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Salem is turning back the clock with a new, three-day music festival in Riverfront Park featuring tribute bands playing the biggest hits from the 1970s, \u201880s and \u201890s.<\/p>\n
Capital City Retro Fest<\/a> will host nine tribute bands performing songs from Fleetwood Mac, AC\/DC, Nirvana, ABBA, Led Zeppelin and more at the Gerry Frank Amphitheater Friday through Sunday.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Friday will be a \u201890s throwback, Saturday celebrates the \u201870s and Sunday combines the best of \u201870s and \u201880s.\u00a0<\/p>\n If you go<\/strong><\/p>\n Tickets are available online<\/a>. Day passes go for $25 each, or $60 for the whole weekend when purchased in advance. Tickets are an extra $10 when purchased day-of.<\/p>\n The festival is all-ages, and tickets are free for children 12 and under.\u00a0<\/p>\n Gates open 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 4 p.m. Sunday. Blankets and chairs are allowed on the lawn in designated areas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The event was introduced by the team behind Harefest, an annual tribute band music festival in Canby. They chose to bring a new festival to Salem because of its amphitheater, proximity to nearby cities and its strong base of music fans.<\/p>\n Jason Fellman, an organizer of the event, expects up to 1,500 attendees per day, including visitors from outside of Salem.\u00a0<\/p>\n The festival is all ages, allowing young fans to enjoy the hits they hear on their parent\u2019s radio or at sports games.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe bands that are performing play timeless music. I mean, you can\u2019t go to a sporting event and not hear the bells of \u2018Hells Bells\u2019 by AC\/DC,\u201d said Maury Brown, the guitar player for \u201cShoot to Thrill,\u201d an AC\/DC tribute band based in Portland.\u00a0<\/p>\n Brown said the band will play audience favorites like \u201dThunderstruck,\u201d \u201cYou Shook Me All Night Long\u201d and \u201cBack in Black.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Many band members are planning to bring their children to watch them perform \u2013 something they haven\u2019t been able to do at 21+ shows.\u00a0<\/p>\n Brown is bringing his 20-year-old son, while one of his bandmates is bringing his 6-year-old daughter.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe love playing all ages,\u201d said Brown. \u201cThe kids have this infectious energy, they just love to get up there and dance. There\u2019s nothing more enjoyable than seeing the youthful exuberance of really young kids who will dance to most anything.\u201d<\/p>\n Fellman\u2019s band, \u201cStone in Love,\u201d a Journey tribute act, will be playing one of its last shows in Salem before they retire later this year. Fellman said the performance is \u201cfitting\u201d for Salem, where the band has fond memories playing at the Elsinore and other Riverfront Park events.<\/p>\n Fellman hopes that Retro Fest will become a yearly tradition in Salem, bringing together thousands of people for a weekend of nostalgic music. Reservations for the 2026 and 2027 festivals are tentatively in place, Fellman said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Aloha Grill<\/a> and Four Corners Grilled Sandwiches<\/a> food trucks will offer Hawaiian, Japanese and American dishes to festival goers. Organizers are working with two other local vendors who may serve donuts and desert options.\u00a0<\/p>\n Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages will be offered by Oregon Beverage Services.<\/p>\n Have a news tip? Contact reporter\u00a0Hailey Cook:\u00a0[email\u00a0protected]<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong>\u00a0or (208) 515-4097.<\/p>\n