Remember Fastball’s 90s chart-toppers “The Way” and “Out of My Head”? See them LIVE at Gorton!

Experience the ultimate concert event of the year as Fastball takes the stage in the John & Nancy Hughes Theater. Set against the backdrop of Gorton’s 50th birthday bash weekend, this electrifying performance marks the pinnacle of our celebrations. Join us on Saturday evening for an unforgettable musical journey. Before the show, indulge in our array of food trucks and savor craft brews from Lake Bluff Brewing, available outside the theater. Explore our 50th birthday festivities held throughout the day here and make sure to catch all the action.

Founded in 1994, the trio rocketed to the forefront of the alt-rock explosion with their smash album, 1998’s Platinum-certified All the Pain Money Can Buy, featuring chart-topping “The Way.” Hailed by AllMusic as “a shimmering, cinematic pop gem,” and earning an RIAA Gold-certified GRAMMY® Award nomination for “Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal,” the song became a global hit, landing on the top of the charts around the world, including Billboard’s “Modern Rock Tracks,” positioned at #1 for seven consecutive weeks.  “Fire Escape” and “Out of My Head” followed as back-to-back hits, with “Out of My Head” returning to the top of the worldwide charts interpolated in Machine Gun Kelly x Camila Cabello’s 5x Platinum blockbuster “Bad Things.” “Out of My Head” was recently featured in the Ted Lasso TV series.

Released in 2000, The Harsh Light of Day featured the Top 40 favorite, “You’re an Ocean,” while in 2004 Fastball reached new heights with Keep Your Wig On, produced in part by the late, great Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne. Little White Lies, released in 2009, kept the band on the road, touring extensively and returning eight years later in 2017 with Step Into Light, followed by 2019’s The Help Machine, drawing effusive praise from outlets like PopMatters, hailing lead single “The Girl You Pretended To Be” as “pop perfection…a testament to Fastball’s enduring powers and the lure of the almighty hook.” Fastball released 2022’s The Deep End, and non-stop touring resumed including 2023’s run alongside Gin Blossoms, Sugar Ray, and Tonic. Fastball’s infectious on-stage energy was captured on their first-ever full-length live LP, 2023’s Smashed Hits. Entering their fourth decade Fastball is in full force with all new material on 2024’s Sonic Ranch and ongoing tour dates supporting the upcoming release. Fastball Nostalgia is easy. Easy money. Easy memories. And the peak-and-crash rush of the comfortable and familiar, which fades away in an instant. Inspiration is hard. Achieving it demands vulnerability, cooperation, and a belief that the next thing you create could genuinely move someone’s soul.

Over the many years together, the men of Fastball have come to appreciate that the whole point of their careers together is building off of the trust, creativity and just plain hard work of making inspired music together. It’s a career highlighted by the early career chart-topping success of hit single “The Way,” which guitarist Miles Zuniga wryly remarks, “I like to say that ‘The Way’ gave us the freedom to continue doing what we do.”

More about Gorton’s Birthday Party Here!

FOOD/ DRINK VENDORS: Lake Bluff Brewery, Hello Boba, Mis Dos Magos, Zhel’s Kitchen, Toasty Cheese  

Gorton’s 50th Birthday Bash weekend is sponsored by Lake Forest Bank & Trust