On Friday, Oct. 24, the Limelight Eventplex will host Limeapalooza, a music event starring local musicians exclusively. Doors open at 6 p.m., and performances begin at 7 p.m.
Brandon Rice, a freshman at Illinois Central Community College organized the show. It will include performances by SpaceQueen, Anthony Turner, Endless Compromise, GBZ 900, James Ghareeb, Jmilli, Heather Green, Lucky 7/Mario Cannon, Unamused Dave and D&V Entertainment.
The artists are selling pre-show tickets for $10 and $15 at the door.
Rice said he got the idea for a variety show after seeing a concert at the Limelight Eventplex and wishing there was more variety.
“I thought I could do it better, so I gave it a shot,” he said.
Rice, a Peoria local, said he hopes Limeapalooza will help boost the community’s music scene.
“I was talking to a friend of mine about Lollapalooza—the Chicago music festival—and I thought, ‘What if we could bring that kind of limelight to the 309?” he said. “Limeapalooza just stuck.”
Rice recruited bands through social media, sending messages to their Facebook and Twitter pages, encouraging them to send video auditions.
Rice said the hardest part was recruiting sponsors.
“I’m only 18, so it was hard to get them to take me seriously,” he said. “I just kept explaining myself, and eventually, they got on board.”
D&V Entertainment is an independent record label whose artists will be represented at Limeapalooza.
“We often do shows together to display our unique styles and combine our fanbases,” Dustin Webb, who works as both a musician and graphic designer for the company, said. “It stands for Diverse and Versatile, so that alone tells you each artist is creative in their own ways.”
Junior international business major James Ghareeb is another performer for the show.
“Music is my way of communicating to people, taking my problems and expressing them through lyrics,” he said. “I’m excited about Limeapalooza because it’s a very diverse show with lots of different types of music.”
Ghareeb will play four songs, two being original pieces.
“I’ve been working on the closing song for over six months, and I think it’s a perfect time to showcase it,” he said.
Ghareeb said he has been playing guitar for over six years, and Limeapolooza won’t be his first show.
“I’ve done a lot of public performances, one at Bradley last year, lots of open mic nights and a couple bars,” Ghareeb said.
