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In the late 1980s, I used to ride shotgun in Bill Kirby’s car, blasting bands like the BulletBoys. He and my best friend attended the same Baptist church—that was my original connection to Kirby. That, and an unapologetic, lifelong love of rock and roll.

Today, Kirby serves as the Director of Employee and Community Events at Gibson Area Hospital. He still loves ’80s hair metal—and fortunately for local music fans, so does the hospital’s CEO, Rob Schmitt. That shared passion has sparked a series of free, big-named summer concerts in Gibson City, Illinois.

Small Town, Big Energy

As we waited for Winger to take the stage at the August 19 Summer Bash in downtown Gibson City, Kirby explained how the event came to be. It was conceived as a double-barreled gesture: a heartfelt “thank you” to hospital staff who worked tirelessly through the pandemic, and a way to break the community out of those cooped-up early COVID-19 years.

“The pandemic shut everything down and we were like everybody else,” Kirby recalled. “Just because we’re a small town didn’t mean the pandemic didn’t shut us down.”

The concept clearly resonated. Warrant kicked off the tradition in 2021, followed by Night Ranger in 2022. This year’s dual bill featured Winger and .38 Special, drawing an estimated crowd of over 4,000 people. The energy was electric and packed wall-to-wall—from the front of the stage to the back of the beer tents, vodka stations, and food trucks.

Scanning the crowd, I spotted Tammy and Steve Spencer, old friends from back in the day, relaxing in lawn chairs. Tammy, a 49-year-old Mahomet resident, self-identifies as an “eighties rock girl” (and was visibly pumped for Winger), though she and Steve appreciate everything from Stone Temple Pilots to Chevelle and Breaking Benjamin.

“This is a great thing to do for the community,” Tammy said. “We have a perfect night for it. It’s great to see all these people out here. I’m excited.”

She wasn’t wrong about the weather. With temperatures hovering at a breezy 77 degrees and only a few wispy clouds painted across the sunset, conditions were pristine. Even Kip Winger paused mid-set to note, “You couldn’t ask for better weather.”

Winger Takes the Stage

Winger’s post-80s catalog took a turn toward the overly dramatic, so it was a relief to hear them lean heavily into their early hits. The band opened aggressively with “Stick the Knife in and Twist” before surprising the crowd by launching straight into their biggest hit, “Seventeen,” as their second song.

Kip Winger can still belt out a lyric, though his voice occasionally strained into a harsh growl when reaching for higher notes. Luckily, his bandmates backed him up with flawless chorus harmonies reminiscent of Def Leppard’s studio polish.

Guitarist Reb Beach delivered an astounding masterclass in shredding, while drummer Rod Morgenstein pulled off a unique feat: playing a live drum solo synced alongside pre-recorded music, a spectacle I’ve never seen at a live show. Notably, all original band members were on stage, a rare level of lineup stability that Kip rightly highlighted with pride.

.38 Special Brings the Heat

While Winger primed the pump, the crowd saved its biggest burst of energy for .38 Special. With over two million monthly Spotify listeners and a deep catalog of multi-platinum and gold records, the southern rock icons brought a beefy, polished brand of meat-and-potatoes rock and roll.

They kicked off their set with “Rockin’ Into the Night” (from the 1979 album of the same name) and rattled off hit after crowd-pleasing hit:

• “Back Where You Belong”
• “Teacher, Teacher”
• “If I’d Been the One”
• “Caught Up in You”

An unexpected highlight came via guitarist Jerry Riggs, who took the spotlight to play “Radar Rider”—his solo contribution to the legendary 1981 Heavy Metal soundtrack. Lead singer Don Barnes (the sole remaining original member) promised the crowd a trippy vibe, and Riggs delivered. For a few minutes, Riggs and keyboardist Bobby Capps drifted into a soft, ethereal jam—a fascinating contrast to the hard-driving southern rock the band is known for.

Barnes’s voice remains remarkably top-notch, and his guitar trade-offs with Riggs were stellar. Between songs, his enthusiastic crowd work kept the energy high all night.

“Oh, man, this looks like the place to be on a Saturday night!” Barnes shouted early in the set. “Oh, man, you all look good out here. You ready to have a good time?”

Barnes’s voice is still in top-notch shape, and his guitar solos were on par with Riggs’s during the set. This enduring classic-rock music entertained the crowd all night, along with Barnes’s cheerleading throughout.

Timeless Tunes for a Diverse Crowd

Hair metal and southern rock might not be the most fashionable genres in modern pop culture, but Barnes’s sentiment hit home. Looking around the audience, I saw T-shirts representing everyone from Johnny Cash and Styx to Pink Floyd.

For a crowd with such wide-ranging musical tastes, pairing Winger and .38 Special might have seemed odd on paper. But in downtown Gibson City, under a perfect late-summer sky, both bands proved that great live music is timeless. And as Kirby hinted before leaving the stage, his team is already “pushing for some big names” for next year.