Believe It Or Not, These 5 Epic Concerts Happened In Illinois

These five epic concerts happened in Illinois, believe it or not.

Big Fan Of Concerts

I love going to concerts. I'm lucky to have gone to many in my life including some very special ones. Even some cool ones in Illinois.

Stories About Epic Shows

I've heard stories about epic shows from back in the day. Unfortunately, some of them occurred before I moved here. I've lived in Rockford for a long time but sometimes I feel like I missed the golden age of concerts in the Forest City.

List Of Epic Concerts In Illinois

Here are some of those concerts I've been told about through the years. Sometimes, it's hard to believe that they actually happened in town.

• July 27th, 1980 at the Rockford Speedway. The speedway has hosted a lot of great shows, but check out this line-up. Heart, Judas Priest, The Scorpions, and Joe Perry (from Aerosmith). I can't believe they were all on one line-up.

• February 19th, 1983 at the Rockford Metrocentre. The one and only Eric Clapton played there. I know the Rolling Stones show seems like the logical choice but everyone knows about that show. Clapton is a legend and I don't think his appearance in Rockford gets enough love.

• July 5th, 1984 at the Coronado Theatre. The late great Stevie Ray Vaughn played in Rockford. Are you kidding me? Such a lucky break for him to have a concert here during a career that ended way too soon.

• November 22nd, 1974 at the Illinois National Guard Armory. This double-bill featured Foghat with special guest Montrose with a young Sammy Hagar on lead vocals and guitar. As I drive by the long-empty building, it's hard to believe that at one point it hosted awesome shows.

• July 14th, 1972 at the Winnebago County Fairgrounds. I've been told about AC/DC at the fairgrounds. I've also heard about Black Sabbath at the Rockford Speedway and Metrocentre. Did you know Sabbath played in Pecatonica too? In fact, it was the only time they played around here with Ozzy as the singer.