Outdoor festivals, blues, jazz musicians to headline The Venue in Aurora in July

Two outdoor music festivals, as well as blues, jazz and rock artists will perform at The Venue in downtown Aurora in July.

The Venue’s summer of blues will kick off July 5 with Joanna Connor. Called the queen of blues rock guitar, Connor has Chicago residencies at House of Blues and Kingston Mines. She’s known for her explosive slide guitar and soulful vocals. Tickets cost $20-$25 in advance, $25-$30/door.

The Venue will host Rock a la Carte at 8 p.m. Saturday, July 6. The outdoor show will include food vendors. Rock a la Carte is the ultimate Queen tribute band and classic rock experience. Together since 2005, Rock a la Carte has perfected popular Queen songs, as well as many never before played tracks. Show starts at 8 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m.

The Acoustic Summit, a new summer festival featuring bluegrass group Wheels North along with bluegrass trio Anderlik, Otto, and Church, and singer songwriter Pete Jive is July 12. The outdoor festival will highlight Americana, bluegrass, roots and folk music. The Acoustic Summit will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are general admission and cost $25.

Davy Knowles will rock The Venue stage on Saturday, July 13. He’s under 40 and is a three-time Top 5 Billboard Blues charting artist. Tickets cost $20-$25 in advance. $25-$30/door.

Eric Johanson will return to The Venue on Sunday, July 14. Johanson has made a name for himself in modern Blues music, and he’s been a standout when on tour with Samantha Fish. He’s on tour with The Deep and The Dirty, his newly released album. Tickets cost $15-$20 in advance, $20-$25/door.

On July 19, Brooklyn Charmers will return to The Venue with their Steely Dan tribute that has received rave reviews from audiences. Tickets cost $20-$25 in advance, $25-$30/door.

Dave Weld and the Imperial Flames will continue The Venue’s summer of blues on Saturday, July 20. Slide guitarist Weld studied with blues greats. Tickets cost $15-$20 in advance, $20-$25/door.

Gary Hoey will return by popular demand to The Venue stage on Wednesday, July 24. Hoey rocked the live music room over the holidays with his rocking Christmas show. A world-renowned guitarist, Hoey has been named one of the Top 100 guitarists of all time. Hoey will be joined by famed metal drummer Matt Starr. Tickets cost $25-$30 in advance. $30-$35/door.

The Venue will bring back Summer Jam to Mundy Park for an outdoor show at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 26. For the second year, Summer Jam at The Venue will celebrate the famous Summer Jam at Watkins Glen which took place on July 28, 1973 at the New York racetrack and brought together Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers Band, and The Band. The original Summer Jam broke records with its crowd of 600,000. Peach Jam and Cream Puff Warriors, a Grateful Dead cover band out of Chicago, will both headline the evening starting with both bands coming together for a set of tunes from The Band. Tickets cost $30 in advance.

Stephen Kellogg will visit The Venue on Saturday, July 27. Kellogg is a Grammy-nominated, engaging, funny, and thoughtful storyteller, speaker, writer, and musician. He received acclaim from his TED talk “I can’t get no (job) satisfaction.” Rolling Stone magazine describes his sound as “John Prine fronting the Heartbreakers.” Tickets cost $35-$45 in advance. $40-$50/door.

The Venue will present a free movie night with “Woodstock” on Sunday, July 28 at 7 p.m. In this documentary, the 55-year-old iconic event is chronicled in unflinching detail, from the event’s inception all the way through to the unexpected air-delivery of food and medical supplies by the National Guard. The film contains performances, interviews with the artists and candid footage of the fans in a defining portrait of 1960s America. Register online at themusicvenue.org.

On the following Tuesdays, Pete Ellman Big Band will perform on The Venue stage with their summer concert series: July 16 and Aug. 20. Tickets cost $20-$25. Doors open at 7 p.m. Show starts at 8 p.m.

Unless otherwise noted, doors open for all shows at 7 p.m. and shows start at 8 p.m. The Venue, located at 21 S. Broadway in downtown Aurora, offers a wide selection of craft beer and other beverages at the bar which is open for all shows.

Free street parking is available along with free surface lot parking located across from City Hall, 44 E. Downer Place at the corner of Downer Place and Water Street. The Venue’s entrance is located along Water Street Mall, adjacent to City Hall and Mundy Park.

For tickets and additional show information, visit themusicvenue.org.