Kansas To “carry On” And Rock Quickchek New Jersey Festival Of Ballooning

“How Can the Biggest Summertime Balloon Festival in the Country Not Have a Band from Kansas?” READINGTON, NJ — It’s not the “point of know return,” just the starting point as the QuickChek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning in Association with PNC Bank has announced classic American rock band Kansas as the first headliner of this year’s festival concert series. The classic rock band (“Carry On Wayward Son,” “Dust in the Wind,” “Point of Know Return”) will perform Saturday, July 25 at 8:00 p.m. at the 33rd annual festival at Solberg Airport in Readington. Attracting upwards of 165,000 people to the scenic Hunterdon County countryside, it is the largest summertime hot air balloon and music festival in North America. “How can the biggest summertime balloon and music festival in the country not have a band from Kansas?” quipped Festival Executive Producer Howard Freeman, in response to the numerous Wizard of Oz and Dorothy and Toto comments he receives. “One of the first questions we’re asked is ‘who are your concerts this year?’ We’re proud that our concert series is so popular. Kansas has the proven ability to connect with audiences of all ages and we’re pleased to announce them as our first major headliner this year.” A staple of classic rock radio for more than four decades, Kansas launched to stardom with their platinum album Leftoverture and on the strength of the album’s smash hit “Carry On Wayward Son.” They followed with “Point of Know Return,” which featured both the title song and the monster hit “Dust in the Wind.” Kansas established themselves as a fixture on the Billboard charts for more than 200 weeks throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s. Kansas played to sold-out arenas and stadiums throughout North America, Europe and Japan during their rise to prominence. Their popularity continued with the next generation of listeners as “Carry On Wayward Son” was the second-most played track on classic rock radio in 1995 and became the #1 most played song of 1997. They then reached a whole new audience through their presence on the popular video games Rock Band and Guitar Hero and on television shows such as “Supernatural” and “South Park” and films including “Anchorman.” All told, the band has produced eight gold albums, three sextuple-platinum albums, one platinum album and the million-selling gold single “Dust in the Wind.” Kansas is releasing a new CD/DVD this month titled “Miracles Out of Nowhere,” which chronicles their early success from six guys in a local band in America’s heartland (Topeka, Kansas) to worldwide superstardom. The three-day QuickChek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning, July 24-25-26, features twice-a-day mass ascensions of more than 100 sport and special shaped hot air balloons and a hugely popular concert series. Tickets for Kansas are on sale now at www.balloonfestival.com and include Blue Sky Club VIP packages as well as general admission lawn seating. ###

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