Peterborough Musicfest is thrilled to announce the first date of its 36th summer season in Del Crary Park, welcoming Little River Band to the Fred Anderson Stage on Wednesday, July 26.
Formed in 1975 in Melbourne, Australia, Little River Band has recorded 16 studio albums, with worldwide sales well in excess of 30 million. Ten singles, including 1979’s Grammy-nominated Lonesome Loser, cracked the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, with Reminiscing attaining the lofty #3 spot in 1978.
On the strength of an extensive catalogue, Little River Band has well withstood the test of time, drawing upon the success of a number of other signature hits such as Help Is On Its Way, The Other Guy, Lady, Cool Change and Take It Easy On Me to remain not be only a fan-favourite concert draw but also garner 1.7 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
In 1982, Little River Band set a record for having had Top 10 hits for six consecutive years – the first band to achieve that remarkable benchmark. In 2004, Little River Band was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association Hall of Fame and, in September 2015, the band was awarded Casino Entertainer of the Year at the G2E Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Now based in the United States, Little River Band has undergone numerous personnel changes but still maintains an extensive touring schedule, with the Peterborough Musicfest appearance its lone currently scheduled Canadian stop in 2023.
With Canadian jazz music great Moe Koffman headlining, Peterborough Musicfest debuted July 1, 1987 under the name Peterborough Festival of Lights with concert series founder Fred Anderson at the helm. Over the years since, artists representing virtually every genre of music have headlined, with the quality of the line-up bringing thousands to Del Crary Park, providing an economic boost for Peterborough’s downtown and area tourist attractions.
Peterborough Musicfest is funded by corporate sponsorships – most of those being locally owned businesses – multiple levels of government support, fundraising initiatives and private donations and, as a result, has been, and steadfastly remains, a uniquely free admission event. Dallas Green, Our Lady Peace, Serena Ryder, Gordon Lightfoot, 54-40 and Blue Rodeo are just a few of the sensational music acts that have appeared over the years.
Overseen by general manager Tracey Randall and staff, and a board of directors, Peterborough Musicfest’s stated mission is to “provide diverse, affordable live music to enrich cultural and economic prosperity in our community. In order to fulfill this mandate and keep attracting legendary musicians to our stage, Peterborough Musicfest encourages any individual or business interested in sponsoring the festival to reach out at sales@ptbomusicfest.ca or phone 705-755-1111.
