Fan favorite Hairball plays in Ames for the 50th anniversary of RAGBRAI
RAGBRAI is gearing up to throw big parties along its 50th anniversary ride. The RAGBRAI L Concert Series will bring free shows to overnight towns drawing nostalgic bands from the past five decades.
Also new this year: A VIP experience for all concerts except Ames and Davenport. Tickets include access to a private restroom, beer garden, charging stations and air-conditioned suites with premium seating for $200. Riders who purchase all six VIP experiences will receive a $300 discount and a free RAGBRAI L Concert Series T-shirt.
Popular rock tribute band Hairball plays in Ames
Fans can expect nothing but a good time when Hairball, the rock-and-roll tribute band out of Minnesota plays in Ames on the third day of RAGBRAI. The Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa travels the 83 miles from Carroll to Ames, capping off the night with a show from the mega-popular band.
Fans can expect everything from fire and smoke, bombs and lights when the band takes the stage. Generally the band plays a two-plus hour show, playing hits from arena acts such as Motley Crue, KISS, Van Halen, Journey, Queen and Aerosmith.
New vocalist Drew Hart joins Kris Vox and Dave Moody drive the sound of the show, while HBK plays the electric bass, Billy the drums, and Happy the lead guitar.
This marks the 23rd year of the band, who also perform at the Iowa State Fair later this summer.
The Spin Doctors kick off RAGBRAI in Sioux City
The ’90s band Spin Doctors will spin into the first day of RAGBRAI in Sioux City with “Two Princes.”
Riders won’t have to ask “What Time Is It?” when the famed band hits the stage as RAGBRAI starts its 50th anniversary ride across Iowa.
The Spin Doctors are also known for songs such as “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong” and “Jimmy Olsen’s Blues.”
Sioux City is where things started for RAGBRAI in 1973. The city’s RAGBRAI slogan is “You Never Forget Your First Ride,” a tiny ode to a half-centennial of cyclists picking up their bikes and braving the geographical and emotional terrain one can only find in Iowa. Iowa’s fourth-largest city is home to almost 85,800 community neighbors and borders South Dakota and Nebraska.
More: From the route to registration, here’s everything you need to know about RAGBRAI 2023
RAGBRAI favorite Pork Tornadoes to play Carroll in 2023
The Pork Tornadoes spin into Carroll on day three of RAGBRAI with their hog-wild storm of popular covers on its 50th anniversary ride.
The bearded Cedar Falls-based band is known for renditions of Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey” and Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time.”
Riders will twist and turn during the Iowa city’s “barrel of fun” which is home to around 10,300 people. The beloved band performs catchy covers in the city before RAGBRAI brings its ride to the much-anticipated Ames stop on day four of the tour across Iowa.
Carroll is home to a winery, distillery, and breweries that will delight riders who need to wind down.
More: 'Des Moines-apalooza' to be city's theme as it hosts 50th anniversary RAGBRAI
Spazmatics bring nostalgic '80s vibe to Storm Lake's RAGBRAI stop
The ‘80s tribute band The Spazmatics are taking RAGBRAI day two riders by storm with their nerdy, highly dramatic world of sound when they touch down in Storm Lake.
Riders will want to pencil in the The Spazmatics’ show, as members don pocket squares and sweater vests, while performing nostalgic nods to the 1980s.
The community hopes to entertain visitors with a ‘80s theme that pays homage to RAGBRAI rides of a time gone by as they roll into the western Iowa city during the first overnight stay of the trek across Iowa.
The concert takes place in the charming arts-centered Iowa city that is home to around 11,000 people.
The Storm Lake RAGBRAI mission statement is “to cast a wide net of activities, entertainment, and diverse opportunities to showcase Storm Lake to encourage return visits.”
More: Trailer: 'Shift: The RAGBRAI Documentary'
Foghat performs in Toledo during RAGBRAI
The ’70s rock band Foghat will take cyclists on a “Slow Ride” to Toledo during day six of the RAGBRAI Concert Series on the ride’s 50th anniversary run.
The British rockers are bringing their bluesy sound to the stage before RAGBRAI’s overnight stay in Tama-Toledo on Thursday, July 27.
Known for hits like “Slow Ride,” “Fool for the City” and “I Just Want to Make Love to You,” Foghat celebrated their own 50th anniversary in 2021.
Foghat pit stops in Iowa’s own Twin Cities on their Road Fever Tour before the band makes way to a show in the Detroit metro and bikers trek to Coralville for RAGBRAI’s seventh day.
Riders will roll all night as they listen to the drumming, guitar strumming group with craft beer cans in-hand when RAGBRAI passes through the pair of neighboring towns following its day in Des Moines.
Tama-Toledo is in the state’s center and will be the smallest overnight towns featured on the ride this year.
More: RAGBRAI 50th anniversary edition hews closely to original route, including stop in Des Moines
Jay Stahl is an entertainment reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow him on Instagram or reach out at jstahl@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: RAGBRAI concerts, events along the route from Sioux City to Coralville
