MOORESVILLE, N.C. — One of the biggest days leading into the Indianapolis 500 is Carb Day on Friday before the race. It’s a unique mix of the final two-hour practice before the Indy 500, the IndyCar Pit Stop Challenge and a headline performance from one of the big names of classic rock.
This year’s entertainment lineup will be “Bad to the Bone” with George Thorogood & The Destroyers as the main act.
George Thorogood & The Destroyers, who have been rocking together for more than five decades, will headline the Miller Lite Carb Day Concert on May 24 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as part of a full day of on- and off-track action and entertainment.
George Thorogood & The Destroyers will be joined by special guest Gin Blossoms, who will open the show.
The Carb Day concert gates will open at 2 p.m. this year allowing for additional entertainment, including Indianapolis recording artist Kid Quill.
“Carb Day is the unofficial start to summer and the kickoff to race weekend for many of our fans; they take the day off from work and spend it at IMS,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “From on-track action like the final practice and Pit Stop Competition to hip DJs and cool rock concerts, it’s a day like no other at the Racing Capital of the World.
“George Thorogood & The Destroyers, as well as Gin Blossoms and Kid Quill, are a great addition to a full day of entertainment.”
George Thorogood & The Destroyers got their start on a small bandstand in Lane Hall at The University of Delaware on the evening of Dec. 1, 1973. Though the three-piece band – consisting of a guitarist, a drummer and their rhythm guitarist – had barely rehearsed, guitarist George Thorogood and drummer Jeff Simon had been bashing out covers of songs they loved – including ‘No Particular Place To Go’, ‘Madison Blues’ and ‘One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer’ – in suburban Wilmington basements since they were teens.
The Lane Hall audience was wary at first. “Then it was like somebody flipped a switch,” Simon recalls. “Everybody hit the dance floor all at once.”
Five decades, 15 million albums and more than 8,000 performances later, few bands can still rock the house like George Thorogood & Destroyers. And for Thorogood, Simon, and long-time Destroyers Bill Blough, Jim Suhler and Buddy Leach, their Bad All Over The World – 50 Years of Rock Tour is a celebration like no other.
Gin Blossoms have undoubtedly left their mark on the rock music map. The Grammy nominated band’s fusion of melodic rock, pop, folk and country elements has helped pave the way for the modern rock of today.
Boasting record sales of over 10 million, fans around the world are very familiar with Gin Blossoms’ five-time Platinum breakthrough album “New Miserable Experience,” containing gems like “Until I Fall Away,” “Found Out About You,” “Hey Jealousy” and “Allison Road.” Those hit tracks were followed up by the Empire Records Platinum Soundtrack hit, “Til I Hear It From You.” In 1996, the singles “Follow you Down” and “As Long As It Matters,” hit the radio again in a huge way, making their “Congratulations I’m Sorry” record another platinum success. Their latest release, 2018’s “Mixed Reality,” shares that same timeless feel, packed with 15 songs.
Kid Quill’s sound is a hybrid of hip-hop, pop, and alternative. He has grown a core fan-base from touring throughout the early stages of his career. Over recent years, he’s performed at festivals such as Firefly, Electric Forest, Breakaway and Lollapalooza where he broke the record for highest attendance at the BMI Stage.
As an independent artist, he has amassed more than 200 million streams, become a global ambassador for the Indiana Pacers and was selected for Soundcloud’s First On Soundcloud Class of 2021. He will be releasing new music leading up to his highly anticipated upcoming album slated for Spring 2024.
The 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge is scheduled for Sunday, May 26.