreery. He has released thirteen singles, and eight have reached number one on the Hot Country Songs charts. He started his career touring with Luke Bryan selling fan merchandise and wrote songs while on the road. Swindell kicked off his set with his hit song “Flatliner” which was recorded with Dierks Bentley. He also sang many of his other hit songs such as “Single Saturday Night” and “Forever to Me”. Swindell later closed his set with “She Had Me at Heads Carolina,” which has received Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) 3x Platinum in the United States. Friday July 18th Aaron Goodvin kicked off Day 2 as fans entered the grounds to secure their spots for the day. Goodvin is a singer and songwriter, mostly known for writing songs for Luke Bryan, Cole Swindell, and Jon Pardi. Texas native singer-songwriter Braxton Keith was the next artist to take the stage. He impressed the crowd with his 80’s country aesthetic and sharp vocals. With new music on the way, fans were excited to see what is in store from him. Drew Baldridge at Country Thunder Wisconsin, 2025 Drew Baldridge started out his set singing acoustic with just himself and one other band member, while waiting for the rest to arrive. He informed the crowd that his bus broke down 500 miles from Country Thunder and he arrived 15 minutes before his set. He covered many hit songs, such as “Wagon Wheel” by Darius Rucker, “Brand New Man” by Brooks and Dunn, and “Check Yes or No” by George Straight. Once the remainder of his band arrived, he performed many of his songs, including “Tough People” and “She’s Somebody’s Daughter.” Baldridge was released from his first label following their closing, where he later started his own label, Lyric Ridge, allowing him to release his own music. Larry Fleet at Country Thunder Wisconsin, 2025 Singer-songwriter Larry Fleet was next up in the lineup. He has released three studio albums, with his most recent being Earned It back in 2024. Fleet sang many of his hit songs including “Where I Find God” and “Things I Take for Granted,” as well as the hit song he wrote for Morgan Wallen and Eric Church “Man Made a Bar.” Ashley McBryde at Country Thunder Wisconsin, 2025 Ashley McBryde, who is a familiar face at Country Thunder, took the stage opening with her new song “Rattlesnake Preacher.” McBryde is a singer-songwriter from Arkansas. She has grown her fan base over the years through her unique sound, which is a mix of country, bluegrass, and rock. She has released four studio albums, with her most recent being The Devil I Know back in 2023. “Martha Divine,” “Brenda Put Your Bra On,” and “One Night Standards” were a few songs she performed off her 22 song setlist. During her performance of “Light On in the Kitchen,” McBryde signed the last verse with American Sign Language (ASL), which touched everyone with her focus of inclusion in her shows. Ashley McBryde at Country Thunder Wisconsin, 2025 The lights dimmed as the beat dropped, signaling it was time for Hardy to close