Taste Of Joliet's Headliner Cost $300,000, Had Record Turnout

JOLIET, IL —The Joliet Park District's annual Taste of Joliet, a three-day-long food and music festival in late June, drew more than 55,000 people to Memorial Stadium, an all-time attendance record for people coming to watch several well-known music entertainers take the stage.

But how much did it cost to bring top-level music acts to Joliet for the Taste of Joliet?

Joliet Patch has obtained the expenditures from the Joliet Park District through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Patch sought the Joliet Park District's costs associated with bringing Friday night's main music headliner, Train, as well as several country music stars for Saturday's always popular country music night.

And Sunday marked an all-time attendance record for the Hispanic music lineup, featuring a headlining performance from Latin Grammy winners Banda Los Sebastianes.

This week, Joliet Park District Executive Director Brad Staab said that June's attendance topping 55,000 was an all-time Taste of Joliet record. He attributed that to the beautiful summer weather and the high quality music acts who performed on the outdoor stage over all three days.

Staab said the $300,000 expense to bring Train was the highest amount he's ever spent to bring a music performer to the Taste of Joliet, but the costs associated with booking major touring music acts continues to increase, and that's just the cost of doing business.

He said the $300,000 price tag for Train was well worth it, given the Friday night concert attendance, and the positive reaction from the crowd to Train's concert.

"It's definitely industry-wide. Expenses have gone up in entertainment expenses," Staab told Joliet Patch on Wednesday. "Train has three Grammys, they're a huge name, and they've had a dozen Top 10 hits."

According to the Joliet Park District, the three-day Taste of Joliet generated more than $1 million in gross revenue.

Staab said the Park District always strives to keep the admission ticket costs as low as practical.

This past June, gate admissions were $20 for adults, while children were free and senior citizens were $10. In other words, for $20, adults could see Train perform or in the alternative, spend $20 to see several country stars including Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line, Mitchell Tenpenny, Adam Doleac and a host of others during Saturday's daylong country music concert.

"We always try to keep the expenses down for the community," Staab said. "With general admission at $20, people can see top-level entertainment at a reasonable price. And don't forget, the parking is free."

Staab said he's in the early stages of evaluating what national music touring acts might be a good fit to bring to Taste of Joliet for the summer of 2024.

"It's turning into a 10-month process," he said. "Our goal is always to have it be packed for all three days."

In September, Joliet Patch submitted a FOIA request to the Park District seeking access to how the 2023 Taste of Joliet did in terms of generating revenue.

"The District does not have a final financial summary since additional revenue and expenses are still coming in," Joliet Park District FOIA Officer Teri Talarico responded. "The gross revenue as of September 13, 2023, is $1,096,011.90."

As far as the financials from Taste of Joliet, "we always make a small profit," Staab remarked Wednesday. "It's either make money or break even. We never lose money."

Here's a summary of the Joliet Park District's costs associated with drawing top music talent to Joliet for the Taste of Joliet in 2023:

Train

Contract: 75 to 90 minute concert, Friday night headliner for rock music night on June 23

Cost: $300,000

Train's history: More than 10 million albums sold and 30 million tracks sold, five platinum albums, and three Grammys. Train has 12 top #10 songs, including “Meet Virginia,” “Drops of Jupiter,” “Calling All Angels,” “Hey Soul Sister,” “Drive By,” “50 Ways to Say Goodbye,” “Marry Me” and “Play That Song.”

Adam Doleac

Contract: 40-minute concert during Saturday's country music night on June 24.

Cost: $15,000

Adam Doleac's history: top hits include: "Wrong Side of a Sunrise," "Famous," "Drinkin' It Wrong," "Don't It Sound Alright" and "Coulda Loved You Longer."

Mitchell Tenpenny

Cost: $60,000

Contract: 60 minutes during country music night, Saturday, June 24.

Mitchell Tenpenney's history: According to his website, "Since the release of his debut 3X platinum-certified No 1 hit single, “Drunk Me,” he’s set new standards for breakout success in country music. He was recognized for surpassing the One Billion streams threshold, now surpassing 1.5 Billion global streams. Mitchell’s latest album This Is The Heavy contains the platinum-selling #1 hit “Truth About You." “Truth About You” followed Mitchell’s co-penned #1 collaboration with labelmate Chris Young on the ACM Music Event nominated “At The End Of A Bar.” Mitchell’s current radio single “We Got History” is making its way up the charts.

Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line

Contract: 75 minute concert as Saturday night's headliner for country music night, June 24

Cost: $200,000

Tyler Hubbard's history: 18 # 1 songs and 4 #1 albums, and hits like “Cruise,” “This Is How We Roll,” “Round Here,” “Stay,” and “H.O.L.Y,” “5 foot 9,” and “Dancing in the Country.”

Banda Los Sebastianes

Cost: $50,000

Contract: 90-minute concert as headlining act for Sunday's Hispanic music lineup.

Banda Los Sebastianes history: According to Celebritytalent.net,"Banda Los Sebastianes is a Mexican Regional band that consists of numerous members and was born in Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico. The group was started after the release of their two singles “El Rock Del Triste” and “Piensalo Bien”. Both of their debut singles appeared in the top 10 on the radio stations all over the nation ... Some of Banda Los Sebastianes most popular songs include “A Traves Del Vaso,” “Mi Meta Contigo,” “En Eso No Quedamos,” “En Vida,” “Dentro de Tu Corazon,” and more."